Welcome to Albany Radio Sailing Club
Radio sailing is a fun, enjoyable and challenging sport which is suitable for the beginner, weekend sports person or professional sailor. From social club members to Australian and World champions the sport caters for almost all ages and is able to be learnt by males and females alike.
We welcome visitors from other radio sailing clubs, yacht clubs and the general public. If you haven't radio sailed before and you would like to give it ago, talk to our members at the lake or email us and we will see if we can accommodate a demonstration sail for you.
If you are interested in Radio Controlled Sailing, then our advice is as follows:
There are a couple of different pathways which you might decide to take when starting out. The first thing to do is to have a look and see which boat you might decide to sail and which club you think might be the most suitable for you. We hope that this website will give you a pretty good idea about the boats we sail as well as where and when the clubs meet.
Which club to join?
For most people, the location of the club and the days on which they sail will generally be the deciding factor. Plan to visit one of the clubs and please make yourself known to one of the members. We are keen to introduce new people to the sport. Most members are more than happy to let you have a sail of their boat. Sailing them is easy - sailing them well is the hard part! Before long, you are sure to have a Radio in your hands and in control of a boat.
Details of our clubs can be found in the "Our Clubs" menu.
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What boat to get?
Generally the best introductory classes are the IOM and the DragonForce and DragonFlite classes. The larger classes tend to require a bit more experience to sail and tend to be classes that people graduate to after they have gained some experience.
Ask at the club which boats they sail, and it would be best to purchase the same class as the majority of the members. Club members will give you plenty of advice regarding which boat is likely to be suitable for you, as well as giving advice on cost, value for money etc. The RSAWA website classifieds section normally has a boat or two advertised for sale, and sometimes there are other boats for sale which have not made it to the website! Have a chat to the guys at the club and you will quickly find out which boats are good value. For most people, a good second-hand boat (almost any one will do providing it sails) is the best way to get involved. Get sailing as soon as you can.
The DragonForce and DragonFlite boats are relatively inexpensive to purchase as new, and there are not likely to be too many second hand ones around. These classes can be purchased through commercial websites and come in a kit form which takes a short time to assemble. They are a great introduction to the sport.
Details of the different classes can be found in the "Our Boats" menu
How do I progress?
Plan to spend the first year learning about (a) the sport at all levels and (b) the boats used in competition. Plan to up-grade your boat after the first season to one that you have chosen carefully, based on what you have learnt.
Talk to the people sailing radio controlled boats about their experiences, and you will get plenty of advice! Many of our club members are especially talented in different areas of the sport. Some are excellent with boat building skills, others with electronic skills and others with sailing skills. Everyone helps one another, so don't think you are on your own. Ask around if you have a problem and someone will jump in and help.
Anything to avoid?
Apart from the DragonForce and DragonFlite, we would not recommend buying a kit or building from a plan to any newcomer to the sport. Many of the kit boats found in hobby shops and online webshops really are just toys, and are not suitable for the type of sailing we do.
In the A Class and Ten Rater classes, we would not suggest buying a brand new boat either. Most skippers find that they are able to upgrade once they have picked up enough knowledge to work out what type of design they want. Most second hand boats will hold their value reasonably well, so you can't go too far wrong.
There are many club members who have the experience and ability to assist you to get started, so please don't hesitate to ask!
Where can Radio Sailing take you?
Once you get involved in radio sailing, you can get involved at any level which suits you. Many people are really happy meeting with their friends at the local club each week. Our clubs are great communities of like-minded people who help one another. If you are keen on the competitive side of sailing, you can get involved with racing at a State level, where members from the different Western Australian clubs meet and race. There are also opportunities to travel with your boat as well. Members from WA regularly travel to the Eastern States to compete in regattas around Australia, including annual National Championships. There are also a number of opportunities to travel internationally. WA skippers have competed in World and US National Championships. You can make friends around the country and around the World.
