Lee Valley Model Yacht Club host Radio Controlled Laser demo
by David Smythe 16 Jan 2001 20:15 GMT
Radio Controlled Lasers in Lee Valley
An invitation to 'come and try' radioed controlled Laser racing brought around 15 visitors from all backgrounds to the Lee Valley Model Yacht Club, Clayton Hill Country Park, Broxbourne on Sunday 14th January.
Three demonstration boats and two boats owned by local skippers were available for visitors to race around a simple course.
Both experienced radio controlled yacht skippers and those from the full-size sailing world soon discovered that making the RC Laser go fast was not a skill that was readily acquired. With the RC Laser there is no doubt you have to serve your apprenticeship. The Una Rig requires quite different
handling techniques to the more conventional sloop rigged model yacht. Once mastered however, good racing soon developed, along with a taste for radio controlled Laser racing it would seem. Judging by the difficulty of getting hands on a transmitter.
The adoption of the RC Laser by the Lee Valley club was prompted by a perceived lack of new blood entering the support. The absence of younger skippers was of particular concern to the club.
What was encouraging to see on the Demonstration Day day was the number of youngsters having a go at trying to master the sailing technique of these delightful strict one-design yachts.
The RC laser is the official 1/4 scale radio controlled version of the well known Olympic Class Laser dinghy of which nearly 200,000 have now been sold worldwide.
The radio controlled version of the Laser was developed jointly by Bruce Kirby (designer of the Laser dinghy) and Jon Elmaleh, a well-known US designer and skipper of model yachts. To date some 1,700 boats have been sold throughout the world.
The RC Laser is delivered ready to sail and can be on the water within seven minutes of opening the carrying case. This, it is hoped, will attract to the sport those who either do not have the skills to build a model yacht or do not have sufficient time.
Because of the strict one-design nature of the class, boats do not rapidly depreciate in value, neither can deep pockets purchase extra boat speed. This, it is hoped, will help to establish the RC Laser as a new class that can bring new members into any club that is prepared to to welcome it into their ranks. Maybe even members they otherwise may never have seen.
Contact the UK RC Laser Owners' Association at the following address if you would like to register your interest in the RC Laser and be kept up-to-date on what is going on in the world of the RC Laser: David Smythe, Acting Secretary, UK RC Laser Owners' Association, 40 Rosehill Close, Hoddesdon, Herts, EN11 8NJ, phone 01992465328 or e-mail david@smythetowers.co.uk.
Clubs wishing to be included in a list of clubs who would welcome new owners should contact the UKRCLOA. A list of these clubs will eventually be inserted into every RC Laser box dispatched in the UK.
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