Category: Competition Info

contests

🥇IOM & DF95 Points & a Fond Farewell to Chris Davidson (August 22nd, 2026)

Saturday’s IOM and DF95 Points Racing was about much more than the results. It was also our opportunity to gather at the pond and say farewell to our good friend and fellow skipper, Chris Davidson, as he prepares to return home to Australia.

Chris has been a tremendous part of the San Diego Argonauts—an excellent sailor, a tireless helper and, most importantly, a great friend. We were delighted that so many members came out to race, watch and help us give him a proper Argonauts send-off.

IOM Points Racing

The IOM fleet kicked off the day with Kerim & Pat as the RD’s with help from Keith.

Several skippers recorded race wins during a highly competitive session, but when the scores were tallied, the podium belonged to:

  1. Gary Winton
  2. Dennis Rogers
  3. Jess Atkinson

A special thank-you goes to Jack Calafato for lending Chris his BritPOP for the day and giving him one more opportunity to compete with the IOM fleet before his departure.

DF95 Points Racing

Next came the DF95s, with an impressive 18 boats on the starting line. Craig Mackey was our bad-ass RD with help from Sean O’Connor. The competition was excellent—and yes, there were even a few black flags!

The racing was incredibly close, with multiple heat winners, plenty of position changes and some wonderful examples of Corinthian sportsmanship. The competitors “kept it on the water,” allowing us to complete the day on a high note.

The final DF95 podium was:

  1. Chris Davidson
  2. Kerim Baran
  3. Barry Donaher

How fitting that Chris won his final DF95 points race with the club! Apparently, the best farewell gift we could give him was a fleet of 17 boats to beat.

Congratulations to all six podium finishers and a big thank-you to Race Directors, every competitor, our enthusiastic “peanut gallery” and the many visitors who stopped to enjoy the action.

Special thanks also go to Steve Ross for capturing and assembling videos from the day. You can watch the racing in the YouTube playlist below:

Watch the IOM and DF95 Points Racing Videos

Chris, thank you for the friendship, the competition, the laughter and everything you have contributed to the San Diego Argonauts. The pond will not be quite the same without you.

Until we meet again—and whenever you win a race back in Australia, know that your Argonauts friends will be cheering:

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! Oi, Oi, Oi!

🎙️ Argonauts Radio – Episode 15: Why Steve Landeau Says to Always Have an Extra Boat

How do you build a thriving radio-sailing fleet?

According to longtime IOM sailor, builder, mentor, and fleet promoter Steve Landeau, one of the most effective things you can do is surprisingly simple:

Always have an extra boat.

In Episode 15 of San Diego Argonauts Radio, Commodore Jess Atkinson speaks with Steve about his decades in radio sailing and his remarkable ability to help grow strong IOM fleets wherever he goes.

Also available on Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/why-steve-landeau-says-to-always-have-an-extra-boat/id1874110517

Steve explains that introducing someone to radio sailing becomes much easier when you can simply place a transmitter in their hands and invite them to join the next race. Rather than beginning the conversation with the cost of a competitive boat or the wait for a new build, let them experience the fun first.

“If you’ve got one in the back of your car all the time—an extra one—you hand him that transmitter and say, ‘Come on back anytime you want. I always have an extra boat for you.’ Eventually, he’s going to want to take one home.”

That philosophy has helped Steve introduce countless sailors to the International One Metre class. He frequently buys good used boats, loans them to newcomers, helps owners tune and repair them, and works to keep those boats active within local fleets.

Steve and Jess also discuss:

  • Why the DF95 is such an effective gateway into radio sailing
  • How experienced sailors can help newcomers progress
  • The importance of keeping good used boats active and available
  • Choosing a first IOM—and why the BritPOP remains an excellent option
  • The Sedici, Vickers designs, Proteus, and other competitive IOMs
  • The growing role of 3D-printed boats
  • Why sailors should actually read their boat’s tuning guide
  • Steve’s work building rigs and supplying hard-to-find parts
  • The challenges of transporting larger Marblehead yachts
  • The renewed interest in Marblehead racing on both coasts
  • What it takes to build and sustain an active local fleet

The conversation also looks back at Steve’s years sailing and building boats on the West Coast, his move to Georgia, and the impressive growth of IOM sailing across the eastern United States.

Following the interview, Jess recaps the recent Region 8 Travelers Trophy finale at Mason Regional Park, including Saturday’s DF95 fleet racing and Sunday’s fast-paced team-racing competition.

Whether you are an experienced racer, a fleet organizer, or someone considering your first radio-controlled sailboat, this episode offers plenty of practical wisdom—and an important reminder that fleets grow when established sailors make it easy for new people to participate.

🎧 Listen to Episode 15: Why Steve Landeau Says to Always Have an Extra Boat

And the next time you head to the pond, consider bringing an extra boat. You never know who might become the fleet’s next great skipper.

⛵2026 AMYA Soling 50 NCR Coming to San Diego (Aug 29-30)

The 2026 AMYA Soling 50 National Championship will be held at the San Diego Model Yacht Pond on August 29–30, 2026, with an optional practice day on Friday, August 28.

Hosted by the San Diego Argonauts, the event will bring together many of the nation’s top Soling 50 skippers for a weekend of competitive racing on Mission Bay.

Registration is limited to 20 competitors. The entry fee is $65 through August 17, increasing to $75 until registration closes on August 20. Competitors can pay online via Square at: https://square.link/u/3VbFtz1x.

We look forward to welcoming sailors from across the country to San Diego for another outstanding weekend of RC sailing.

📄 Notice of Race:

NOR2026Soling50_PDFDownload

📄 Sailing Instructions:

SI for SOLING50 NCR_PDFDownload

Registered Competitors:
  1. Ben Reeve
  2. Chris Staiger
  3. David Woodward
  4. James Wondolleck
  5. Kerim Baran
  6. Ty Beach
  7. Gene Harris
  8. George Pedrick
  9. Larry Grant

** Last updated on Aug 17th, 2026.

🏆 Team Challenge II – Final Results

Congratulations to Annoying Orange who bested the Defending Champion Boys of Summer to claim the top prize in Team Challenge II with Team BS coming in 3rd!

Teams Green, Orange and Black advanced directly to the Finals, while Red, Blue, Yellow and White duked it out in the sudden-death Wild-Card Bracket:

Team Red emerged the victor to join the Finals:

In the Finals, Annoying Orange ran the table and won the championship (having lost only a single race in Stage 1 to 2nd Place Boys of Summer).

Videos courtesy of OCMSC and Larry Grant:

Thanks to Len Bose & the Orange County Model Sailing Club for hosting the Event and providing logistics, mark management (and ice-cold bottled water!)

⛵ DF95 Travels Trophy Racing in Irvine — Fleet Race (Aug 8th, 2025)

The Region 8 DF95 Travelers Trophy season continued on Saturday, August 8, with a great day of racing at Mason Regional Park in Irvine, home of the Orange County Model Sailing Club.

Entries were limited to 17 skippers, allowing everyone to race together in a single fleet. With temperatures in the mid-80s, bright sunshine, and consistent winds, conditions were ideal for an impressive 16 races.

And San Diego Argonauts sailors had a very strong showing!

🥇 1st – Jess Atkinson – 28 points
🥈 2nd – Keith Ives – 42 points
🥉 3rd – Larry Grant – 49 points
4th – Dennis Rogers – 60 points
5th – Stephan Cohen – 72 points

Awards were presented by Len Bose, AMYA President and originator of the Region 8 Travelers Trophy series.

Photo credits: OCMSC

Don Frakes served as PRO, with Bob “Shoe” Schumacher, Alex Brown, and Rock Kendall handling scoring.

A big thank-you to everyone who helped make another full day of Travelers Trophy racing possible — and especially to our friends at OCMSC for hosting us at Mason Park.

There’s also some good news from our friends in Orange County: OCMSC has launched its own YouTube channel!

The new channel gives sailors throughout Southern California — and anyone curious about radio-controlled sailing — a chance to see some of the action at Mason Regional Park.

And they have already posted videos from Saturday’s Travelers Trophy regatta:

OCMSC YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaJ43CPT6A5yxj0hvguosRg

Travelers Trophy – Heat 8:


Travelers Trophy – Heat 13:

It’s great to see another Southern California model sailing club putting racing footage online. Videos like these help introduce newcomers to the sport, let sailors study the action, and help connect our growing RC sailing community.

So give OCMSC a subscribe and help get their new channel off to a great start!

And Then Came Sunday…

Saturday’s fleet racing wasn’t quite the end of the weekend.

The next day, many of the same sailors were back at Mason Park for the DF95 Team Challenge, a very different — and very fun — format featuring two-person teams and only four boats on the course at a time.

We’ve already covered all the action from Sunday in a separate post:

🏆 Team Challenge II – Final Results

Two days, two very different styles of racing, and a terrific weekend of DF95 sailing in Southern California.

Congratulations to Jess, Keith, Larry, Dennis, Stephan, and all the skippers who competed — and thanks again to OCMSC for a great Saturday in Irvine!

⛵🏆 Race Week 2027 (Save the Date)

Save the Date: 2027 San Diego Race Week

The Argonauts Board and the Race Week Committee have officially met and selected the dates for our 16th Triennial San Diego Race Week, which will take place at the San Diego Model Boat Pond from September 27 through October 11, 2027.

Our current plan is to host eight National Championship Regattas across eight model yacht classes over two weeks.

We are currently working with the AMYA class organizations to finalize the Race Week schedule and determine the order in which each class will compete.

Mark your calendars! We look forward to welcoming sailors from across the country for two exciting weeks of competitive racing and camaraderie at one of the premier model yachting venues in the United States.

Stay tuned for additional details as planning continues.