Welcome to the introductory issue of the Model Yachting Resource News! The new Model Yachting Resource News and the Model Yachting Resource Center (MYRC) is dedicated to the goals of promoting model sailboats, scale boats, and fast electric speedboats.

To achieve these goals, MYRC will publish Model Yachting Resource News at least six times a year. The staff of MYRC is made up of volunteers who write, publish, and develop this publication and Internet site. We look forward to providing this service to expand model boating. This publication and the Web site are not governed by any group or organization. This allows the staff and writers the freedom to write and present information to best aid model boaters.

If you have an idea for an article, write and share it. You can e-mail your idea in a query letter or your article on speculation, and we will let you know if we can use it. It is as simple as that. If your article has any photographs or graphics that is even better. Scan them (unless you have digital camera for the photos) and send them in with your article. If accepted, your name will be placed with your work. _/)

By Pete Boyle and Dave Newland

On Sunday June 22, some of us FE guys got together to have some fun and do some testing of new set-ups. Upon getting to the lake, we discovered that skippers from a different sailboat club had the same idea, to also have some fun. After talking to some of the guys, we found out that their home lake was over grown with weeds. So how was this going to work? Electric and sail boats on the lake at the same time! After all, it is not easy to have two different classes of boats on the water at the same time, and we do have a way of messing up those buoys that don’t want to move despite hitting them as hard as we can.

Well, as strange as this might sound we all got along just fine, in fact many of us fast guys got to play with some sail boats, in fact I was privileged to sail a 36/600 National Champion boat. Charlie Ellis let me sail his top boat. Now sailing is very new to me, and was only the second time I have done it. With a little help from Charlie (ok a lot), I managed to get the boat around a buoy or two. The following are some things I have learned.

1. Sailing a boat is a lot harder than just pulling the throttle and hanging on.
2. As much time and effort that we put into trying to go fast, so do these guys!
3. The technology and expense that we go through is similar for them as well.
4. I have a lot to learn.

So, after spending the better half of Sunday watching and learning about sailing, I had a lot of fun. I met some new people, tried a sailboat and I even had time to put a few boats in the water. The main thing that I learned is that we all can get along and still have a good time, even if we have different interests. I even went home and looked at a few on the Internet! I think I’ll stick to a cheap electric boat for now……HA HA HA. _/)

By Dave Acree

For the past few months I have been wondering, "What is the perfect pond? If there is such of thing as a perfect pond, what makes it perfect?" If there were a perfect pond, it would be great. I mean all our needs and wants for a great place to sail would be met for our enjoyment.

So to answer this question of what makes a perfect pond, I came up with a list of characteristics. Below each characteristic are desired attributes that make a pond perfect. If a pond could be found that has all of these attributes, model boating would be better, right?

Well, it is time now to get our heads out of the clouds and think in real time. For starters, there are no perfect ponds; there never has been and never will be. Try as we may there will always be something wrong with a pond that makes our use of the site not so enjoyable. With this thought in mind, what are we to do?

First is the weather, we live in the State of Arizona that does not have weather patterns that produce a constant amount of wind all of the time. To make matters worst, ponds in the Phoenix Metro Area have hills, trees, and structures around them affecting wind conditions. Second, Arizona is a desert state, and all of the water we get comes in by canals and is controlled by someone else. Because of this, we have to share water resources with others.

Third, because all the ponds are public access and we all drive cars, we have to share parking lots with others. The best solution is to have a pond with a large parking lot. Fourth is the pond area and restrooms. It is nice not having to take a day hike to get to the restroom and not have to fight traffic noise to hear the start tape. Last, we live in a desert. That means the sun is beating down, it is nice if the pond has shade.

If a club wants to get and keep people coming to its events, it has to take in account the things mention above. If not, participants will not come back. A club should find a pond that is easy to get to in their area. There should be facilities at the pond to meet the needs of the skippers including abundant shade, restrooms, drinking water, and adequate parking. No racecourse should face into the sun. It is not safe on the eyes and makes it hard to see the course.

Last is the weather. We have no control on the weather. Every pond in Phoenix area has its strengths and weaknesses. Skippers complain of light winds and lack of heavy winds – get over it. The biggest whine is, "The wind is so fluky, it oscillates so much." Please, that is the challenge of sailing, being able to use the wind conditions that is given. It is what makes sailing fun and challenging. If wind conditions never changed it would become boring.

The goal of a club is to find a pond that has the least number of negative conditions and the most number of positive conditions. If not, it will face a low turn out at its events. Remember this, skippers want to sail at a spot where it is enjoyable to sail at. If a pond’s location has too many negative conditions, people will not come back. _/)

From the HELMSMEN Newsletter

May 2003

Being ‘caught in irons’ means a boat sitting at, or very nearly, head to wind with sails luffing and no forward motion. As a boat nears head-to-wind its sail starts to luff and the boat slows. The slower the boat speed, the less effective it’s rudder becomes and the less directional control the skipper has.

Similarly, a clockwise rotation of the rudder will cause a turn to port. If you are caught in irons and want to recover on a starboard tack, hold the rudder control for a normal turn to starboard, wait until the boat starts moving aft and the boat will back onto a starboard tack.

To come out on a port tack, hold the rudder control for a normal turn to port and wait. This action must be coordinated with the action of the sails. Once the direction with respect to the wind changes sufficiently for the sails to fill, the boat will begin moving forward. If no further rudder action is taken at this time, the forward moving boat will turn into the wind and get back into irons.

When coming out of irons it is vital that the rudder be returned to neutral (or turned in the opposite direction to bear off) as soon as the sails fill, the boat starts to move forward.

By Dave Acree

Many times a person will find something useful in a place where one would not expect it. One day I was shopping at Kmart when I found myself in sporting goods looking at fishing tackle. Now this is nothing new because I browse stores’ sporting goods section often. But this time something caught my eye that made me stop and take a second look.

It was fishing swivels and fasteners. Now you may say, "What is so special about swivels and fasteners? We all have seen and purchased swivels and fasteners before." That is a fair statement, but these swivels and fasteners are different. For most swivels and fasteners the brass barrels have looped brass wire knotted into each end of the barrel. These swivels and fasteners are different. There are no knotted looped brass wires sticking out the ends of a brass barrel. Instead this swivel had eyeholes at each end, and instead of knotted wire to rotate on, these swivels use ball bearings!

There is the difference. With knotted looped brass wire you get friction and friction means resistance. Swivels are a great way to attach a jib boom to jib rack because it allows the jib sail to rotate freely. Ball bearing swivels means less resistance, which means the jib sail can rotate better to respond to changes in the airflow!

That is not all, along with ball bearing swivels you get split rings and Fastlock fasteners that can be used elsewhere on a model yacht. The sizes of these ball bearing swivels start at one and go up. With each size of ball bearing swivel, the test pounds increase, for instance, size one is 15lb. test which is great for a Victoria jib sail.

If you are interested in these ball bearing swivels, look for Eagle Claw products at any store that carries fishing tackle. The cost for a package of three Eagle Claw size one Ball Bearing Swivels with Fastlock is 97 cents, which makes a good low cost fitting. _/)

If you are interested it an item, please contact the person that is selling the item for more information.

WANTED: Dumas or other brand 1/8 scale Chris Craft runabout. Built, partially built or kit. Please email Doug Nolte at: drnolte@mybluelight.com.

Help! I hope someone can help me find some assembly instructions for the Virginia Pilot Boat, "Swift". I have moved and have misplaced the instructions, but do have everything else. Also, what color is the Swift painted? If you have some information on the above questions, please email them to: John W. at jfyke@txucom.net. Thanks!

By Doug Nolte

Hot, sticky, and a lot of fun. These were some of the comments being tossed about on Saturday, July 19, 2003 at the MMYC Scale boat event. We had a good turnout, and were joined there by some of the fast electric drivers testing their boats before heading to California to compete in the Nationals. Special thanks go to Charlie Ellis, Dennis Oldenburg, and Michael Mann for all the effort they put forth to help make the day a success.

Dave Acree supplied the solar cooker and all those present gobbled up the hamburgers and hot dogs. The only incident of the day was when I ran my trawler into the dreaded Dobson wall when one AA battery in my receiver pack failed. Charlie set out buoys for the proposed course we will be running in the points series which turned out to be a little more difficult than was anticipated. Thanks to everyone who came out to participate and help various ways. Overall, everyone had a good time and we look forward to the next scale event on August 16^th at 8:30 a.m. at Dobson.

WVRCM News Brief

The first Seawind COA Regional Championship Regatta will be held in Region 5 on Sunday, October 12, 2003.

The event will be hosted by the West Valley R/C Mariners (WVRCM) club at Litchfield Park Lake, Litchfield Park, Arizona.

Registrants in the Regatta must be American Model Yachting Association (AMYA), members and boats will be measured for conformance with Seawind COA Class Rules.

The regatta will form part of a two-day event. On Saturday, October 11^th, WVRCM will hold a club 1-Meter Sport Regatta at the same venue. Seawind COA boats are automatically eligible for 1-Meter Sport Class so this will be a tune-up event. We hope this will make a worthwhile weekend’s racing for out of town participants.

This note is to provide advance notice hoping that as many skippers as possible will plan to attend to formally kick off the Seawind COA racing calendar. A formal Notice of Race will be distributed widely before the event providing registration details, directions to the site, etc.

For further information please contact: Mike Eades, Regatta Director, Seawind COA Region 5

Director. Phone: (928) 684-5624; e-mail: meades@w3az.net

MMYC club member, Richard Sillert in Concho, AZ is in the building mood. According to the photos below he is in the process of building the CSA Hunley submarine, which is major cool and has completed a Marblehead!

The Hunley is being built 1 inch = 1 foot. The Hull is being built timber plank on shadows. Richard is using the latest findings on the web site, Friends of the Hunley - www.hunley.org.

The Marblehead is timber planked on shadows. The hull design is a Cumulus from Marine Modeling with a few modifications. The fin is made of wood instead of carbon fiber. Richard cast all fittings and the keel bulb himself. The sail rig is from the "Koranee" from 1977, which Richard has modified.

If you want to get a hold of Richard, his email address is: Bonnie@MsTaraCattery.com. _/)

By Ray Agee

Size Doesn't Matter... Really!

In scale modeling boating there are two basic theories - build 'em big and build 'em small! The final choice is, of course, up to the builder. I know radio control boat modelers who have built such dandys as the great Queen Mary passenger liner, which came out to 14 feet in length! On the other hand, a friend who lives up in the San Francisco area who has an operational tugboat that is four inches long - and it has a horn!

Down in Oz - Australia that is, the most popular scale in 1/72, which puts most of their military ships at an average of 10-14 feet in length. What becomes the deciding factor in which size of a model you are going to build? Mainly, it comes down to three factors.

First is the size of your workspace followed by how are you going to transport your model to the pond? Last, although many argue about this, are your skills, time and money.

I have collected a rather large fleet of 1/96-scale fiberglass hulls produced by Lee Upshaw's Scale Shipyard. Among these, are an Iowa Class battleship (111") and an Essex Class carrier (109"). A couple of years ago, I was smacked upside the head by fate and suffered three mild strokes plus just getting old.

Since that time, I have come to take on a realization that was echoed by Clint Eastwood in "Dirty Harry". I call it the "...a Man's got to know his Limitations" syndrome. I am selling my large hulls and concentrating on boats of less than 48" in length. Most will be in the 12 - 24" range.

I have seen small tugs, tuna, and shrimp boats under 16" that have operating features as good as the big models. These boats can be packed in carrying cases and small toolboxes. One of the Mesa Model Yacht Club's members is Dennis Oldenburg who specializes in small. He brings everything (usually 5 models) in the back seat of his PT Cruiser.

Then again, some of my California friends build only BIG warships taking two people to get them into the water. Oh yes, trucks, vans and station wagons are mandatory forms of transport. When I was actively competing in the Newport 12 Meter sailboat class, I was fortunately the owner of Chevy crew cab truck left over from my semi-pro drag racing days. I could get everything in there and had plan how the battleship and carrier were going to be placed. Now, I can't afford the gas for the 454" engine - what's that tell you?

Anyway, the beautiful thing about scale model boating is the wide range of subjects, scales and types you can model. Do you like cabin cruisers, submarines, tug boats, tankers, passenger ships, battleships or????? It your choice! In future columns, we will talk about different models and ideas and give you some nice Internet sites of real and scale boats and ships. Until then, good sailing and take care of your health. _/)

by Jack Gregory

Race Week East is getting closer, and if you want to participate in any way, now is the time to get the lead out and sign up!

This annual event, a joint venture between the Mystic Seaport Museum and the AMYA and Vintage Model Yacht Group, is one of the biggest sailing get-togethers on the East coast, and you don’t want to miss it. Plus, if you volunteer to help with putting it on - only a few hours commitment is needed - you will receive free ad-mission to the Mystic Seaport Museum grounds for all of the days of the event.

Setup day is Wednesday, July 30. Racing skippers and exhibitors can bring in their models and do some test sailing. Boats are housed overnight in a secured Museum building throughout the event, so bringing boats to and from the site every day is not necessary.

Setup day also includes a Fun Sail for skippers, exhibitors and volunteers from 2 to 4 PM. This is a chance for skippers to get in some test time, or for those not racing to get in some fun time.

Wednesday also marks the start of the RC Laser sailing for Mystic Seaport visitors. This is a great outreach event sponsored by the Museum, which now has an entire model sailing program centered around the Laser. Help with this event by AMYA members is both educational and fun. This sailing takes place away from the racing and runs at designated times throughout the entire Race Week East event.

Once the day’s setup is over, it is time to kick back and enjoy Mystic and its surroundings, or head over to the Boatshed on the Museum grounds, where they have "Lobsta!" on the river. This clambake-style event is open to all. It is optional and not included in the regatta or dinner fees (it is about $16 per person).

From then on, the schedule is tight, and it is filled with racing and extracurricular events. The show opens Thursday, July 31 with the Region 1 East Coast 12 Meter championship, racing from 9:30 until noon. Then they take a break, and the Wheeler National Championship event starts at 12:30 and runs until 4:00.

There is no organized event dinner for Thursday, but we recommend a rendezvous at The Fisherman restaurant in Noank (south of Mystic, on the water), where those Race Week East staff and guests who chose to will be meeting for dinner at 5:30 PM, and would welcome all who want good seafood in a great atmosphere. Directions will be available.

Then Friday morning the racing starts kicking up again with the final races of the Wheeler Nationals, which conclude at noon with an awards ceremony. Immediately thereafter, the EC-12’s get back into the water for the second half of their Regional Championship, which concludes at 4:00 PM.

But the day is not done, because the famous Friday Night Picnic and Model Yachting Flea Market gets underway be-fore dark. Generously hosted by Jack Garbarino (one of the founders of the J Class) at his home in Mystic. This year’s event will include Subway grinders, fresh made clam chowder, chips, beer, wine, soda, desert (cookies or such). All included in your regatta fee (guests and non-regatta entrants are asked to donate $6 per person to support this event).

The Flea Market is a new idea that was informally started before, but we hope to go big time this year. It will be held in Jack’s new, big shed. He will provide some tables, and people can bring their flea market items prior to the picnic if they want to. So don’t hesitate to bring your extra boats and parts of interest. We are expecting at least 60 people at this event, and hope to make it a regular happening.

Saturday brings racing for two new classes. The Star 45 National Championship gets going at 9:30 and runs until 12:00. Then the J Class Region 1 Championship starts up at 12:30.

Saturday evening is the traditional evening dinner on the river, at the Boatshed. Our guest speaker this year is Earl Boebert, of New Mexico, who will speak on "Model Yachts in the Schools," a look at the manual arts programs that focused on sailboat modeling as a multi-dimensional educational activity. This dinner is an extra-cost item and must be committed to in advance to obtain seating. Cost is $25 per person.

Sunday concludes the regatta, with the J Class regional from 9:30-12:00, followed by the finals of the Star 45 Nationals, The entire event is wrapped up by 4:00 PM on Sunday.

If you would like to attend any or all of these events, or volunteer for a little time to help out, NOW is the time to do so. We need to finalize dinner counts, volunteer assignments, etc. Don’t miss this great event — come and make it even better!

The one-stop to sign up is the Race Week East web site, at www.raceweekeast.com. This site includes directions, housing in-formation, and other links. This site is hosted and generously donated by Greg Vasileff.

If you don’t yet have the hang of this web stuff, there is no excuse! You can al-ways call. To sign up for racing, you must be a current AMYA member and registered in the appropriate class. Contact Jim Linville at (781) 925-0045 or jimisu@attbi.com for all racing info.

To volunteer or ask general questions, contact me at 781-784-7625 or e-mail jgg@ultranet.com. For information related to the Mystic Seaport Museum side of this event, contact Karin Fuog (pronounced "fewg") at 860-572-5341, or karin.fuog@mysticseaport.org. _/)