London Model Yacht club is one of the oldest if not the oldest establishment in the Model yachting world and was the host last Saturday of one of the oldest radio sailing trophies and may be one of the oldest sporting trophies in the UK although this fact is still being researched. The De Quincey cup is a stunning trophy and is one of the only team racing competitons in the radio sailing world. Presenting on the day were the grandaughters of the name on the cup. The history

One of the questions I get asked more than almost any other tuning topic is, “How much prebend should I have in my IOM mast?” Unfortunately, there isn't a simple answer such as “15mm down to 800mm from the masthead”. The truth is that prebend is heavily influenced by your rig geometry, mast position, shroud arrangement and sail design. Over the years, through plenty of trial and error, I've learned that understanding the relationship between the mast and shroud positions is o

I travel quite a lot and leaving something behind can destroy a weekend and even prevent sailing. An example for me was leaving a spare receiver or transmitter at home. If I fall in the water or the receiver gets water ingress, my weekend is scuppered. Thankfully this only happened once when a receiver on a DF65 went AWOL on the second morning of a national. I have to say I did sit down in the water at LMRC when I put my foot on the 1st ledge in the water to pick my boat

84 boats. One metre yachts. One World Championship. In May 2026, some of the world’s best radio sailors came to Datchet Water to contest the IOM World Championship. Now you can relive an extraordinary week of racing in a film that captures not only the competition on the water, but also the people, atmosphere and intensity of a World Championship. From the start line to the finish, success at this level depends on getting countless decisions right: Starts → shifts → tactics →

Last weekend I competed in two very different but equally enjoyable events. While the results were respectable (a 2nd and a 3rd), it was one of those weekends where the real value came from the lessons learned rather than the trophies won. Huntingdon Regional Event The first event was the DF95 Regional at Huntingdon. The day began cold, but with a steady breeze and the promise of sunshine later. By lunchtime the temperature had risen enough for shorts and T-shirts to appear a

Graham Cross who was a close friend and sailing companion of Ian Vickers for many years had the pleasure of putting together a tribute to Ian on behalf of the Northshore Radio Yacht Squadron were Ian was a valued and much respected member. A set of Vickers sails kindly donated by Fleetwood's Paul Middleton were signed by all the competitors at the 2026 IOM World Championships and came back to NZ with Colin Cashmore. These sails formed the centre piece of the tribute. On Sunda

You can read my article on the MYA site or Yachts and Yachting on the weekend so here, I will focus on my performance or lack of. Lets start with the boat, the F6. Over the last year I have extensively prepared the boat to insure that nothing would go wrong over the weekend as these boats take quite a beating with the wind, speed, salt and sun. Thankfully the boat came through with flying colours without a single glitch. I was very careful to rinse the boat with fresh wate

Yesterday I had the pleasure of Sailing at Newhaven and Seaford's Radio sailing club site at Piddinghoe. An attractive lake just to the East of Piddinghoe bounded to the North and East by the River Ouse. It has outstanding views of the South Downs to the North and an extrordinary incinerator to the South that looks like something our of a Star Wars movie. If only all the incinerators looked like this one. Here is a picture of the lake. The only sailing restriction is you

28 boats attended the IOM ranking event but only 10 of those were from the M&S district. Those who stayed away missed out on some of the best racing we have seen all year. Steady winds with subtly shifts, highly skilled sailors, no room for error. This post is all about the challenges facing an up and coming sailor. We all would like to think we are the best but when elements of our skills are just off a fraction in close racing as we had over the weekend, the punishment

My website exists to inform, support, and engage with people who share a genuine passion for radio sailing. It is a place for thoughtful discussion, technical insight, and constructive debate. From time to time, when a subject feels particularly important, I share a post on Facebook - especially on the MYA Downwind page, where many of the sport’s most active sailors read and contribute. It is therefore disappointing when these occasional shares are sometimes interpreted as at

I have been out in the doldrums a bit lately. Not qualifying for the worlds, a period of recovery after that, disappointment with my speed at the latest M ranking, a lot of gardening and decorating to catch up in the house after the worlds preparations and a new boat to understand. So it was a pleasure to see that the sailing skills are still there at the latest one design DF event. It was the first cold weather I have experienced this summer. The mornings on the moors at

A reflection on behaviour at a recent ranking event - and why it matters for the future of our sport Last weekend’s Marblehead ranking event should have been everything we love about radio sailing: close racing, good company, and the simple pleasure of spending a day by the water. And to be fair, most competitors were exactly that - welcoming, supportive, and quick to lend a hand when someone’s winch jammed or a rudder servo decided to retire early. But it’s time we talked ho

I remember at a Poole weekend where I had got a set up where the boat was so fast but stupidly I did not measure the settings. Last weekend I had no edge over anybody so I am trying on this page to unravel any differences. Small margins on the DF65 make a huge difference I had a look at a series of photos to try and understand the difference between my rig 54 and Craig's 121. In summary I think he was able to point a little higher all weekend, carried more mast rake, set a

Photo courtesy of Dave Budden Barton’s Point Coastal Park proved an inspired choice for the 2026 DF65 National Championship. With its expansive car park, on‑site café, proper facilities, secure motorhome area and most importantly a lake offering clean wind from every direction, the venue ticked every box for competitors and organisers alike. Under the calm and capable leadership of Jim La Roche and his dedicated East Kent Radio Sailing Club team, supported by PRO Wayne Stobbs

Delivering the commentary for this event proved to be rewarding and a valuable experience watching the best in the world. In a way I am glad that I was last man standing so I could support the event. I do have to offer apologies to all those whose names I mispronounced. Next time……… The Week Datchet became the Centre of the IOM World The 2026 International One Metre World Championship at Datchet Water Sailing Club will be remembered not just for its scale, its competition,

After finally accepting that no one was going to drop out, something I’d actually suspected a week ago, it was straight down to business: finishing the setup and preparing for the commentary. I should be clear: I’ve never done this before. But I was confident I knew enough about the players, designs, and tactics to do a decent job. And frankly, if I didn’t do it, no one else was going to. What I hadn’t considered was the reality of being on my feet for nine hours a day (9:30

It can be slightly frustrating to wait for somebody to pull out of the worlds and I have waited expectantly since May 1st. Even more annoying was the number of people who asked me, “Have you got a place yet”. I had a nagging gut feeling that it was not going to be my year and I was proved to be right. However putting that aside there was so much to do on the planning side which was my role on the organising team and then there was the question who would do the commentary.

The global radio‑sailing community is mourning the loss of Ian Vickers, the renowned New Zealand sailor, designer, and founder of Vickers RC Sailing, who passed away yesterday after a courageous battle with cancer. His illness had become widely known in April, when the Australian Radio Yachting Association shared that he had been admitted to hospital in a gravely ill condition, prompting an outpouring of support from sailors around the world. Ian’s contribution to radio saili

The Yachts and Yachting report