The
Model Racing Yachts
These
boats are more about their development, performance, and accomplishments than
their appearance. The artistry behind
these boats is subtle. It’s not about the details like what is found in the
scale models but in the way they move.
The scale models reflect the histories of the ships they are modeled
after. Model racing yachts make their
own history and they have war stories of their very own.
There
are several classes of model yachts and each has their own specifications
regarding class compliance. There are
two kinds of classes: One-design and
development. The one-design classes are
pretty much that. The idea is to make
the boats as much alike so that the only real difference between them is the
person at the controls. The development
classes are where design becomes a factor.
Each of the development classes have their own
parameters in which to design a boat. These classes not only match skipper
against skipper but design against design.
Model
yacht racing is both a hobby and a sport.
Most participants build their own boats to some degree. There are different categories of builders. Some are happy just putting together a
kit. Some take pride in showing off a
degree of craftsmanship. Those who
design from scratch strive to find some innovation that’s revolutionary. Regardless of the amount of work the builder
put into their boat, the first race has all the excitement of the day when
their science project is due and they see how well their work compares to everybody
else’s.
The
actual racing is more like a sport. To the
casual observer, watching a model yacht race is like watching cows eat
grass. It’s a little interesting at
first but it doesn’t have a lot of staying power as a spectator sport. To the participants, it’s like playing chess.
For one thing, there are no propellers on these boats. All of their speed comes from the wind. To fully appreciate what’s going on, one must
learn a little about racing and the rules.
The rules may have changed a little from when he was racing, but here’s
a quick overview of what the rules were then.
The
course is called an Olympic Triangle.
Imagine yourself standing at the shore of a pond or a lake. On the upwind side of you would be a buoy,
called the Windward Mark, some distance away.
Depending on the size of the body of water it could be anywhere from 90
to 200 feet away. An equal distance away
in the opposite direction would be the Leeward Mark. Connecting these two marks would comprise the
base of the triangle whose line is parallel to the shore. The Wing Mark is at
the top of the triangle and how far away it is would also depend on the size of
the lake or pond. Directly in front of you and halfway between the Windward and
Leeward marks would be the Start/Finish line.
It would comprise of two buoys about 20 to 50 feet apart forming a line
that is perpendicular to the shore.
The
overall event is called a regatta. It is made up of several races around the
triangle and scoring is determined based on the place of finish. A typical race would start with a 60-second
countdown with the boats on the downwind side of the starting line. At the end of the countdown a horn or bell
would indicate the start of the race and the boats then head towards and around
the Windward mark. They then head out to and around the Wing mark and down to
and around the Leeward mark. Then it’s back upwind and through the finish line.
Back then, a first-place finish earned three-quarters of a point. Second place
got two points, third place got three points and so
on. The lowest score at the end of the
day wins the regatta. Today it’s pretty
much the same only there’s a full point for coming in first.
Determining
who has the right-of-way is dependent on the wind. A boat which has the wind coming from the
right side (called a Starboard tack) has the right-of-way over a boat which has
the wind coming from the left side (Port tack).
In the case where both boats are on the same tack, the down-wind or
leeward boat has the right-of-way. If
all else is equal, the slower boat has the right-of-way. You won’t find rules like this anywhere in
NASCAR.
So,
with that said about how to race, these are the different classes of model
yachts my father built and raced: