Retirees make waves with radio sailing boats
Commodore Basil Hart with his 1-meter design boat (IOM), handcrafted from wood and named Privateer. Photo: Tessa Claus
While the America’s Cup has recently been in the headlines, closer to home, there’s a group of sailors with perhaps lower stakes who probably spend a lot less money but nevertheless generate just as much fun and excitement within their community. The Nelson Radio Sailing Club are an enthusiastic group of locals, mostly retired, who race model boats on a picturesque and custom-designed pond on Best Island. Justin Eade talks to a few of them about the scene.
Basil Hart, a retired boatbuilder, is the Commodore of the Nelson Radio Sailing Club and has been involved with radio sailing for about 12 years. He says radio-controlled yacht racing is becoming a very popular sport worldwide as the baby boomers, who have raced yachts during their lives, retire and find that they can have just as much fun sailing model yachts without getting wet.
Basil says Nelson is a strong club, which has been based at the pond on Best Island for the past four years. “The club was originally formed around 2006, and at that time, we sailed at the Nelson Marina, then at various ponds, until leasing the pond on Best Island. The club presently has a membership of 45 mainly retired men and four women.”
The pond and its surrounding area are leased from the Nelson Tasman Sewerage Business Unit, which has assisted them to develop the area from a scrubby wasteland to the smart, landscaped area you can see today. The pond has an ‘isthmus’ in the middle of it for racers to congregate and control their yachts during races.
The club put a lot of volunteer hours into developing their sailing area, with members volunteering their time to achieve the changes, but with generous support from Goldpine, Higgins Concrete, Fulton Hogan, Tasman District Council, Tasman Bay Jewellers and Build It Better.
The boats themselves are controlled by a hand-held battery-powered transmitter which has one lever for the rudder and a second lever to let the sails in and out. A yacht’s forward motions are solely provided by wind power; the radio-control is only for the yacht’s direction and sail adjustment.
“People join our Radio Sailing Club for various reasons. Some have been flying model planes and get fed up fixing them up after crashing, so they come sailing. Our boats have a rubber buffer on the bow, so when we hit each other (unintentionally, of course) we don’t do any damage,” Basil says.
Some members have had very successful yacht racing careers in New Zealand and overseas and are keen to continue the competitive racing this sport offers, especially as they get older and can’t compete at the same physical level they used to. Others have never sailed before but see the camaraderie amongst the members and want to be part of the sport.
“The competition is amongst friends, but once racing starts it becomes serious as everyone wants to win. Then we go back to being good mates after racing,” Basil says.
There are four different classes of yachts sailed, with the IOM or one-metre-long boat, being the most popular design. Costs for the yachts can vary from $700 to $5,000 for a professionally built IOM. Linley Morten, assistant race officer and the secretary of the club, says if you’re wondering what to do as a hobby, you can visit Best Island and watch these mostly semi-retired yachtsmen and women sail their radio-controlled yachts.
“If you make yourself known, there’s a good chance you’ll be asked if you would like to try. You’ll then be handed a transmitter, along with advice on how the yachts are controlled. This is how it happens for people sightseeing at the venue. From then on, you’ll be hooked as you’ll have been made so welcome at the club.”
Every effort is made to set you up with a yacht that’s ideal for you and your experience, and members go out of their way to assist you in setting up the new boat that you might eventually purchase. If you are a little hesitant about sailing amongst the other yachts, basic tuition is offered by top-class sailors until you’re confident enough to sail on your own, either socially or in regattas.
Linley says when national regattas are held at Best Island, club members volunteer to assist with running the event. “New friends are made from all walks of life, and the social get-togethers with sailors and their partners are amazing.”
The Nelson Radio Sailing Club puts a big emphasis on the social side, building camaraderie amongst members and partners, as well as helping each other out setting up and tuning the boats.
The club sails on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, but Basil says members also can sail outside these competition days as long as they comply with the health and safety rules. Regattas are held around New Zealand for Provincial, South Island, North Island and National Championships for all classes. Top sailors also travel to world regattas; the 2024 World Champs were held in Gladstone, Queensland, in October.
For beginners, they have handicap racing so everyone has a chance of winning, and this encourages the new sailors to join in. They also have training and tuning days for new members.
“Sailing keeps you young; our oldest member is 94 and still winning races! Some sailors have joined our club to find friends they sailed against 40 years ago in other parts of New Zealand. We welcome people to come along to Best Island. Make yourself known and ‘have a go’ with a yacht. You will be hooked in no time,” Basil says.