Fifteen boats came out today for the Chuck Black IOM Masters Regatta, honoring Chuck Black, one of the legends of our pond.
A nice breeze held for most of the day, with winds coming mostly from the west, southwest, and northwest. Temperatures in the 80–85°F range and a bit of humidity made it warmer than our usual pond conditions, but we completed 12 races.
Top Five Finishers
Jess Atkinson
Larry Grant
Kerim Baran
Dennis Rogers
Stephan Cohen
Thank you to all the sailors and volunteers who helped make the regatta possible, especially Ben Reeve and Kelly McConville for running the races.
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 10, 2027.
Our current plan is to host eight National Championship Regattas across eight model yacht classes over two weeks:
Dates
Class
September 27–29
IOM
September 30–October 2
DF95
October 3
Marblehead
October 4–5
J Class
October 6–7
S/B
October 8
Wheeler
October 9–10
ODOM & Soling 50
We are continuing to coordinate with the AMYA class organizations to finalize the schedule and event details.
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 registration information and additional details as planning continues.
Special Hotel Rates at The Dana on Mission Bay
The Dana on Mission Bay has generously offered special rates for out-of-town guests attending Race Week 2027:
These rates represent approximately 30–45% off listed room rates, depending on the day, plus $65 in daily savings from complimentary parking and the waived resort fee.
$199 per night plus tax on weekdays.
$279 per night plus tax on Friday and Saturday nights.
Taking your radio-controlled sailboat to an out-of-town regatta is a great way to meet fellow sailors, experience different conditions, and sharpen your racing skills. But how do you get your boat, rigs, and equipment there, and arrive ready to race?
In this episode of San Diego Argonauts Radio, Commodore Jess Atkinson shares his approach to packing a competition-ready travel kit, drawing on his experience traveling with IOMs and DF95s.
Jess walks listeners through his travel setup, including a hard case with wheels, fitted foam to secure the hull and components, and a protected tube for the keel bulb. He also explains how clear containers help keep tools and spare parts organized and visible during inspection.
For his IOM rigs, Jess describes a separate rig box packed inside a padded surfboard bag. His DF95 setup fits the boat and rigs into one case, with careful attention to the space needed to protect everything.
The central lesson: choose a case that fits your equipment, secure every component, and plan for the knocks that can come with travel.
Pack Spares and Prepare Them Before You Leave
A well-packed boat is only part of being ready. Jess emphasizes carrying a practical selection of tools, repair materials, and spare parts so a small equipment failure doesn’t cost you the next start.
Among his suggestions:
Spare receivers already bound to your transmitter
Spare rudder servos and prepared replacement winches
A spare rudder and patches for hull or fin damage
Essential hand tools, including Allen wrenches, screwdrivers, and needle-nose pliers
Rigs for the conditions you may encounter, including a C rig when needed
A luggage tracker, a useful suggestion from fellow sailor Larry Grant
Jess also recommends practicing rig changes and equipment replacements at home. Knowing how to make a repair quickly can make all the difference between heats.
Travel to Learn and Keep Racing
The episode opens with reflections on Jess’s recent US One Meter regatta in Sacramento, where sailors raced with B rigs on Saturday and A rigs on Sunday.
Different venues bring different challenges, and Jess encourages sailors to embrace the learning opportunity. In shifty conditions, his advice is simple: keep working forward, one boat at a time. A series of small gains can bring you back into the race.
September Points Racing
Jess wraps up with September DF95 and IOM results from Mission Bay. Dennis Rogers won both fleets, with Craig Mackie and Chris Staiger completing the DF95 top three, and Kerim Baran and Len Bose taking second and third in the IOM fleet.
Thanks also to Steve Ross for filming the points racing and making it available on the Mission Bay Pond YouTube channel—a valuable resource for reviewing the action and learning from each race.
A successful race day often begins long before the starting signal.
In the latest episode of San Diego Argonauts Radio, we explore the maintenance habits that help keep our boats reliable, responsive, and ready to make every start. The discussion covers the four primary sailboat classes raced at the San Diego Model Yacht Pond: the DF95, ODOM, Soling 50, and IOM.
Saltwater sailing can be particularly demanding on model yachts. Sheets chafe, metal fittings corrode, rudder shafts seize, electrical connections deteriorate, and even small leaks can eventually cause major problems. Fortunately, many of these issues can be prevented through regular inspection, cleaning, lubrication, and careful storage.
Topics covered in this episode include:
Inspecting sheets, pivot lines, travelers, and other friction points for chafe
Preventing corrosion caused by saltwater and dissimilar metals
Cleaning and lubricating rudder shafts, tubes, goosenecks, and fittings
Protecting keel bulbs and keel-fin slots from corrosion
Checking deck-to-hull joints and rudder tubes for leaks
Keeping receivers, servos, plugs, and other electronics clean and dry
Rinsing and drying boats thoroughly after every sailing session
Identifying small problems at home—before they cost you races at the pond
The episode offers specific recommendations for each class. DF95 owners will hear tips for maintaining the stern turning block, keel bulb, sheets, gooseneck, and sail ties. ODOM and older Soling 50 sailors will want to pay particular attention to their rudder tubes and shafts, where corrosion can eventually seize the entire assembly. IOM sailors are reminded to inspect their traveler systems, elastic tensioners, spars, vangs, goosenecks, and mast fittings.
The central message is simple: inspect and service your boat when you put it away—not when you take it out for the next regatta. That gives you plenty of time to make repairs and reduces the chance of discovering a broken sheet, frozen fitting, or corroded connection minutes before a race.
The episode concludes with a recap of our August points racing. Congratulations to Kerim Baran for winning the Soling 50 racing, Jess Atkinson for taking the ODOM day, Gary Winton for earning the top spot in the IOM fleet, and Chris Davidson for winning the DF95 racing during one of his final sailing days with the Argonauts before returning to Australia.
Whether you are preparing for a major regatta or simply heading to Mission Bay for a Saturday of club racing, a consistent maintenance routine will help keep your boat on the water—and help ensure that you make every start.
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.
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.
The latest episode of San Diego Argonauts Radio takes us to the beautiful Foster City lagoon for the 2026 California IOM State Championship—widely regarded as one of the finest radio sailing venues in the country.
Recorded pond-side during the regatta, Commodore Jess Atkinson talks with four competitors about the racing, boat tuning, and what makes this championship such a standout event. The episode also celebrates a terrific performance by the San Diego Argonauts, with all five club members finishing in the top 10.
The show wraps up with a call-in from Vice Commodore of Power Division Bill Bridge, who shares results from the NAMBA District 19 Heat Race Series in San Diego, where an impressive 137 boats competed across 11 classes.
Whether you’re planning a road trip to race new waters or simply want to learn more about the broader RC sailing community, this episode is worth a listen.
In line with our recent Board and Member meeting discussions, our Commodore Jess Atkinson has encouraged members to step up into a new volunteer role—Fleet Captains—for each of our four sailboat classes.
Here are the Fleet Captains by class:
IOM: Dennis Rogers DF95: Jack Calafato ODOM: Keith Sternal Soling 50: Ben Reeves
These Fleet Captains will help coordinate the setup and breakdown of the regatta course during point series weekends, aligned with the order of racing. The first fleet of the day will take the lead on setting the course and getting the skiff out on the water, while the final fleet will handle course breakdown and help clean and secure the skiff.
In addition, Fleet Captains are responsible for coordinating help and arranging backups or replacements as needed—making sure each weekend runs smoothly even if schedules shift.
This new system kicks off on May 9th with the ODOM & Soling race day.
This is a simple but important step toward keeping our race days organized and efficient—and a great example of the Argonauts community pitching in to support one another.
Thanks to all who helped out yesterday, especially Jess and Jason for getting the skiff out and the marks set; Kerim and Tom for serving as RD’s; and Jack, Kerim and Keith for collecting the marks and putting the skiff away.
It was a nice day to enjoy the sunshine and to fight the fickle winds on the pond. There were many tight races and the close scoring reflects that. In the end, Larry Grant dominated the IOMs and Dennis Rogers edged out Jess Atkinson for the DF 95’s.
Good to see you all once again and thanks to Fred Rocha for being the RD for both classes and Chris Staiger for getting the buoys in and putting away the dinghy.
Apologies to all the IOM skippers whom I led astray in Race 3. 🙂 (Except Tom Warren).
Note: If you’re wondering about the scoring for that race, Tom was the only one that sailed the course.
Points are IAW A5.3 (Changes A5.2) as appropriate for our points racing format.
Thank you, Steve Ross, for filming some of the IOM races. Scroll below to see the videos.
