15/11/24 Small Yacht racing Winter Series – A reminder this coming Sunday 17th November is round 1 of our SYS (DF65) Winter Series at Apex.
The forecast is for it to be dry, a bit cold with 8 to 11mph NW winds which now the leaves are off the trees should provide for some good racing conditions. As usual race 1 will start 9.30am prompt with the last one not starting after 12 midday.
13/11/24 Sad news – I am very sorry to report that Peggy Franks passed away peacefully late last night. She was the widow of Malcolm our longest serving Chairman but also for many years a very active club member in her own right.
Peggy was one of few ladies to take part in our club scale steering and tug towing competitions, later also entering in district and national events. One year together with Chris Locke she won the south west district Team Tug Towing Championships and qualified for the UK national finals. Representing our club and the district they finished in runners-up spot only missing out on first place due to an obscure technicality.
Peggy was also a member of the Sedgemoor Sea-Jet Display Team and was often present supporting club events and meetings over many, many years.
I’m sure you will join me in offering her family our deepest condolences at this very sad time. If any of you would like to attend her funeral, let me know and I will forward you the details once I have them.
Ed Russ
21/10/24 FE racing rules amended – the Fast Electric Drivers have agreed on several changes to the FE racing rules to bring them up-to-date and to clear up a few grey areas. The new rules can be viewed/download on the Fast Electric home page.
21/10/24 FE race meeting moved to 27th April – round 1 of the FE Winter Series due to be held yesterday (20th Oct) was cancelled due to storm Ashley. It has been rescheduled and will now be the final round of the series on Sun 27th April.
3/10/24 AGM Mon 7th Oct – a reminder the clubs AGM is being held in person (not online) on Monday 7th October at 7pm in the Function Room, Ritz Social Club, Burnham-on-Sea. All Club members are invited to attend, check your email for more info including an agenda and meeting notes.
1/10/24 Winter Boating Calendar OUT NOW! The clubs Winter calendar has been published see Winter 2024/25 calendar page.
1/10/24 SOLD – the DF65 yacht and radio listed below has been sold
Congratulations to Russ Chilcott on winning the annual SYS Pursuit Race event held on 29th Sept.
25/8/24 For Sale DF65 – just added a DF65 yacht complete including TX and ready to go racing. See For Sale page for more info and photos.
24/8/24 Congratulations to the 2024 Wednesday night series winners;
Nigel Clarke – FE Mini Mono RTR
Russ Chilcott – FE Mini Hydro & Scale Challenge Series
8/8/24 IOM & DF95 club organised meetings to cease at Apex – the club business meeting held on 7th Aug it was agreed to cease running IOM and DF95 yacht class competition meetings within our club at the Apex Lake. This was not an easy decision to make and it will not come as a big surprise to many of you. Racing these classes at Apex has become increasingly a torrid affair with the over-growth around the lake making any sensible racing impossible whatever the wind speed or direction. Those members who have a DF95 or IOM boat will be welcome to sail them on the lake, but our club will no longer be running organised meetings for them.
The SYS (DF65) section will carry on as these smaller, lighter boats do struggle with the conditions but not as badly, moreover most skippers are happy to race their boats at Apex and the attendance remains pretty good.
3/8/24 Cwmbran MBC Open Day Sunday 11th August – our club will be attending this event with a stand. If you fancy a day out where you can sail any RC boat why not come along and join us? The Cwmbran club is just a few miles over the seven bridge, access and parking is free and very close. They are a friendly club who always make you feel very welcome and have a nice little pond plus a big lake adjacent suitable for any RC model boat with a café and toilets all on site. Contact russellchilcott@aol.com for more info and directions.
From Apex its only 50 miles / 1 hour away.
25/7/24 Vale of Glamorgan MBC Open Day Sat 27th July – this Saturday it is the Vale of Glamorgan MBC Open Day, held at Cold Knap Lake, Barry, South Wales. Satnav to the lake; CF62 6ST.
Our club will have a stand with 4 members attending. If you would like to join us you would be most welcome, let me (russellchilcott@aol.com) know and I’ll bring an extra table or two. You will need to be on site by 9.50am. Entry is free. There are many model boat clubs attending with a large display of models on and off the water. Their lake is fresh water, very big with easy access. There will be a timetable for on-the-water activities for various classes including yachts and fast electric boats. Please note; this one is on SATURDAY.
8/7/24 FE Weds series Rd5 moves to 17th July – due to a clash with England’s Euro semi-final match our FE meeting has moved back a week from 10th July to 17th.
3/7/24 Welcome aboard – to our newest member Phil Green who brings our membership up to 67.
Phil has a very nice model of HMS Fox a Bulldog Class survey vessel based on a Dean’s Marine kit. He is fairly new to the hobby but is already building a second boat.
Welcome to the club Phil.
27/6/24 SOLD – the Turnigy radio recently list on the For Sale page has been sold.
18/6/24 Welcome aboard – Charles Mast who has just joined our club bringing our membership up to 66. Charles is new to the hobby and has recently acquired a very nice torpedo boat.
Welcome to the club Charles
17/6/24 Free Sail & Scale + Wet n Dry Race – we had a perfect summer day with plenty attending for the free sail & scale which included the annual Wet n Dry Race. It was a most enjoyable morning. See Free Sail & Scale page and/or Wet n Dry Race 2024 page for reports and photos on them both.
Congratulations to Mark Shipman on winning the 2024 Wet n Dry Race
Mark Shipman (right) receiving the trophy from the Chairman Kevin Roberts
See Wet n Dry Race 2024 page for a report and photos
5/6/24 SOLD – the DF65 yacht recently listed on the For Sale page has been sold.
31/5/24 Sunday (2nd June) IOM series Rd4/Les Watts Trophy meeting at Apex has been CANCELLED. Only 4 were due to attend.
26/5/24 SOLD – the A Boat mentioned below has been sold. The DF65 is still for sale. See For Sale page.
23/5/24 Welcome Aboard – Peter Dixson who has joined our club recently bringing our membership up to 65.
He has flown RC helicopters in the past but is new to model boats and has acquired a DF65 yacht. He plans to join the “Irregulars” who meet up to sail just for fun for a few hours on a Tuesday or Wednesday when the weather is nice.
Welcome to the club Peter.
22/5/24 For Sale – just added a DF65, an A Boat and radio to the For Sale page.
10/5/24 Sunday 12th May IOM meeting CANCELLED – the IOM Summer Series (Rd3) listed for Sunday 12th May is CANCELLED. A few of the regular IOM skippers cannot make it to Apex for this meeting, since we only expect 4 at most to attend it has been cancelled.
Round 4 which is also the Les Watts Trophy is planned to go ahead on Sunday 2nd June.
22/4/24 Compass yacht for sale – complete and ready to sail this yacht has just been added. See For Sale page for details and photos
8/4/24 Bring & Buy + Free Sail & Scale – it was a little damp and windy for the annual Bring & Buy at Apex on Sunday 7th April. Despite the conditions there was a good turnout. For a full report and photos see Free Sail & Scale page.
6/4/24 Welcome Aboard – Andrew Bowman who joins our club today bringing our membership up to 63. Andrew is new to the hobby and has just got himself a DF65 yacht. He plans to join the “Irregulars” sailing just for fun for a few hours on a Tuesday or Wednesday when the weather is nice.
Welcome to the club Andrew.
26/3/24 Nigel wins IOM Alice Trophy – Nigel Clarke won the trophy event with almost the perfect score. He won by quite a margin after finishing in 1st place in 8 of the 10 races! At the same event last year he lost out to Scott Smart on countback.
Congratulations Nigel, a worthy winner
Nigel (right) receiving the Alice trophy from Scott Smart (IOM Section Sec).
He was good but his boat did have sails attached when he raced it!
15/3/24 Welcome Aboard – Nigel Taylor who has joined our club today bringing our membership up to 61. Nigel has been in the hobby for many years and has a few scale models, FE and a DF95 boat. He lives a little way from Apex but hopes to attend meetings when he can.
Welcome to the club Nigel
13/3/24 For sale via Auction Whaling Ship – this model is being sold with all proceeds being donated to Guide Dogs for the Blind. See the Auction page for more photos, details and how to place a bid.
12/3/24 Mark Shipman wins Mini Mono – Mark clinched the Mini Mono 2023/24 Winter Series trophy
following a run of good results at the final round of the series.
Congratulations to Mark, it is his first club trophy win.
Mark (right) receiving the trophy from the Chairman Kevin
1/3/24 Apex Lake closed to RC boats Sat 2nd and Sat 9th March – the angling club are doing their annual “fish out” tomorrow (Sat 2nd) and again next Saturday 9th March. They use a massive net to collect the fish and will have guys in the water so the lake will be closed to any RC boats during these days. Also, a reminder to avoid the park altogether this Sun 3rd March as it’s the BMX district event and you won’t get near the place!
29/2/24 sale of boats raises £260 for Musgrove Hospital – the cabin boat, Smit Rotterdam tug and type 42 destroyer which were donated to our club were sold with all going to club members. Thanks to everyone who placed a bid in the auction. The sale of all 3 boats raised £260 in total. This money has been donated to “Love Musgrove” the official charity of Musgrove Park Hospital in memory of their original builder Richard Lane.
27/2/24 John nicks it after an hour long race! John Woodman won the SYS 1 Hour Endurance Race after an epic battle with 4 skippers all just feet apart rounding the very last course marker! It could not have been much closer after the hour long non-stop race. Full report and results are on the SYS page here
John (right) collecting the trophy from the Chairman/Lap Counter Kevin Roberts
26/2/24 Welcome Aboard – Sue Woods who has just joined our club bringing the membership up to 58. She is another member from the Durliegh Sailing Club who has taken up sailing DF95’s. Sue hopes to race in our series very soon.
Welcome to the club Sue
15/2/24 Kenwith Castle MBC Open Day Sun 30th June – note for your diary;
Our club has been invited to the Kenwith Castle MBC Open Day on Sunday 30th June. We went there for the first time last year and had a great day in good company. They have a very nice lake in lovely surroundings. I’ll have more info closer to the time but it is well worth the trip…..plus they are doing a free buffet again!
13/2/24 Russ Chilcott does the double! Russ has won both the Mini Hydro Class Fast Electric and IOM Yacht 2023-24 Winter Series.
8/2/24 Welcome Aboard – Dave Knobbs and Martin Harland who have both recently joined our club. Dave has had a dabble in model building in the past and is now looking to get into scale model boats. Martin has raced real yachts at the Durleigh Sailing Club for many years and has taken up sailing slightly smaller versions in the form of DF65 and DF95 boats.
Welcome to the club to you both
2/2/24 full Boating Calendar out now! All club meeting dates running right through to the end of 2024 have just been published, see 2024 Calendar page (menu above).
29/1/24 Welcome Aboard – Ed Oliver who joined our club today. He is new to the hobby and recently had a sail of the clubs DF65 Loan Boat. He soon caught the racing bug and now has his own new boat on order.
Welcome to the club Ed.
27/1/24 A reminder 2024 membership fees are due on 1st Feb – simple use the online form (Club Membership page on menu above) to renew or apply for club membership. Its only £15 (£20 family) a year – a bargain!
27/1/24 For Sale (via Auction) – a Sea Commander cabin cruiser, Smit Rotterdam tug boat and type 42 destroyer have all been added to the auction page. Go check them out and get your bids in early, models this good don’t come up that often!
20/1/24 SYS meeting on Sun 21st Jan CANCELLED – the lake has large frozen areas which we don’t think is likely to melt enough to be usable to race SYS boats by 9.30 tomorrow morning.
16/1/24 For Sale – a pillar drill and bench grinder have both just been added, see the For Sale page for photos > For Sale
15/1/24 Welcome Aboard – Steve and Kieran John who have just joined our club. Steve was a member back in 1990’s racing IC power boats, he has taken up FE Mini Mono racing with his son. Both of them have the Vector S boat and did very well in their first ever race meeting. Kieran managed to beat his dad!
Welcome aboard to you both.
12/1/24 club membership renewal due soon – a reminder the 2024 membership renewal is due on 1st Feb. The Adult fee remains the same at just £15, Family is £20. Members can renew now using this website, details for bank transfer will appear when you complete the form. Here is a link to the page; Membership form
2/1/24 Christmas Cracker – the club held its annual meeting during the festive holiday period on Sunday 31st December. The weather was mostly kind to the 20+ members who attended and were warmed up by the teas, coffees and soups on offer. A full report and photos are here
21/12/23 Wishing all Club Members a very Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year
21/12/23 Christmas Cracker Free Sail & Scale meeting – the Clubs annual gathering at Apex over the holidays will this year be held on New Years Eve morning, Sunday 31st December;
9.30am to 10.30am – scale and/or sail models
10.30am to 11.00am – FE and any fast boats.
This is will be a good chance to get out and enjoy some fresh air after your Christmas indulgences! The mobile kitchen will be there with supplies of teas, coffees and soups, plus maybe a mince pie or two?
4/12/23 Sedgemoor v Woodspring Club IOM match – our club finished in second place! The event held in very, very light winds on Sun 3rd Dec was a resounding win for the Woodspring Club, their skippers all sailed very well and are worthy winners. Congratulations to them.
Full report, photos and score sheet are here > match report & scores
28/11/23 MYA fees for 2024 are due – any club member who wishes to renew or join the MYA (Model Yacht Association) please complete the online form > here and make your payment to our club before 16th December. Please note; this is for MYA membership ONLY, the club fees are not due until the end of January.
27/11/23 John does it again! – congratulations to John Woodman who has just won the DF95 series by the narrowest of margins a single point ahead of Nigel Clarke. See DF95 page for a full report and scoresheet.
12/11/23 John Woodman wins the SYS series – congratulations to John on winning the series. That is three years in a row, it would have been five if not for the Covid outbreak!
2/11/23 Winter Calendar – club meeting dates running through to mid-March have been published, see 2023-24 Winter Calendar page. The full calendar for 2024 will be published early in the new year.
1/11/23 Class of 2023 – a page has been added showing 2023 club members with a model boat. The page currently has less than a third of the members, it is hoped to get closer to 90% before the end of this year. Link to page.
18/10/23 Old club videos on Youtube – just added some old video of the club in action at Apex and other events. The oldest goes back to 1990! Here is a link to the channel; https://www.youtube.com/@Sedgemoormodelboatclub
12/10/23 Welcome Aboard – Charlie Putting and his son Camden who together bring the club membership up to 69. They are new to the hobby and have a Fast Electric boat (type not known at the moment) which they plan to run at the lake shortly.
Welcome to the club to you both
11/10/23 AGM news – all Committee remain in their same posts as before, the subscription fee for 2024 also remains the same.
3/10/23 Local press celebrate Clubs 50th anniversary – Burnham-on-sea.com took a group photo (during the Pursuit Race) and published it together with a nice article about the club. Here is a link to the article;
link to the article
2/10/23 Russ Chilcott wins SYS Pursuit Race – the event was held on Sun 1st Oct in fairly light wind conditions. 10 took part in this one-off event where the fleet is split and start in 3 groups depending on their finish place in each race, the fleets start each race with a 30 second delay.
Russ Chilcott (right) receiving the trophy from Alan Barnstable
30/9/23 Club Skittles Night – this was held at the Lighthouse Inn on 29th Sept to celebrate the clubs 50th anniversary. It was a great evening in good company. Just for the record (as I know he will mention it!) in the game of “killer” our very own Chairman Kevin Roberts won for the men and Mikki Pearson for the ladies.
18/9/23 John Woodman wins the DF95 One Hour Race – the hour long non-stop race finished in very heavy rain with everyone getting soaked through! John took the lead after 40 mins and was not caught. A full report is on the DF95 page.
John accepting the trophy from Diane Hunter (Lap Counter)
15/9/23 £220 raised for the RNLI – the Fairy Huntsman, Pilot Boat and Torpedo Boat which were donated to our club were all sold with all 3 going to club members. In total £220 has been collected, this money has been donated to the RNLI. Thanks to all of you who placed bids.
11/9/23 Welcome Aboard – Henry Cousins who joins our club today bringing our membership up to 67. He has a background in flying drones, well, he did until a seagull “killed” his last one! Henry has taken up RC boats going in at the deep end with the big Traxxas Fast Electric catamaran. Hopefully, it is seagull proof!
Welcome to the club Henry.
18/8/23 Club clothing – the club is putting in another order for water-proof fleeces, normal fleeces and polo-shirts, if any club members would like to order anything please do so ASAP. See the Club Clothing page for details and prices.
18/8/23 3 boats for sale – just added a Pilots Boat, Fairey Huntsman and Torpedo Boat which are all for sale via Auction with all proceeds going to the RNLI.
18/8/23 SYS meeting 20th Aug CANCELLED – after doing a straw poll of the SYS Skippers it was agreed to cancel this meeting as it would have clashed with the Women’s Football World Cup final. Come on the Lionesses!
17/8/23 new page “Shows & Events” added – this page lists the shows, events and other local Model Boat Club Open Days the Sedgemoor Model Boat Club would normally attend through the year. There are a few photos of each event to give an idea of the venue and a flavour of the day. Click here to shortcut.
15/8/23 Playday 2023 a huge success! Despite the late change of date due to the weather this years event was a huge success with an estimated 6000 children attending. A report plus photos are on the Playday page – click here to shortcut.
4/8/23 Playday is ON Weds 9th Aug 10am to 3pm – the event organisers have confirmed it is going ahead next week, fingers crossed for better weather! ? Our club will be attending, we might have a slightly smaller display but we will be there and running the Children’s Have-a-go-boats all day. Thanks to all those who have volunteered to attend, we could do with a few more if your free?
2/8/23 Playday cancelled today but may still be on! – due to forecasts of heavy rain and winds this very popular event will not take place as planned on Wednesday 2nd August. There is talk of it being run on Wednesday 9th August instead – see Sedgemoor Playday Facebook group page for the latest news.
If/when it does go ahead the Sedgemoor Model Boat Club will be attending with a large static display of models on and off the water, plus the children’s FREE have-a-go-boats.
2/8/23 Welcome Aboard – Malcolm Pearson who has just joined our club brings the membership up to 66. He used to race I/C powered boats many moons ago and has returned to the hobby with a new Vector S Mini Mono class boat.
Welcome to the club Malcolm.
26/7/23 Free Sail & Scale but no Tug Towing 30th July – the planned Tug Towing competition this coming Sunday has been cancelled but the Free Sail & Scale which is open to any RC boat except Fast Electric will be going ahead as usual 9.30am to 12pm.
20/7/23 SOLD – the Krick Grimmershorn Motor Boat listed on the For Sale page has been sold.
18/7/23 Blue Green Algae restrictions are lifted – following the recent very wet weather the Council have agreed that there are no signs of any algae present in the Apex Lakes so we are permitted to resume our “normal” activities. This means our Blue Green Algae Policy is no longer in place.
3/7/23 Richard Aucott wins the IOM Les Watts Shield – congratulations to Richard on winning the this event by quite a margin in some very stricky sailing conditions.
Richard (right) receiving the shield from meeting OOD Scott Smart
30/6/23 For sale – a Krick Grimmershorn Motor Boat, requires finishing to sail as RC model. See For Sale page for more info and photos.
22/6/23 SOLD – the USS Hornet aircraft carrier has been sold.
4/6/23 Woodspring vs Sedgemoor Club IOM match – the first leg hosted by the Woodspring club at Portishead took place this morning in perfect conditions. The Sedgemoor club had a team of 7, Woodspring 8. It was very close between the two teams. A report, scores and photos are here; Sedgemoor vs Woodspring club IOM match
Sedgemoor will host the second leg on Sun 3rd Sept
Team Sedgemoor
25/5/23 Youtube channel updated – the Clubs Youtube channel has been updated with a selection of videos showing DF65, DF95, various scale and some FE racing. Please note, the 23rd May videos are of DF65 and DF95 class yachts and not IOM as listed.
Link to channel; www.youtube.com/@Sedgemoormodelboatclub/videos
15/5/23 Russ Chilcott wins the Wet n Dry Race! As usual it was a fun and entertaining race with models racing 10 laps going into the lake and back up and down the ramp. Full report plus photos have been added – see Wet n Dry Race 2023 page
Russ (left) receiving the trophy from Kevin Roberts (Chairman)
14/5/23 For Sale – standard Joysway TX & RX, see For Sale page for more info
12/5/23 For Sale – USS Hornet Aircraft carrier, 1300mm (51″) long, it has B25 bombers on its deck with working propellers! See For Sale page for info.
6/5/23 Welcome Aboard – Errol Edwards who has joined our club today. Errol is one of the growing numbers racing DF95 boats in the Chew Valley club. He has recently acquired a Kantun 2 IOM boat which he plans to race it in our series.
Welcome to the club Errol
5/5/23 SYS Pursuit Race moves to Sun 1st Oct – originally this was to be held last weekend (30th April) but had to be cancelled because of poor weather. It replaces round 7 of the SYS series, the series will now be run over 7 rounds instead of 8.
27/4/23 Wet n Dry Race is back! – a reminder as well as the usual Free Sail & Scale on Sunday 14th May we are bringing back the Wet n Dry Race this year. The race itself will start at 11am, I expect it will be over in 15 mins (or less for me!). For those new to the club this is a 10 lap race for amphibious models racing a course that is half on the ramp (the dry bit) and half in the lake (the wet bit) – hence the name! I know it is only just over 2 weeks away but why not put your design and building skills to the test and having a go? More about the event plus the rules can be found here > Wet n Dry 2023
Photos from previous events;
17/4/23 DF95 Open – results, report and photos of the meeting held yesterday have been added. See DF95 sub-page. Congratulations to the winner Shaun Anderson from the Whitefriars club.
5/4/23 FE round tonight CANCELLED! Due to the forecast of storm force winds and very heavy rain we have taken the very difficult decision to cancel tonight’s (5th April) Fast Electric round.
9/4/23 Welcome Aboard – Ian Cook who joined the club this morning. He is new to the hobby and has a Fast Electric boat but is also looking to get into Small Yacht racing. Ian brings the club membership up to 64, which is a record high for this time of year.
Welcome to the club Ian
3/4/23 Scott Smart wins the IOM Alice Trophy – by the narrowest of possible margins Scott won the event yesterday morning ahead of Nigel Clarke. They tied on points and had equal number of 1st to 5th places, so we had to go right back to comparing their 6th places to separate them! Report, scores and photos are on the IOM yacht page.
Scott (left) receiving the Alice Trophy
26/3/23 Welcome Aboard – Nick Martin who joined our club today. He is a experienced yacht skipper having raced for many years in the Woodspring Club and at district and national level. Nick brings our membership up to 62.
Welcome to the club Nick
24/3/23 Apex Park Litter Pick – the Friends of Apex Park Group are running their annual litter pick at the park 10am to 12noon on Wednesday 29th March. A few of our members will be there, if you are free that day why not pop along for a couple of hours and give us a hand? We will be meeting outside the office/toilet building just before 10am to collect litter pickers and bags.
Club membership reaches 61!
23/3/23 Welcome Aboard – Mark Voice joined the club today bringing the membership up to 61. Mark is new to the hobby, he has just acquired a DF65 boat with plans to race it in the clubs SYS series.
Welcome to the club Mark
21/3/23 Welcome Aboard – its been a busy week with new members! Simon Evans is the latest to welcome aboard. He will be joining our fleet of DF95 and IOM boats. Simon has a Britpop IOM and currently races in the Woodspring Club but we won’t hold that against him!
Welcome to the club Simon
17/3/23 Membership on the up! The club membership now stands at 59 which fairly high for this time of year. Looking forward to meeting up with the new members, either having a chat or racing against them – so long they are not too fast with their boats!
17/3/23 Welcome Aboard – John Cable who is the latest person to join our club. He has been into RC models of various types over many years and now flies electric planes. He has just acquired a new Super Mono X (Mini Mono RTR) and is already building a Mini Hydro class boat with plans to race in our FE series this year.
Welcome to the club John
13/3/23 Welcome Aboard – Roy Harrison who joined our club yesterday. He has a scratch-built tug boat of a real boat he used to work on many years ago. Roy brings our membership up to 58.
Welcome to the club Roy
12/3/23 Sedgemoor 1 -2! Club members Richard Aucott and Nigel Clarke finished 1st and 2nd up against some strong competition in the opening round of the PRACC (A boat) series held at Portishead today.
Flying the flag for the Sedgemoor Club – well done guys!
12/3/23 Good turnout for the Bring & Buy + Free Sail & Scale. This annual event was well support both on and off the water this morning. The weather was kind, lots of items were sold and many boats were out on the lake all morning. A report and more photos are on the Free Sail & Scale page.
11/3/23 Bring & Buy tomorrow – as reminder our club is running the annual Bring & Buy Sunday 12th March 9.30am to 12noon. There is also Free Sail & Scale boating on the lake for any models (but no Fast Electric boats) during this event.
6/3/23 Chris Locke & Russ Chilcott winners of FE Winter Series – the final round of the series was run yesterday (5th March). The Mini Mono RTR class went right down to the very last race. Chris did just enough to win the series by a single point. Russ won the Mini Hydro class but by a slightly wider margin.
A full report and final points table can be found on the Fast Electric page.
Congratulations to them both.
2/3/23 Sedgemoor MBC roadtrip! – the club will be attending the Kenwith Castle MBC Open Day on Sunday 9th July. Their club home water is a lovely lake in the grounds of Kenwith Castle Care Home, Abbotsham, Bideford.
The open day is 10am to 4pm. More details about this event to follow nearer the time.
2/3/23 Welcome Aboard – Mike Perrin who has joined our club today. He has built RC models in the past and is just about start the rather nice Krick Dusseldorf fireboat as his next project.
Welcome to the club Mike
23/2/23 For Sale via auction – club member Daron Maynard has more items for sale, these include several pond yachts, a very nice Smit Nederland tug boat, patrol boat, DX6i radio, ESC’s and more. See the Auction page. Happy bidding!
Please note – all items in the auction are collection only from the Burnham-on-Sea area
20/2/23 John Woodman wins the SYS 1 Hour Race – the annual SYS endurance race was held on Sun 19th Feb. There was a good entry of 12 skippers taking part and all finished the hour-long non-stop race.
Full report, results and photos are on the SYS 1 Race page
18/2/23 More auction items coming soon! The last auction for RC model boat related items finished on 17th Feb. All winning Bidders should have received an automated email by now. Daron has more things left to sell, these will be listed shortly – watch this space!
13/2/23 Richard Aucott wins IOM Winter Series – Richard’s win at the final round of the series on Sun 12th Feb was just enough for him to win the entire series ahead of Nigel Clarke by the closest of margins 121 points to 120!
Congratulations Richard
Nigel (left) & Richard in close company!
11/2/23 Auction – a reminder the 3rd group of items listed on the Auction page will finish on Friday 17th Feb. A few items were not sold and have been reduced in price and relisted. There are a few bargains on there, so get your bids in!
05/02/23 Website slow running fix – hopefully the performance issues have now been resolved.
As such the auctions have been opened again and anyone that won an auction that ended on Friday 3rd should receive a system generated end of auction email to confirm. (This is in addition to the emails sent manually on Friday evening from Russ.)
Hopefully the problem won’t reoccur but if you want an auction item get the bids in with plenty of time, this isn’t eBay and leaving it to the last 30seconds may well fail!
2/2/23 Welcome Aboard – Rick Hamerslag who has joined our club today. He has a background in RC car racing and is looking to get a Dragonforce 65 to race in the SYS series.
Welcome aboard Rick
1/2/23 Subs are due today – a reminder club subs are due today (1st Feb), many members have already renewed their membership (many thanks if that is you) but for those who have not done so yet it is quick and easily to do via the online form; membership form page
13/1/23 large selection of models, radios and spare for sale – a club member is selling a large selection of his models, radio sets and spares. There are 35 items listed altogether, see the Auction page.
Please note – all items in the auction are collection only from the Burnham-on-Sea area.
11/1/23 we are 50 years old! – this year the club will be celebrating its 50th anniversary having been formed back in 1973! Details of what we have planned to mark this milestone will appear here over the next few months.
11/1/23 Club Membership is due soon – the membership renewal date is only a few weeks away on 1st February, those wishing to join or renew can do so now using the Membership Form page.
The 2023 Membership fee remains the same at just £15 Adult and £20 Family.
11/1/23 Boating Calendar is out NOW! The full calendar listing all club boating meetings running right through to the end of 2023 is out now. See 2023 Calendar page.
9/1/23 Not all FE race boats need to look the same! – Mark Shipman arrived for our FE race meeting yesterday morning (8/1/23) with his brand new Bluebird inspired Mini Hydro boat. He had to make the sponsors a little wider and with carbon rods to make it class legal and to go around a race course but it still looks great! Hopefully we will get a decent photo of it at speed during a race.
5/1/23 Toilets at Apex – the Council apologises the public toilets at Apex are currently out of use. This is due to a large water leak. Portaloos will be in place from Friday 6th January until the matter is resolved
2/1/23 first meeting of the new year – on bank holiday Monday 2nd January the club held its first meeting of 2023 in lovely sunshine for round 5 of the IOM Winter Series series.
31/12/22 IOM racing on MONDAY 2nd Jan – a reminder our IOM meeting is on (bank holiday) Monday 2nd January (not Sun 1st Jan) usual 9.30am start time. Bring wellies if you have them as we expect the launch platforms will be under water after all this rain!
31/12/22 Christmas Cracker report & photos – there was a good turnout with 15 members attending the clubs annual holiday gathering at Apex. See the Free Sail & Scale page for full report and more photos.
21/12/22 “Christmas Cracker” Tues 27th Dec – the club will be holding the annual Free Sail & Scale gathering at Apex over the xmas holidays. This year it is on Bank Holiday TUESDAY 27th December 10.30am to 11.30am. This meeting is open to any scale or sail boat but not any Fast Electric or speed boats please. There will be hot tea’s, coffees, and soups available lakeside. It will be a good chance to get out, meet up with fellow club members and enjoy some fresh air after your Christmas indulgences.
19/12/22 the Apex Lake is now clear of any ice
17/12/22 IOM Winter Series Rd8 tomorrow (18th Dec) has been CANCELLED as the lake is frozen over. It is showing signs of beginning to thaw but we are certain it will not be enough to use for IOM racing by the morning.
A reminder our next IOM meeting is on MONDAY (not a Sunday) 2nd January.
10/12/22 FE Winter Series Rd2 tomorrow (Dec 11th) is CANCELLED! The lake is currently 50% frozen and certain to be worse over the next 24 hours.
30/11/22 water level back to normal – the water has drained away over the last few days and its almost back down to its normal level. Both the left side and west bank launch platforms are clear to use plus almost all of the right hand side.
26/11/22 flooding at Apex – recent heavy rain has flooded the pathway on the right side and both our launch platforms, but we can sail by launching from the ramp. If you have wellies – bring them!
21/11/22 MYA membership is due – a reminder to those members wishing to join or renew their MYA (Model Yacht Association) membership for 2023. We now have a separate form on this website. Please complete the form and make your payment before 5th Dec. Link to page; MYA membership form
This is for MYA membership only – club membership is not due until 1st Feb and 2023 club form is not yet available.
6/11/22 Scott Smart wins the IOM Dickie Bird Trophy – Congratulations to Scott (on right in photo) on winning the IOM Dickie Bird trophy this morning. The last time he won an IOM trophy of any kind was this same one back in 2012. So, it was long overdue!
31/10/22 Winter Calendar is out now – the clubs winter calendar listing meetings we run right through from November 2022 to early March 2023 has been published. The club will be holding meetings for all sections pretty much every Sunday morning. See 2022-23 Winter Calendar page for details.
29/10/22 Youtube – a few videos taken of a scale fishing boat and a few DF65 yachts on the lake have been added to the clubs Youtube channel. They were taken from an RC model on the water so offer a really unusual perspective, and look quite cool! See the video here > youtube channel
29/10/22 SOLD – IOM Widget previously listed on the For Sale page has been sold
24/10/22 Free Sail & Scale + FE Test session – around a dozen members attended this meeting on a lovely morning held on Sun 23rd Oct. A full report and many more photos are on the Free Sail & Scale page
23/10/22 all the boats mentioned below have now gone to new owners
20/10/22 Two boats gone, two left! – the French customs boat and a tug boat on offer for free listed on the For Sale page have both gone. The cargo vessel and another tug boat still remain.
18/10/22 Free Sail & Scale meeting to include FE test session – this coming Sunday 23rd October Free Sail & Scale meeting will be split into two parts to accommodate those with fast electric boats;
9.30am to 11.00am is for any scale or sail type boats.
11.00am to 12.00pm is for any fast electric and/or faster speed boats.
17/10/22 John Woodman wins the SYS series – John has won the 2022 Small Yacht Series. He won round 7 which was held yesterday morning, his points tally means he now cannot be caught whatever happens at the final round on 27th Nov. Full report and scores are on the Small Yacht results page.
Congratulations to John
12/10/22 Irregulars sessions – we had a nice selection of boats on the lake for the Weds afternoon Irregular free sailing session on 12th Oct. There were 8 members sailing DF65 yachts, joined by new club Jim Hughes with his Goth 65 and Grand Banks schooner boat plus Alan Spencer with his fishing cat boat.
9/10/22 Nigel needs a bigger trophy cabinet! Congratulations to Nigel Clarke who this morning won the final round of the IOM Summer Series which was enough to win the series overall by 2 points.
8/10/22 SOLD – the DF65 listed on 5/10/22 has been sold
8/10/22 scale boats going for FREE – 5 scale model boats are on offer for FREE to any club member! See For Sale page for details and photos.
5/10/22 For Sale – Dragonforce 65 yacht being sold on behalf of a club member. See For Sale page.
3/10/22 AGM news – the meeting was held on Mon 3rd Oct at the Ritz Social Club, Burnham-on-Sea. It was well attended compared to previous years with 13 members being present.
In summary; the entire Committee of 9 members were re-elected unblock to their existing posts (see Contacts page for full list). The 2023 membership fee remain the same (please don’t try to rejoin yet as it not due until 1st Feb and the online form has not been updated!). A few small amendments have been made to the Blue Green Algae policy. Since attendance had been fairly good, it was agreed to hold next years AGM in person once again.
3/10/22 Welcome Aboard – Keith Cripwell who joined our club today bringing our membership up to 64.
Keith was a member many years ago when we used to race I/C power boats and Marblehead yachts (that is a long tome ago!). He is coming back to the hobby and has just acquired a brand new DF65 yacht.
Welcome to the club Keith.
30/9/22 Blue Green Algae has gone! The Council have informed us that the Blue Green Algae in the water at Apex has now cleared and we can resume all our boating activities and remove any restrictions from tomorrow, Sat 1st Oct.
25/9/22 AGM coming soon! The clubs AGM is being held in person (not online) at 7pm on Monday 3rd October in the Function Room at the Ritz Social Club, Burnham-on-Sea. All club members should have received an agenda plus notes of the previous AGM, if you haven’t please contact the Sec Russ ASAP.
22/9/22 Welcome Aboard – Jim Hughes who has joined the club this week bringing our membership up to 63. Jim has a Goth 65 small yacht and a 1 metre long Grand Banks schooner.
Welcome to the club Jim
19/9/22 Nigel Clarke wins the DF95 series – with 2 round still left to be run Nigel has won our first ever DF95 series. His win at the 8th round yesterday means he cannot now be caught. This was his 6th win in the series.
Congratulations to Nigel.
19/9/22 Free Sail & Scale report & photos added – the meeting held on 11th Sept was attended by 10 members on a very nice Sunday morning. Howard’s report plus a few photos have been added – see Free Sail & Scale page.
9/9/22 A reminder this Sunday 11th September we have a Free Sail & Scale meeting at Apex 9.30am to 12pm (originally listed as a SYS Team Race event). The weather forecast is looking pretty good, as usual these meetings are open to any RC boat but not fast electric or speed boats. The rescue boat will be available if required.
9/9/22 SOLD – the MX14 IOM yacht listed has now been sold.
5/9/22 Sedgemoor travel over the water! Our club had a stand and put on several displays with Lucinda the Dragon plus many other boats at Cwmbran’s Modelling Society Open Day held on 4th Sept. We were made to feel very welcome and joined another 3 clubs attending the event which celebrated their clubs 50th anniversary.
31/8/22 Irregular sessions move back to early time slots – the “Irregular” Free Sail & Scale sessions held on Wednesday afternoon but only when the weather is nice, have moved back to its earlier 12pm to 2pm time slot. As the name suggests these meetings are held ad-hoc and arranged via email on the weekend beforehand. If you would like to be added to the email contact list to be informed when a meeting is being held contact Russ; russellchilcott@aol.com
31/8/22 SOLD – the Olympic IOM boat listed on the For Sale page has now been sold.
27/8/22 Cwmbran Modelling Society Open Day – the Cwmbran club have invited our club to join them to celebrate their 50th anniversary at their Open Day being held on Sun 4th Sept 10am to 4pm. I will be attending along with our Chairman Kevin with a few models including Lucinda the dragon. If any of you fancy a day out why not come along and join us? We will have a club stand and will be happy to bring an extra table. The Cwmbran club is just a few miles over the seven bridge, access and parking is free and very close. They have a nice little pond plus a big lake adjacent suitable for any RC model boat (except IC power) with a café and toilets all on site.
Contact me for more info and directions russellchilcott@aol.com
22/8/22 Weds night series finishes for another year – as the evening light draws in the clubs Weds night series for all sections has finished for 2022. Congratulations to all the series winners;
IOM Yachts – Richard Aucott
FE Mini Mono RTR – Dave Lowther
Scale Challenge & FE Mini Hydro Class – Russ Chilcott
21/8/22 Extra Free sail & Scale meeting on 11th Sept – there will be an extra Free Sail & Scale meeting taking place on Sunday 11th September 9.30am to 12pm. This replaces the SYS Team Relay Race which was originally due to be held on that morning.
20/8/22 Welcome Aboard – Paul Jones who has just joined our club, he brings our numbers up to 62. Paul has a few small yachts he hopes to bring out of his loft and sail and plans to get a DF95 boat at some point. He also has a IOM Widget boat up for sale – see the For Sale page.
Welcome to the club Paul
11/8/22 final IOM Weds night round moves to 24th Aug – the 7th and final round of the IOM yacht series will take place a week earlier than originally listed on Weds 24th Aug. This replaces the FE round which cannot take place due to the algae outbreak.
7/8/22 IOM Les Watts Shield – 8 skippers entered this one-off IOM yacht class trophy event this morning and by just 1 point it was won by Russ Chilcott. Having raced IOM for more than 25 years Russ has never managed to win a single “one-off” trophy event (and he has entered loads of them!) during all that time. This was long overdue.
Full report and scores are on the IOM pages.
Meeting OOD Scott Smart (right) presenting the shield to Russ
5/8/22 After a 2 year break Playday was back and still as popular as ever! We had another great Playday event. It got a little wet when it rained during setup, but thankfully it cleared. There was a long queue all day for the Have-go-a-boats which worked faultlessly. The club stand had 30+ model boats of all types and sizes out on display which generated lots of interest. Despite the damp start it is estimated over 5000 children attend the event which had over 40 activities spread throughout the park, many of them like our Have-A-Go-Boat were completely free.
For more photos see > Playday 2022
1/8/22 Blue Green Algae outbreak at Apex Lakes – we have just been informed of a possible return of Blue-Green Algae in the Apex Lakes and have been asked to implement our Blue-Green Algae Outbreak Policy with immediate effect (1st August 2022). This means until further notice any boats that produce spray, or amphibious type models are PROHIBITTED to use the Apex Lake.
For club members please check your email for more details plus a copy of the policy.
For all others please be aware of the algae and follow a few simple steps below both for your own and the public’s safety when boating at Apex;
- Wash and thoroughly dry all models and any other items that have been in contact with the water. Items should not be stored wet or damp.
- If attending a club meeting use the hand wash dispensers provided whenever you remove a boat from the lake.
- Do not launching or recover your model from any areas that have thick aggregations of algae or scum.
- Do not use the park benches as a boat stand when you remove your boat from the water.
- If your boat collects any excess water drain it off back into lake upon removal.
Playday this Weds 3rd Aug is still going ahead as planned. We have had algae outbreaks during a few Playdays in the past so have proven plans and a policy already in place for such circumstances. The event is on– if your free this Weds a few more volunteers would be most welcome.
1/8/22 For Sale – Widget IOM yacht complete and ready race, including 3 rigs and Flysky radio. See For Sale for more info plus photos.
31/7/22 Welcome Aboard – Derek Masters who joined our club today. Derek has a very nicely detailed paddle boat which he sailed on our lake at our Free Sail & Scale meeting this morning (see photo below).
Welcome to the club Derek
31/7/22 Open Tug Towing + Free Sail & Scale – reports and photos on both this mornings events have been added. See Tug Towing and Free Sail & Scale
20/7/22 Open Tug Towing event 31st July – during the next Free Sail & Scale meeting on Sunday 31st July 9.30am to 12 pm the club will be holding a Open Tug Towing Competition. A suitable working tug boat will be provided to anyone who does not have one and would like to have a go. Photos below from previous events. See Tug Towing page for more details; Tug Towing info
8/7/22 SOLD – the DF95 and RNLI lifeboat previously listed on the For Sale page have both been sold.
4/7/22 Club Clothing order – a final reminder we are putting together an order for some club clothing so if you would like anything please let Russ know ASAP. We have fleeces, sweat shirts, polo shirts and water-proof fleeces which you can have with or without your name embroidered on, plus Beenie hats and baseball caps. See this page for more info and prices; club clothing
3/7/22 For Sale – MX14 IOM yacht for sale, complete with DX6I radio, RMG winch, 3 rigs, sail box, boat stand. See For Sale for more info plus photos.
1/7/22 WE ARE BACK! – it was not you, due to circumstances beyond our control this website has been down for a few days, but we are back again now!
28/6/22 For Sale items price drop – the DF95, Portgath Tug, Lifeboat and yacht have all had their prices reduced today. See For Page.
27/6/22 Weds Scale nights open for free sailing – a reminder that the Wednesday evening (7pm until dark) Scale Challenge nights are also open to anyone with a “scale” model to float their boat if they wish. The competition events being held on the night only ever take up a small area, the rest of the lake is free to use and we would welcome anyone with a scale model boat to come along.
27/6/22 IOM yacht for sale – an Olympic IOM yacht complete with 3 rigs and radio (ready to race) has just been added. See the For Sale page for more info and photos.
26/6/22 Club 500 rules amended – the Fast Electric Club 500 class rules have been amended to allow for a structure to be added to the boats cabin which will aid the boat for self-righting. The class rules have been updated and can be viewed on Fast Electric home page.
20/6/22 Open Tug Towing event 31st July– during the next Free Sail & Scale meeting on Sunday 31st July 9.30am to 12 pm the club will be holding a Open Tug Towing Competition. A suitable working tug boat will be provided to anyone who does not have one and would like to have a go. More details to follow closer to the event.
12/6/22 A great day out! 5 club members attended the Collett Park Festival with a very good display of boats on and off the water at the event. It was great to catch up with some old friends from the Shepton Mallet and other local clubs.
9/6/22 Invite to join the Shepton Mallet MBC Open Day this Saturday – a reminder club members are invited to join the Shepton Mallet MBC for their annual Open Day which is being held during the Collett Park Festival on Saturday 11th June 10am to 5pm. Our club will have a stand at the this event and those with scale boats and/or yachts with short keel can use the small pond at the park.
For more info and details for access to the park please contact Russ BEFORE 10pm on 10th June email; russellchilcott@aol.com
5/6/22 SOLD – the Kantun S IOM Yacht has been sold.
2/6/22 Welcome Aboard – Dave John who has rejoined our club after 20 years away! John used to a member racing 3.5cc i/c power boats back in the good old days. He still has the racing bug and has just acquired a Vector SR48 fast electric boat with a view to take part in our Mini Mono RTR series.
Welcome “back” John – we’ve missed you!
2/6/22 SOLD – the MX16 IOM yacht has been sold
1/6/22 Welcome Aboard – Geoff Brown who has joined our club. He has quite a collection of scale boats with 5 static and 7 working models plus a fleet refuelling ship which is currently under construction.
Welcome to the club Geoff
30/5/22 For Sale – a number of models have just been added all brand new and still in their original boxes. They include a Dragonflite 95 (in box), Portgarth Tug (complete kit), Racent Compass yacht (in box), Taymar RNLI boat (kit in box). See For Sale page for more info.
29/5/22 Part built boat FREE to a good home – a part built boat that requires internal fittings and a deck. See For Sale page (but it is FREE!)
23/5/22 Welcome aboard – Norman Sinclair who joined our club yesterday. He has been into RC modeling of various types for a while and recently acquired a Graupner GR65 yacht at the Bring & Buy meeting.
Welcome to the club Norman.
22/5/22 Bring & Buy + Free Sail & Scale event is a great success! The weather could not have been better for this morning meeting. 20+ were out on the lake with various boats, the numbers bolstered by a few from Shepton Mallet MBC attending. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and the bring and buy was busy doing good trade all morning. A full report plus photos are on the Free Sail & Scale page > free-sail-scale
17/5/22 Bring & Buy Sun 22nd May A reminder the club is holding a Bring & Buy plus Free Sail & Scale meeting this coming Sunday 22nd May 9.30am to 12noon. The Bring & Buy is for any RC related items such as models, kits, spares, tools, etc, etc. I would advise you put a sticker on any item you wish to sell with your name and an asking price. There will be a few gazebos and tables out which you are free to use, but if you have lots of things could you please bring your own table.
The Free Sail & Scale is open to any RC boat (but not fast electric or speed boats) to use the lake during the morning. The rescue boat will be available if required. Other local model boat clubs have been invited to join us at this event.
12/5/22 Club 500 series kicks off! The Club 500 FE series got underway on 11th May in its usual early Weds afternoon time slot. The meetings are arranged “ad-hoc” between those who have Club 500 boats when most are available to race and the weather forecast is nice! Round 1 scores and a report are here > Club 500 Rd1 results & report
If your free on Wednesday afternoons and fancy racing these boats contact the Club Secretary.
9/5/22 Team Sedgemoor go to Scotland! Richard Aucott entered the IOM UK National Championships recently and he has written a report on his long weekend racing in huge fleets against the very best UK skippers. His report is here > IOM UK National Championships 2022
2/5/22 Bring & Buy event is back! – having been cancelled due to covid over recent years the Bring & Buy event makes a welcome return to our calendar. This year it is on Sunday 22nd May 9.30am to 12pm. The Bring & Buy is for any RC related item (complete models, kits, spares, tools, etc). We advise you put a sticker on any item you wish to sell with your name and an asking price. We will have a few gazebos and tables out which you are free to use, but if you have lots of things, please bring your own table if possible. Free Sail & Scale is open for any RC boat to use the lake but not any fast electric or speed boats. Other local model boat clubs will be attending
27/4/22 SYS Pursuit Race – 10 skippers enjoyed some good racing in a decent breeze last Sunday morning. Russ Chilcott won the event – and he was very happy about that! Full report and scores are on the SYS page.
Russ (left) receiving the Pursuit Race trophy from the Chairman Kevin Roberts
21/4/22 Welcome Aboard – Karl Mason who has just joined our club with a family membership. Karl has a Marblehead class yacht, an RAF launch (in rebuild ), a 47″ Sea Queen (ready for water testing) and a Huntsman 31 (not started yet). It sounds like he is going to busy boat building for a while!
Welcome to the club Karl.
15/4/22 IOM MX16 for sale – just added this IOM yacht which only requires radio to go racing. See For Sale page for details.
10/4/22 Nigel does it again! – Nigel Clarke this morning won the IOM Alice Trophy (again!). It was a lovely spring morning in bright sunshine with a decent breeze almost perfect for yacht racing. Congratulations to Nigel on the win (he is on the left). Report and scores are on the IOM page.
5/3/22 Weds night series starting soon! – a reminder the Wednesday night series gets underway tomorrow night (6th April) with the Scale Challenge, the following week (13th April) its FE racing and then (20th April) its IOM yacht racing. It then continues alternating between those 3 sections right through until the end of August. See 2022 Calendar page for details.
5/3/22 Litter Pick at Apex Park – a reminder the Friends of Apex Park are holding a litter pick in the park tomorrow Weds 6th April 10am to 12 noon. We will be meeting outside the Apex Office (adjacent to the toilets) at 9.45am to collect litter pickers and bags. The weather forecast has slightly improved! If anyone is free and can spare a few hours it would be very much appreciated.
4/4/22 SOLD – all items listed by Kevin on the For Sale page have now been sold.
3/4/22 U-boat & Marblehead mentioned below have gone to new homes!
29/3/22 U-boat & Marblehead going for FREE! – club member Martyn is offering his old U-boat submarine and a Marblehead class yacht for free to any club member. Both require some work to make them fully working on again, see the For Page for more details and photos.
28/3/22 SOLD – the Graupner yacht and Tug boat listed below have been sold, other items are still for sale.
26/3/22 For Sale – a number of items have been added including a Graupner 65 yacht, Joysway Force 260 Catamaran yacht, a Tug Boat, brand new radio and box of bits. See the For Page for more info and photos.
21/3/22 Patrol Launch has gone! – the Part built “Frog” patrol launch listed on the For Sale page only 5 days ago has gone to a new owner. Hopefully, we will see it o the lake at some point.
20/3/22 Free Sail & Scale meeting – the weather could not have been better this morning for the first of 5 free sail & scale meeting this year. Report and photos are here > Free Sail & Scale report & photos
20/3/22 IOM Kantun S For Sale – this is a competitive boat and comes complete and is ready to race with radio, 3 rigs, plus brand new A sails not used, sail box and boat stand. See For Sale page for more details and photos.
16/3/22 Part Built Launch Boat going for free! – added to the For Sale page but actually its free to anyone who wants to complete the build of a “Frog” High Speed Petrol Launch. See For Sale page for more info and photos.
16/3/22 SOLD – the DF65 listed recently on the For Sale page has been sold.
15/3/22 Free Sail & Scale this weekend – a reminder this coming Sunday 20th March from 9.30am to 12 noon we have the first of 5 Free Sail & Scale meetings this year. The long-range weather forecast is looking very good. As usual there will be no markers out, no point scoring, etc, just a chance for you to float your boat (or boats) on the lake along with other like-minded Club members.
15/3/22 Bristol Channel Pilot Cutter For Sale – the model has been part built so requires completion. See For Sale page for info plus photos.
13/3/22 Dragonflite 95 series gets underway – the Clubs first ever DF95 race meeting took place this morning (13th March). It was the first of a 10 round series which runs until the end of October. 8 Skippers enjoyed some very close racing in very strong winds but all the boats stood up well to the conditions. Nigel Clarke won the round, results, report and photos can be seen here > DF95 Rd1 results
9/3/22 Welcome Aboard – Nigel Wright who has just joined our club. He had a sail of the Clubs DF65 Loan Boat with the Weds afternoon “Irregulars” group in fairly windy conditions and very much enjoyed his experience. Nigel has been flying RC planes for while and plans to get a DF65 boat and start racing it in our SYS series very soon.
Welcome to the club Nigel.
9/3/22 DF65 For Sale – just added a version 6 Dragonforce yacht that is ready to sail and has hardly been used. It come complete with Joysway radio, RX battery, boat stand, plus extra sets of A and A+ sails and a sail box. See For Sale page for more info and photos.
8/3/22 FE Mini Mono & Mini Hydro class rules amended – the FE Drivers have agreed upon a few changes to the rules to maintain the classes as originally intended. See Fast Electric pages.
6/3/22 Congratulations to Dave Lowther (Mini Mono RTR) and Russ Chilcott (Mini Hydro) on winning their respective classes in the 2021/22 FE Winter Series – the series finished on a high this morning with 10 drivers enjoying some really good, close racing. The meeting scores, plus the final overall points table, a report and photos have been added – link to page
28/2/22 Congratulations to Nigel Clarke on winning the IOM Winter Series – it is the third time in a row Nigel has won the “Brian Wiles Trophy”. He finished the series having won 4 of the 9 rounds and was only once placed outside the top 3! Nigel did have some strong competition from Richard Aucott who is a worthy runner-up in the series.
The 9th and final round results plus overall points table can be found here > IOM results page
24/2/22 Yacht Meeting & Scoring rules amended – as agreed at the last club meeting the rules have been amended that apply to all yacht sections; IOM, SYS & DF95. They include two new rules, one which states that a minimum of 4 races must be run for that meeting to score and the other that at least 50% of a series must be run for the overall series to count.
20/2/22 SYS 1 Hour Endurance Race – meeting report and results have been added. See page > 1 Hour Race
It was run in some pretty tricky conditions with gusts over 45mph, but all the boats (and Skippers!) survived.
Congratulations to Russ Chilcott (right) on winning the event.
16/2/22 New rescue boat trailer – the new trailer was successfully “launched” today! Custom made by Chris Locke this one has a fully galvanised steel frame. The old one he built 15+ years ago had served us well but the axle had got a bit rusty and was about to loose a wheel!
13/2/22 IOM Sail Number page added – a new page which list all IOM Skippers, their sail number, boat design, designer and supplier has been added. See One Meter Yachts “IOM Sail Numbers” on the sub menu page. If you have a IOM boat and plan to race it in any future club meetings please contact the Secretary to be added to this list.
4/2/22 Fast Electric racing round 4 Sunday 6th February has been CANCELLED – due to the weather forecast for heavy rain and very strong winds the FE round due to be held on Sun 6th Feb has been cancelled. Apart from the FE Drivers not wanting to get soaked thorough the choppy waters are completely unsuitable for the fast and light weight boats.
28/1/22 Membership renewal is due – a reminder that 2022 membership subs are due on Tuesday 1st February. The fee remains the same at just £15 Adult and £20 for Family. If you can use the online form that would be great (see main menu “2022 Membership” page) or see me lakeside as I always have spare forms and will be happy to part you with your money!
Russ (Club Sec)
24/1/22 SOLD – Rubix IOM boat listed on 6th Jan has been sold.
19/1/22 Welcome Aboard – to John Bullock and Tony Hunter who have both joined the club this week. John has just acquired a DF95 and recently sailed it for the very first time. He has plans to build a boat using his 3D printer. Tony has a DF65 boat which he has sailed a few times with the Weds afternoon Irregular group and plans to enter the SYS series this year.
Welcome to the club to you both.
14/1/22 Two-masted schooner For Sale – the model is ready to sail and only requires radio. See the For Sale page for more info plus photos.
13/1/22 Welcome Aboard – the club has two new members Ed Plaster and Mark Schaafsma. Ed is currently in the process of building plank on frame Nimbus Mk3 IOM yacht (below right) but already has a DF95 ready to race when the series starts in March. Mark has built an impressive 1.5m long two-masted schooner boat (below left) which he has sailed several times on the lake recently.
Welcome to the club both.
10/1/22 Boating Calendar out NOW! the full calendar running through until the end of 2022 has just been published. See 2022 Calendar page. We have a very busy year coming up with at total of 69 club run meetings (47 Sunday morning & 21 Weds nights).
6/1/22 IOM yacht for sale – Rubix IOM yacht ready to race complete with radio. See For Sale for info
2/1/2022 new season is off and running! – the first meeting of 2022 was round 5 of the IOM Winter Series. 9 skippers enjoyed some good racing all morning, just about avoiding the rain! Meeting results and a report have been added to the IOM Yacht page.
31/12/21 “Christmas Cracker” report & photos – a few members braved some pretty awful weather to attend the clubs final meeting of 2021. Photos and report by Howard have been added – see Free Sail & Scale page.
19/12/21 “Christmas Cracker” Tues 28th Dec – a reminder its our annual Free Sail & Scale gathering at Apex over the xmas holidays. This year its on Bank Holiday TUESDAY 28th December 10.30am to 11.30am. This is will be a good chance to get out and enjoy some fresh air after your Christmas indulgences! It’s open to any scale or sail boat but not any Fast Electric or speed boats please. Right now, this meeting is ON – but we would recommend members check their email, this page, club Facebook page closer to the time as things can change for obvious reasons. Also, to avoid close gatherings we will not be running our mobile kitchen supplying hot drinks this time I’m afraid.
16/12/21 Winter Calendar amendment – the calendar has had to be changed so the meetings listed for 13th, 20th and 27th March have been removed.
15/12/21 SOLD – the DF65 yacht listed just a few weeks ago has been sold
13/12/21 Dragonflite 95 racing in 2022 – the club will be racing the DF95 yacht class in 2022.
For more info see the new page for this class
6/12/21 Welcome Aboard – Henry Westphal who has returned to RC yacht racing after a few years away. Henry has rejoined our club racing an IOM Olympic boat.
Welcome back Henry!
3/12/21 MYA 2021 membership due – a reminder the Model Yacht Association (MYA) membership fee for 2022 is due. Their fee is £10.00 for existing 2021 members of the MYA and £14.00 for new members. If you would like to renew or apply for new membership please contact our clubs MYA Rep Scott Smart before 12th December via email scott.smart.2081@btinternet.com or tel; 01934 842081 so he can file the paperwork.
At this time we (our club) do not require any payment from you, only to know your intention to join the MYA. Their fee will be added to your club membership fee which is not due until 1st Feb.
1/12/21 Club Business meeting 6th Dec – our next meeting to discuss the business side of our club will be held online on Monday 6th December at 7.30pm. All members should have received an invite and agenda, if you haven’t please contact the Club Sec Russ Chilcott.
23/11/21 DF65 For Sale – just added a Dragonforce 65 yacht, complete including radio and ready to sail/race. See For Sale page for more info and photos.
10/11/21 Dragonflite 95 racing for 2022? our club is considering introducing a Dragonflite 95 yacht racing class for 2022. Approx. 10 meetings would be held on Sunday mornings 9.30am to 12.00pm from April to November. The racing itself would be much the same as our IOM section as all on-the-water racing rules will be applied. It will not be the same as our SYS (DF65 restricted) section which is run to our own very “relaxed” sailing rules!
All boats would have to comply with the DF95 restricted class rules. These are comprehensive and restrict any performance related modifications or repairs which also keeps a cap on the cost and make the boats equal as it is a one design class. For more information on the class rules see; https://dfracinguk.com/df95-rules
If this sounds like something you would be interested in please contact the Club’s Secretary Russ Chicott
7/11/21 Congratulations to Richard Aucott on winning the IOM Dickie Bird “Starboard” trophy – skippers enjoyed almost perfect conditions with bright sunshine and a nice strong breeze all morning. Richard was pushed all the way by Nigel Clarke, they both tied for the win but Richard takes it on countback (4 wins to 2).
Full report and score sheet is on the IOM page.
28/10/21 “Irregular” session Weds 12noon to 2pm – a reminder we continue to run Wednesday afternoons meetings 12pm to 2pm but unlike those on the calendar these are arranged ad hoc depending on the weather forecast – hence the name “Irregulars”. These are mainly for Dragonforce 65 yachts and we often get 8 or more sailing, but anyone with any boat is welcome along – we have a big enough lake!
The clubs rescue boat will be available if required.
If you are a club member and would like to attend please email the club Secretary; russellchilcott@aol.com and ask to add your name to the “Irregulars email list”. Russ sends out an email every Sunday evening to confirm if the meeting is on or not. If the forecast is for no wind and/or rain we don’t bother that week!
Please note; these meetings are held 3pm to 5pm from April until September.
27/10/21 Winter Calendar is out now! – club meeting dates running from November 2021 to the end of March 2022 has now been published. See Winter Calendar 2021 page.
24/10/21 Congratulations to John Woodman on winning the SYS series – John has won round 6 of the 7 in the series but that is enough for him to win the series overall as he cannot now be caught. Report and scores are on the Small Yachts result page.
17/10/21 Free Sail & Scale another great success – we had a good turnout for both the free sail & scale session and the Fast Electric session which followed. The weather could not have been better, 15+ members with 25+ boats on the water at some point during the morning. See Free Sail & Scale page for report and photos.
16/10/21 SOLD – the Dragonforce hull & sail box listed on the For Sale page has been sold.
13/10/21 Free Sail & Scale + FE test session – a reminder this Sunday (17th Oct) is our Free Sail & Scale meeting. For this one ONLY the free sail & scale session will be 9.30am to 11.30am open as usual to any “non-FE boat”. From 11.30am to 1pm will be for Fast Electric testing and/or anyone who wants to run a fast scale or semi scale speed boat.
13/10/21 AGM News in summary –
The accounts look very healthy with £2,473 in the bank.
The Committee members were all happy to stand again in their current post and were duly re-elected en bloc. (see Contacts page for a full list)
The Membership fee remains unchanged – don’t panic yours is not due until Feb 2022!
It was agreed that all bimonthly meetings except for our AGM in Oct will be held online from now on.
13/10/21 Overgrowth around the lake – the Council have been busy cutting back the long grass, brambles and reeds along the west bank of the lake. It is a huge improvement which should allow much better wind flow over and across the water for our SYS and IOM boats – plus it looks much better!
3/10/21 Congratulations to Alan Barnstable on winning the Small Yacht Pursuit Race. 8 skippers took part in this annual one-off small yacht event where the fleet finishing order is reversed after each race! Some good racing in a decent breeze. Full report and scores are on the Small Yacht page.
26/9/21 Congratulations to Nigel Clarke on winning the IOM Summer Series. There is still one round to go in the series but Nigel has an unassailable lead in the series overall. Full report and points tables are on the IOM yacht pages.
19/9/21 AGM to be held online – due to the fairly high Covid numbers in this area the Clubs Committee have agreed to hold this years AGM online. Meeting notice, previous meeting minutes and an agenda will be sent to all members in due course.
6/9/21 Free Sail & Scale a great success! The third of four Free Sail & Scale meetings for this year took place yesterday (5th Sept) and was a great success with 16 members attending with +25 models on the water during the morning. Photos and report is on the Free Sail & Scale page; free-sail-scale
5/9/21 SOLD – the SKA IOM yacht mentioned below has been sold.
2/9/21 Congratulations to Kevin Roberts (Mini Mono) & Russ Chilcott (Mini Hydro) on winning their classes in the Weds Night Fast Electric Series 2021. Full report and scores are on the Fast Electric results page.
28/8/21 Congratulations to Russ Chilcott on winning the Scale Challenge Series 2021. Full report, scores and photos are on the Scale page
23/8/21 FOR SALE – IOM Yacht, 36″ Perkasa Gun Boat & 48″ Torpedo Boat.
Just added a SKA IOM class race yacht, only requires TX and RX to go racing! Plus 3ft Perkasa Gun Boat and 4ft Torpedo Boat, both require TX, RX (currently has old style radio) and batteries. For more info and photos see the For Sale page.
21/8/21 Welcome Aboard – Henning Hammer and Robert Seichert who both joined our club this week. Henning has an IOM yacht and Robert a scale model. This brings our membership up to 61!
Welcome to the club Henning & Robert
13/8/21 Congratulations to Richard Aucott on winning the IOM Wednesday Night Series. Once again it was very close coming down to the last few races at the final round in the series between Richard and Nigel Clarke. This time it was Richard who came out on top. Full report and points table is on the One Metre Yachts page.
Richard (left) receiving his trophy
7/8/21 Free Sail & Scale meeting 8th Aug – a reminder this popular event is on tomorrow mornings 9.30am to 12pm and is open to any scale and/or yachts of any type or size but not for speed and/or Fast Electric race boats. A good chance for like-minded club members to enjoy a relaxing morning floating their boats and having a chat!
1/8/21 Well done to Nigel Clarke on winning the IOM Les Watts Shield event. After a slow start by his standards Nigel found his racing grove after the coffee break and went on to win this annual one-off IOM trophy event. See the One Metre Yachts page for a full report and score sheet.
20/7/21 (update for below) – the IOM meeting Weds 21st July is ON. The Fire brigade will be over the other side of the park at the far lakes.
20/7/21 Notice to all IOM Skippers planning to attend tomorrow night (Weds 21st July) – there is a chance the meeting may have to be cancelled. The Council are taking action to oxygenate the water at Apex as the fish are showing signs of distress. They have called on the local fire brigade who will be parked on the ramp using their largest pump and hose to create a massive fountain into the lake. They are doing this tonight (Tues 20th) and possibly again tomorrow night also, but right now this is not known for certain. Members who have IOM boats will be informed directly via email/text as soon as the club is informed.
20/7/21 Congratulations to Nigel Clarke who has won the 2021 IOM Spring Series. Nigel won it by the very narrowest of margins beating his nearest rival Richard Aucott on countback in the very last round of the series held last Sunday. This meant he won the series ahead of Richard again only on countback!
11/7/21 Free sail & scale – we had a great turnout for our first Free Sail & Scale event. The move to Sunday morning seems a good one as 16 members attended with +25 models on the water! See Free Sail & Scale page for report and photos.
4/7/21 FE round on Weds 7th July CANCELED – the FE Drivers have voted to cancel the round due to take place on the evening of Weds 7th July as it clashes with England’s Euro semi-final match. The round will take place on the reserve date Weds 1st Sept instead.
2/7/21 Welcome Aboard – Steve Gleed who has joined our club today. He sails IOM and small yachts and plans to enter in their class series very soon. Steve brings our membership up to 56.
Welcome to the club Steve
1/7/21 New outboard motor – the club has a new outboard motor on the rescue dinghy this one pushes the boat along slightly quicker than before. The old one was working but had a few “issues”, so it will be kept as a spare.
18/6/21 Boating Calendar (version 2) updated – the previous listed dates all remain exactly the same but 4 extra meetings have been added, see below
18/6/21 Free Sail & Scale meetings – due to popular demand we have included four Free Sail & Scale meetings into this years calendar. These will be held on Sunday mornings 9.30am to 12pm and is open to any scale and/or yachts of any type or size but not for speed and/or Fast Electric race boats. There will be no racing, marker buoys, point scoring etc, just a chance for like-minded club members to enjoy a relaxing morning floating their boats and having a chat! These meeting will be held on; 11th July, 8th August, 5th September and 17th October.
13/6/21 SYS 1 Hour Race (13th June) – report, scores and photos added. See Small Yachts sub-page. 10 Skippers took part, only very light breeze but they all finished the full non-stop hour long race.
Well done to John Woodman who won it (again!)
4/6/21 Apex Park Litter Pick (Weds 9th June) – the Friends of Apex Park are doing their annual litter pick in the park as part of the Great British Spring Clean campaign on Wednesday 9th June 10am to 12 noon. We will be meeting outside the Apex Office (adjacent to the toilets) at 9.45am for a safety briefing and to collect high–vis tabards, litter pickers and bags. This is normally well supported by our club, if your free and can spare a few hours it would be very much appreciated.
3/6/21 Competition series results – Wednesday night and Sunday morning series score sheets and reports will be added whenever possible 48 hours after each event.
23/5/21 IOM Alice Trophy & Spring Series Rd1 – report, scores and a few photos have been added. See One Metre Yacht page. Strong SW winds kept the boat moving along nicely all morning which meant 14 races could be completed just in time before the rain came!
23/5/21 Welcome Aboard – Martyn Chappell who has joined the club today. He has a big Traxxas Catamaran running on 6S lipos plus a Marblehead and 10R yacht. Martyn brings our membership up to 54.
Welcome to the club Martyn
20/5/21 Fast Electric racing is back! After more than a year with no FE racing at all it was great to finally be back at the lake seeing FE boats in action. 9 FE Drivers enjoyed a good night with the usual lakeside banter plus the some close races. A report, photos and scores for round 1 of the Weds night series can be found on the Fast Electric page.
15/5/21 SYS Class rules change – the Small Yacht Section Skippers have agreed to no longer run a Modified Class (MC) and to make the RTR Class for the Dragonforce 65 (DF65) Restricted Class boats only. There will be a few amendments to the DF65 class rules; boats must use A sails only (A+ sails are not allowed), club will continue to allocate its own sail numbering and anyone who previously raced in the RTR Class with a non-DF65 can continue to do so. See Small Yacht Rules page for the full rules.
14/5/21 SOLD – the Model Slipway Club 500 boat listed on the For Sale page has been sold
13/5/21 Mini Mono RTR class rule changes – the Clubs Fast Electric section Drivers have agreed to amend the Mini Mono RTR class rules. The boats price limit has been increased to a maximum of £150 (inc P&P) and the boats overall length reduced to 450mm. See the Fast Electric page for the full class rules.
The Mini Hydro and Club 500 class rules remain unchanged.
8/5/21 Welcome Aboard – Alan Hawkins who has just joined our club, he has a number of scale models. Alan brings our membership up to 53.
Welcome to the club Alan
2/5/21 Welcome Aboard– Terry Greenslade who is new to the hobby and has recently acquired a Dragonforce yacht, a Club 500 and plans to get a Mini Mono RTR boat and join in the racing very soon! Terry brings our membership up to 52.
Welcome to the club Terry
28/4/21 extra club meetings added – to fill the gap between our current “rule of 6” club meetings and 17th May when the rules on outdoor gathering is relaxed further, we have added three more meetings;
9.30am to 11.30am Sunday 9th May – IOM yacht racing
6.30pm to 8.30pm Wednesday 12th May – Scale/other
9.30am to 11.30am Sunday 16th May – SYS yacht racing
Please do not attend these meetings without pre-booking – see Covid 19 policy & meeting dates page for info.
21/4/21 Welcome Aboard – John Peacey who is new to the hobby and joined our club today. John has an Volantex Atomic RTR Fast Electric boat which he received recently as a birthday present, he joined us for our first FE test session on Weds night.
I think he might have caught the FE bug! Club membership now stands at 50.
Welcome to the club John
18/4/21 Wecome Aboard – Joseph Brzencek who has joined our club, he has a scale model. This brings our membership up to 49.
Welcome to the club Joseph
18/4/21 Sold – the Sermount model yacht listed on the For Sale page has been sold.
18/3/21 Welcome Aboard – Tony Longstaff who has joined our club today. Tony sails Thames Barges and Norfolk Wherrys scale sail models.
Welcome to the club Tony
13/3/21 Club Meetings resume in just one months time! – see Covid 19 & Meeting Date page for details.
24/2/21 Welcome Aboard – Steve Lobley & Mike Elmes have both joined the club over recent days. Steve has a IOM yacht, Mike a small yacht, scale and FE boat.
Welcome to the club Steve and Mike
12/2/21 For Sale – Dragonforce DF65 (not same as one mentioned below!) Complete and ready to race just requires TX, RX and battery. see For Sale page
1/2/21 SOLD – the Dragonforce DF65 yacht listed for sale has been sold (I’m not surprised as it was a bargain at just 30 quid! Ed)
17/1/21 For Sale – Dragonforce DF65. Complete and ready to race just requires TX, RX and battery. ONLY £30!!! Ideal boat for club small yacht racing. See For Sale page for info and photos.
15/1/21 A reminder Club Membership renewal is due on 1st Feb – you can now renew or join the club simply, easily and quickly using an online form. See 2021 Membership page (top menu).
ALL PREVIOUS POSTS HAVE BEEN REMOVED TO MAKE SPACE!