Summer is now officially here and there is nothing to do but go to the swimming pool, cool off, and drink lemonade. Hmm, that begs the question of why lemonade is called lemonade and not lemon juice but I’ll leave that for another time. Anyway, here in the Valley of the Sun the majority of model boating is over. Instead, skippers had to find other activities to occupy their time. This is not a bad thing. I’m sure many boats are in need of refurbishing, new boats need to be built, or old boats need of repair. If you are one of the few who has nothing to do (for model boating that is) you are lucky. For the rest of us who just want to take it easy and enjoy other summer events, do so. Your boats will patiently wait for you as long as you need to get rested up.

From time to time I hear or are told of comments that are made at the pond. One of the comments made was that model boats are being referred to as "toy boats". I find this interesting in the fact that the boats sailed at the pond cost a lot of money and time to build. Outside of model boating, whenever adult males find items of enjoyment, others place labels on the items as a waste of time, i.e. toys. It is a way of degrading the item because it is felt the object is has little value – unlike shopping for low heel shoes, painting nails or something like that.

With trying to have an open mind about the "toy boats" statement, I turned for answers from a person who enjoys model airplanes and helicopters. When asked what they thought about having someone say their models are "toys", I got very interesting responses. First, their models cost a lot in money and time, far more than a toy. Second, toys are from a toy store. Their models are either kits from a hobby store or scratched built. Third, toys can not be fixed, upgraded, or altered where as their models can be. Forth, their models are judged or put into competition, which demands skill in building and operation, toys do not.

So, for those who feel model boats are toys, just keep that thought to yourself, go to a toy store, purchase a good toy, and share some fun

time with a kid. If it is still felt model boats are toys, then fine. But don’t be surprised to be thought of by those who take the time and effort to build models boats as someone who has little regard for other peoples’ work, and is insensitive to other peoples’ interests in the hobby of model boating. _/)

The new 2004/2005 Arizona Model Yachting Association (AZMYA) schedule is now out for the up coming model boating season. Not too exciting, but there are some interesting observations. First, for those who enjoy Marblehead racing, there are only four regattas to attend, so enjoy the few that there are. If you are into Victoria racing, the pickings look pretty good; there are seven regattas scheduled, one regional championship, and short point events – more on that later. The 36/600 and various other classes take up the rest of the sailing schedule.

To the average person the above schedule may not sound bad, but there are some shortcomings. First, for the longest time Marbleheads were popular, and since there are still Marbleheads in the Valley it is too bad there are not more events to support and build up this class. I still have not found the Marblehead Lost Dutchman Gold Cup Regatta listing on the new schedule. According to a reader, area clubs couldn't agree on a schedule at this time. So resolution has been postponed to a later date.

In the past couple years the Victoria class has grown from a couple boats to well over 20. There are seven all day regattas scheduled for the Victoria; with that there are several half-day events for the Victoria. It looks like there will a good supply of Victoria events.

One interesting event is the Victoria Region 5 Championship at Tempe Town Lake in Tempe, AZ. Tempe Town Lake is one of the most difficult lakes to sail on. Participants will have to face a southern view towards the sun to sail their boats, a three foot high drop boat launch, noise from low flying jets on landing approach, and noise from a freeway directly behind the sailing area. Skippers may have to put up with racing sculls that have the right of way on the lake. In the past Victoria events, sailboats have been hit by racing sculls that have right-of-way on the lake. High winds have been a problem at this lake. At the 2003 36/600 National Championship, one boat sank and a couple others almost sank due to high winds. Because of the extreme high winds, a race delay was called causing participant/s to walk off. This lake will make it interesting to watch this event.

One nice spot is the Region 5 Seawind Championship at Litchfield, AZ. The Seawind class is a good One-Design classes to get into. This class offers skippers a good design to start with, which allows no modification. The West Valley RC Mariners are running events for the Seawind class in the up coming season. It is nice to see events for this class and hope to see more in the future.

Last are the 36/600s. It looks like the 36/600 class has scheduled 12 regattas for the up coming season. The new direction for this class is having series events for points. The 36/600 class does offer skippers with a lot options to get speed; the only down side is the expense to get it.

Well, that’s it. The new AZMYA 2004/2005 schedule is out and we got what we got. So get ready to enjoy the upcoming model boating season. See you at the pond. _/)

As previously mentioned, there is something new for the 36/600s. Apparently, some skippers do not want to receive plaques when they finish in the top positions at future events. Instead, at the end of the 36/600 Point Series, gift certificates and a plaque will be given to the top five finishers: 1^st Place - $125 gift certificate, 2^nd Place - $60 gift certificate, 3^rd Place - $30 gift certificate, 4^th Place - $20 gift certificate, and 5^th Place - $10 gift certificate.

To enter this series, skippers can pay a one-time fee of $25 dollars or $5 at each event. This will mean $245 dollars will have to be collected to cover the cost of the five, advertised gift certificates awards. Advertised fixed award amounts based only on entrance fees, not to mention the other costs like advertised plaques can be a strain on gaining the required capital.

A better way to issue gift certificates would be based on the percent of the total amount of entrance fees. For example, if the total entrance amount comes to $210 dollars, the 1^st Place gift certificate would be 45% of $210 or $94.50, 2^nd Place would be 25% of $210 or $52.50 dollars, etc. This way the amount of the gift certificates would not be locked in to an advertised amount the event the total entrance amount falls short of what was projected. Anyway, it will be interesting to see the outcome of this idea of sailing. _/)