Datchet Radio Sailing are hosting the biggest event of the radio sailing world in May next year, the IOM World championships. Competitors from 20 plus countries will participate and the spectacle of the best in the world racing is not to be missed.

What can radio sailing offer the dingy and keelboat sailor?
A radio sailing regatta usually involves a minimum of 8 races and sometimes can deliver up to 20 races in a day. Large fleets (80+) are split into heats with a maximum of 24 boats although the author has sailed in competitive fleets of 30+.

In dinghy and yacht racing there may only be one race a day. Imagine the acceleration of your tactical knowledge you gain with so many starts and races.

Whatever your role on your larger boat, sailing a radio yacht will teach you so much. If you are a crew or deck hand, you will be forced to understand tactics, rig setup and everything outside your scope of activity on the boat. If you are a skipper, radio yacht racing will sharpen your skills so quickly. Many times I hear the comment from bigger boat skippers and crew, I wish I had discovered this earlier. It has taught me so much.

Radio yachts are highly technical, and it is not surprising that some of our top sailors are designers and have decades of experience. If you have never looked at a radio yacht, let me explain how they work.

There are one design classes which are the best to start with as they all have the same gear examples being the DF65 and DF 95. These are boats in a box and quickly assembled with a tube of superglue. Other classes have some freedom in design meaning, one needs to make a choice and live with that decision. Nearly all designs have sweet spots and not so sweet spots.

Nigel Barrow, November 2025