Wynnum Manly Radio Model Yacht Club
Almost two dozen yachts — white sails unfurled and flapping in the breeze — race back and forth on a sparkling, blue sky day at Manly Harbour in Brisbane.
Passers-by, especially children, stop in awe of the action.
“Oh look at that one,” a little boy calls to his parents.
“I like the red one and the orange one,” he adds.
This is no ordinary yacht race.
That’s because ordinary yachts are far too big for this event.
This is a race for radio-controlled model yachts, the largest of which is about one metre long.
Life-size boats and cruisers, moored in the harbour, provide a backdrop for the proceedings.
The yachties, mostly men over the age of 60 with a long love of boating, line the shore, eyes peeled as they manoeuvre rudders and sails via remote control.
“It’s just a load of fun — using all of your experience, not getting wet, racing all the other guys,” said Russell Gray, commodore of the Wynnum Manly Radio Model Yacht Club (WMRMYC).
“The banter is fantastic. We have a session every now and then about why old men are grumpy — they should be doing this!”
“It’s like a ‘Men’s Shed’ on water,”
“The ‘Men’s Shed’ is a meeting place for older people. It teaches you how to use the tools and that. We teach people how to sail or how to get better at sailing.”
Source
Sally Eeles
ABC News
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