What do keen big boat and dinghy racers do when they want a rest from the usual inshore and offshore circuits? On the North Down coast, they gather twice a week with their one-design radio-controlled model yachts either in Groomsport Harbour near Bangor or Millisle farther east for what seems to be hot competition among the group run by International Race Officer Robin Gray.

Robin says that “the DragonForce 65 is one of the most popular and certainly affordable boats for radio-controlled model boat racing. They sail like full-size boats and one design means great racing and great fun.

There are over 30,000 worldwide and around 2,000 in the UK. The North Down group races only with the standard A rig which comes with the boat and, depending on the tide, in either Millisle Lagoon (provided the tide isn’t so high it overtops the Lagoon wall) or in Groomsport Harbour on Friday afternoons or Sunday mornings (or both!). The Sunday morning start allows at least one of the bunch to race in the Ballyholme Icebreaker for dinghies.

Model yacht racing in Groomsport Harbour

The format is an hour and a half of racing, usually about eight three-round races on a windward leeward course.

The latest racing on Friday (25th) saw 12 boats in a very shifty, gusty offshore wind. Brian Spence, leading the Sunday series, was first overall, two points clear of Lee Stevenson, the on-form and, at the moment, the only woman racing, just ahead of David Speers. Needless to say, even model yacht…