HORIZONS Model Yacht Club is open to new members.
The group, which meet weekly at Grahamstown Sailing and Aquatic Club, start up in spring after going into recess for winter. Potential members who did not have a craft could easily buy one.
Second-hand boats are sometimes available at a very reasonable cost. All yachts are radio controlled sailing 36-600 class yachts.
yachts are not difficult to control and sailing them is a great way to meet new people and get actively involved.
The club sails on Tuesdays and competitive sailing will commence after the October long weekend at Grahamstown's Sailing and Aquatic Club at Grahamstown Dam.
The cost of membership is $10.
Contact Keith Johnson 0407638363 or John Tidey 4984 5636.
We are located in Port Stephens NSW on Grahamstown Lake at Madden Park, Grahamstown Aquatic Centre off Grahamstown Road .
This Club is more intent on a relaxed and enjoyable way of sailing, and the yachts are an affordable class that perform well enough to give a level of excitement similar to larger and more expensive counterparts.
The racing aspect involves a combination of knowledge and experience involving the use of wind and water current, aerodynamics, wit and skill.
Maintaining and improving the yacht is always important and the more experienced members are always willing and helpful to set newcomers on the right track.
The relaxed atmosphere of sailing this type of craft makes it enjoyable and friendly.
Almost anyone can learn to sail an RC sailboat and it does not involve messy fuels and a lot of noise.
The type of yachts we use at this club are not expensive and available from most hobby shops, via the Internet or from existing members.
It usually takes time to develop the skills to be competitive to win races, but this is made easier here by the fact that we use a handicap system, making it fairer for beginners and more challenging for the experienced sailors.
The club set out sailing the ‘Northwind’ yachts 36/600 class pictured to the right, being reasonably priced and easy to transport, and suitable to fit in most vehicles. These models are no longer available and other models of similar size are being tried, to replace them.
The hull length and the sail area provide a reference to the classification and specification, although some lenience has been allowed here. Size and sail area may vary, making it more of a judgemental factor on the part of the skipper to take advantage of the prevailing conditions on the day.
