I’ve been sailing for a few months now with the sailors from the Legacy Model Yacht Club in Leesburg, Fl.  So far, it’s been a blast!  I am learning so much following them in my DragonForce 65 as they race their US 12 Meter class sailboats.  The club members dubbed my DragonForce 65 as “midge” which is short for midget.  I figured, at this point in my RC sailing life, I will focus on my technique and understanding of sailing.  Let me tell you, it’s not as easy as it looks!  You have to map your course based on the wind direction which changes frequently and is different across the pond or lake.  Also, understanding how to recover when you are “in the irons” where the boat just sits there like a buoy.

I got a chance to sail one of the club member’s US 12 Meter boats and I fell in love with how it sails.  First of all, it’s just a beautiful scaled version of the America’s Cup boat sailed in the late 1950’s through mid 1980’s.  There is so much history behind this boat.  Today, these boats are once again sailing as avid sailors are rebuilding these time lost yachts as seen in this video.

  My DragonForce 65 was not a replica of a larger boat but was originally designed as an RC sailboat.  It’s a good and competent boat featuring the most recent RC sailboat technology – drum winch, long keel and ballast and modern rigging.  It’s so competent that it can sail in most conditions from gentle to storm winds switching out the appropriate sails for the conditions.

The US 12 Meter Class RC sailboat is not manufactured and hobbyists have to build the sailboat from scratch.  You may find places or someone that can cast the hull for you out of fiberglass.  Most boats are made of polystyrene these days because it’s easier to manufacture and lighter in weight but it is not as durable as the fiberglass cast boats.  I found someone in selling a used US 12 Meter from one of the larger model yacht clubs in southern Florida.  I couldn’t pass up the opportunity and made it mine.  The boat had some dings and along the keel, there was warping on the fiberglass.  I also didn’t like the color scheme – yellow and white.  I decided to rebuild the boat and sanded it down, filled the warped section in and gave it a new paint job.  All-in-all, I probably spent about 10-12 hours, not including drying time, to finish the project.  Click on the picture of Poseidon below to get pictures during it’s rebuild.

I’ve sailed Poseidon for the past few weekends and it is different sailing compared to midge, my DragonForce 65.  It heels or leans over nicely sailing into the wind and just beautiful to watch.  The bow seeks the wind when racing.  Since it has a larger sail compared to midge, it grabs the wind more and propels the hull faster.  Sheeting the sails in and out and turning are smooth due to the digital winch and rudder servos.  I’ve fixed a GoPro mount on the aft for my GoPro Hero Session waterproof camera.  Look forward to pictures and videos of sailing Poseidon and in club races.

As my friend Ludmila said to me once,

Fair winds and following seas, Poseidon!