The San Diego Argonauts have a new skipper — and a new Mermaid in the fleet!
Please welcome Sharman French, one of our newest SDA members and, notably, our first female member in quite a while — perhaps close to a decade!
Sharman recently picked up a brand-new DF95, and she certainly made it her own. Appropriately named Mermaid, the boat now sports a beautiful custom mermaid skin (from DragonSkinsUSA) that is going to be hard to miss on the water.
Getting a new DF95 from the box to the starting line takes a little work, and in true Argonaut fashion, it became a team effort. Steve and Pat helped Sharman rig and set up the boat, while Kerim helped apply Mermaid’s colorful new skin.
And there’s another fun twist to the story.
Sharman has spent time in Marblehead, Massachusetts — a pretty fitting coincidence for someone now getting into RC sailboat racing!
For those new to the hobby, Marbleheads are one of the oldest, fastest, and most sophisticated development classes in radio-controlled sailing — what we recently called the “Formula 1 cars of RC sailboats” in our latest Argonauts Radio episode, “Marbleheads Are Making a Comeback: Trend or Here to Stay?” If you haven’t heard it yet, check it out and learn a little more about this legendary RC sailing class.
From Marblehead to Mission Bay, perhaps Sharman was destined to become an RC sailor!
Mermaid is now rigged, skinned, and ready to go. The next step is getting Sharman out on the starting line with the rest of us.
We also hope Sharman’s arrival inspires more people of all ages, backgrounds, and genders to come discover the San Diego Argonauts. RC sailing is a sport and hobby that truly can be enjoyed by just about anyone — whether you’re an experienced sailor, a lifelong maker, or someone who has never touched a sailboat before.
There’s always room for another skipper at the pond!
Welcome to the San Diego Argonauts, Sharman — and welcome to the fleet, Mermaid! 🧜♀️⛵
We look forward to seeing both skipper and boat crossing tacks with us at the pond!