Chester Springs Model Yacht Club Hosts National Regatta

Those who drive past the lake at Tel Hai Camp and Retreat in Honey Brook may come across a majestic site - a fleet of model yachts on the water with their colorful sails unfurled.

The sailboats are being operated by members of the Chester Springs Model Yacht Club (CSMYC), which was organized more than 12 years ago to "promote remote-control (RC) sailing and to encourage others to take up the sport, learn and have fun."

The club currently has 22 members, who sail four times a month at Tel Hai Lake between April and November and take part in competitive races. "We have skilled craftsmen in the group who build their own boats," noted club commodore John Stoudt, who builds, restores and collects the model yachts. Other members, he noted, buy their boats already assembled.

Club members, who pay a yearly membership fee to participate, come mostly from Chester County, although other members are from Montgomery and Delaware counties and the state of Delaware.

Stoudt explained that the ships are maneuvered on the water by skippers, who use hand-held battery-operated controllers. "There are two (steering) servos in each boat. One servo controls the sails, and one the rudder," he said. "You have to be a good sailor, understand the boat setup and sometimes do repairs."

He noted that club members sail various types of ships, including schooners and Chesapeake Bay skipjacks. While racing, club members follow a specific course on the water.

Most recently, CSMYC hosted the 2022 U.S. Vintage Model Yacht Group 2022 National Championship Regatta Series. During the three-day event, club members and volunteers welcomed more than 30 skippers operating 70 vintage model yachts. The skippers were from 10 states - Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia - as well as Canada. "The boats were all from 1970 or earlier. One of the boats was built in 1934," Stoudt pointed out.

Like any competitive sport, model yacht racing requires skill and practice, and operators must learn how the wind affects the sail. "It takes a couple of years to get good. To get really good, it takes longer than that," Stoudt said. "You have to learn which thumb controls the rudder, which thumb controls the sails and what position the thumbs are in. You also have to learn how to read the wind on the water. You want to sail into the wind shifts."

Those interested in the club and its activities are invited to attend a sailing outing at Tel Hai Lake, 1101 Beaver Dam Road, Honey Brook. "Anybody is welcome. If they are interested, they can come out and watch," he said. "If they would like to try it, we have club boats and we will ... let them try it."

For more information about the club and to view the schedule of upcoming sails, visit https://sites.google.com/site/csmyclub/home. More information is also available at http://www.facebook.com/groups/CSMYC.