It’s the chairs job to make sure that everyone enjoys their model boating. As a club we’ve always been fairly relaxed about the way boats are used, but, as our membership increases, so too do the number of boats on the water. I for one don’t want a club over burdened by rules, so I trust we can all follow these guidelines to help enhance our enjoyment.
To avoid damage to models we all need to remember the “rules of the road”:
- Power boats give way to sail boats – remember if a yacht is under engine power it is a power boat!
- If both boats are under sail then the boat with its sails over to the right-hand side of the boat gives way to a boat with the sails over to the left-hand side of the boat. If both boats have their sails over to the same side, then the boat nearest to the direction from which the wind is blowing gives way.
- When two power boats converge, give way to the boat on the right.
- When two power boats meet head on, both turn to the right.
- An overtaking boat keeps well clear.
To minimise the impact of the faster boats, planing speeds should only be used at the far end of the lake, beyond the island. For the sake of clarity this includes airboats and hovercraft (please remember that all exposed propellers should have a guard).
If every member present at the lake agrees that fast boats can be run at speed at the old club house end of the lake, then this is of course okay. There will be times when we have organised events such as the Grabuge Trophy races. On these occasions everyone is welcome to race their boats wherever the course is set out. However when participating in racing, boats do come into contact and so all entries are at the owners own risk.
Please remember not to launch boats, or stand or walk in front of people operating boats seated at the lake side. Equally, it is not a good idea to operate a boat from too far away from the waters edge as people may inadvertently walk in front of you and block your view.