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Radio control sailboats and scale models in Phoenix, Arizona

Connect with Radio Control Sailors & Scalers

Radio control sailors and scalers in the Phoenix metropolitan area are only separated by geography: sailing boats in different, often distant parts of the region and coming together for regattas or scale events. This WVRCM SailRC.club and ScaleRC.club site tries to keep us all connected by acting as a central bulletin board and membership meeting spot.

Regular Events

WVRCM has fun sailing for a couple hours each week on Tuesdays at "Lake Gary" in Surprise. DF95s and SeaWinds are the most common boats. We're now on winter hours of noon to about 2pm. Members get weekly updates.

In addition, WVRCM holds a monthly membership meeting on the first Saturday of the month, starting at 10am at Tierra Verde Lake in Litchfield Park.  

Other RC sailing in the Phoenix area happens at these spots:

Gilbert Model Yacht Club: Starting at 9am, Tuesday-DF95; Wednesday-Victoria; Thursday-SeaWind; Saturday, DF95.

Sun City Model Yacht Club: Sailing at Viewpoint Lake from noon to about 3pm Sundays and Thursdays.  Here's the club''s new website

Sailing Tuesdays at Sun Village Pima Lake starting at 12:30. Entering the gate at the Village, tell them you're there to sail with Ron Burns.

Leisure World Tillerman Sailing Club: Focusing on Marbleheads and 36s and racing on Sundays. Contact Phil Meyrick, 503.806.1730.

Upcoming events

Seawind regatta scheduled for
tempe town lake

SeaWinds will finish the WVRCM regatta season by trying a new location: Tempe Town Lake. Here's the link to the regatta documents and registration.

The races will be run from one of the TTL launch docks at this location on Tuesday, April 23, starting at 10am. The area provides ample parking and nearby rustic bathrooms along with easy lake access, tables and umbrellas.

The area is also much closer for sailors from the eastern end of the metropolitan area and from Payson, located nearly midway between our usual Estrella regatta site and the Gilbert Model Yacht Club pond.

presidents' day flotilla

Nice turnout for one of the two big WVRCM scale events of the year, the Presidents' Day Flotilla and Parade of Boats. Read Jack David's report on the big float.


Regional DF95  Regatta 

WVRCM hosted a Region 8 DF95 Travel Series regatta at Estrella North Lake. The competition, wind, and weather for the two-day regatta were spectacular. Here are the results.

surprise pond pleases

Welcome RC SailorsWe've now been using the Surprise pond for more than three months and have found it to be an excellent venue for WVRCM. In honor of the man who discovered the place, it has been Christened Lake Gary. Here's a link to the location on Google maps.

The site is similar to the Gilbert Model Yacht Club pond in design and purpose, with a concrete rim and wide, grassy surrounding area. There are no buildings, trees, or hills to interrupt the breeze, so even the lightest zephyr can find its way to the sailing boats.

Sailing on Lake GaryThe greatest benefit is Lake Gary’s location, very near where many RC sailors live, including the cluster at Sun City and attendance at the Tuesday noon casual sails has been good.

We were concerned about how much Lake Gary will rise and fall as the city uses the water—whether the level will drop too far to launch RC sailboats, even with long launch poles. So far, the level has been acceptable, though poles are needed. For racing, Gary Wollenhaupt created a set of marks with round, two-pound fish weights that will protect the pond bottom.

A wide shot of Lake Gary in Surprise, with wide-open spaces for the wind.


Scale Boats

WVRCM is home for scale boats, the models of full-size military and civilian boats and ships, often created with amazing attention to detail. Learn more about scale boats here.


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