Taking your radio-controlled sailboat to an out-of-town regatta is a great way to meet fellow sailors, experience different conditions, and sharpen your racing skills. But how do you get your boat, rigs, and equipment there, and arrive ready to race?
In this episode of San Diego Argonauts Radio, Commodore Jess Atkinson shares his approach to packing a competition-ready travel kit, drawing on his experience traveling with IOMs and DF95s.
Also available on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/packing-a-competition-ready-travel-kit/id1874110517?i=1000791977130
Protecting Your Boat and Rigs
Jess walks listeners through his travel setup, including a hard case with wheels, fitted foam to secure the hull and components, and a protected tube for the keel bulb. He also explains how clear containers help keep tools and spare parts organized and visible during inspection.
For his IOM rigs, Jess describes a separate rig box packed inside a padded surfboard bag. His DF95 setup fits the boat and rigs into one case, with careful attention to the space needed to protect everything.
The central lesson: choose a case that fits your equipment, secure every component, and plan for the knocks that can come with travel.
Pack Spares and Prepare Them Before You Leave
A well-packed boat is only part of being ready. Jess emphasizes carrying a practical selection of tools, repair materials, and spare parts so a small equipment failure doesn’t cost you the next start.
Among his suggestions:
- Spare receivers already bound to your transmitter
- Spare rudder servos and prepared replacement winches
- A spare rudder and patches for hull or fin damage
- Essential hand tools, including Allen wrenches, screwdrivers, and needle-nose pliers
- Rigs for the conditions you may encounter, including a C rig when needed
- A luggage tracker, a useful suggestion from fellow sailor Larry Grant
Jess also recommends practicing rig changes and equipment replacements at home. Knowing how to make a repair quickly can make all the difference between heats.
Travel to Learn and Keep Racing
The episode opens with reflections on Jess’s recent US One Meter regatta in Sacramento, where sailors raced with B rigs on Saturday and A rigs on Sunday.
Different venues bring different challenges, and Jess encourages sailors to embrace the learning opportunity. In shifty conditions, his advice is simple: keep working forward, one boat at a time. A series of small gains can bring you back into the race.
September Points Racing
Jess wraps up with September DF95 and IOM results from Mission Bay. Dennis Rogers won both fleets, with Craig Mackie and Chris Staiger completing the DF95 top three, and Kerim Baran and Len Bose taking second and third in the IOM fleet.
Thanks also to Steve Ross for filming the points racing and making it available on the Mission Bay Pond YouTube channel—a valuable resource for reviewing the action and learning from each race.
Listen to “Packing a Competition-Ready Travel Kit” on Spotify.
See you at the pond!