How the Wynnum Manly Radio Model Yacht Club is curing a sailing addiction for many yachties
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!"
How it started
It all began when two men decided to sail their model yachts around the Wynnum wading pool in the late 1980s.
A club formed in 1996 and ever since, it's become a passion for a growing number of people.
Eduard (Eddie) Cowell is one of the two original sailors who started at the Wynnum wading pool. He now has a race named after him — a three-day international event, held at Kawana.
"The Eddie Cowell Perpetual Trophy! It's quite flattering to be honest," he said.
Eddie's love of sailing began at the age of 13, when Australia won the America's Cup in 1983.
But he would never hit the open ocean as he'd hoped, because a few years later, his life changed irrevocably.
"I had a diving accident — a diving accident at home," Eddie said.
"I jumped off a fence into a shallow pool when I was 17 years old."
"I'm a quadriplegic. It was terrible, but you get used to it and I've made the most of my life."
Despite the accident, Eddie's fascination for sailing never waned. When he saw a display for model boats at the supermarket, he decided to pursue it.
"I thought that's something I could get into. I tried to source one and found a guy in Toowoomba who would make them," he said.
"We just started sailing on a Monday morning and more and more people would walk past and say, 'where did you get that?'"
"So it just grew, and now they have world titles, they have state titles — all sorts of things."
Unlike other members of the club, whom Eddie affectionately calls the 'able-bods' (able-bodied), he cannot run up and down the shore to check how his yacht is tracking or even use two hands to operate his radio-controller.
"I can't use my fingers. I've got one control that does the winch and the rudder," he said.
"It's quite difficult. The 'able-bods' can't do it. They're amazed that I can," he added with a laugh.
"It's the only sport that I get to compete against able-bods — being disabled."
Eddie has won plenty of events over the years, from north Queensland to New South Wales.
"In my younger days I did. I'm not as competitive as I used to be. Now, I just do it more for social reasons," he said.
A cure for a sailing addiction
There are plenty of sailors just like him.
Andrew Wilson has been sailing since he was five years old.
"When my dad built my first boat on our kitchen table," he said.
He's taken part in some of Australia's biggest ocean races — the Sydney Hobart, Brisbane to Gladstone, Fremantle to Bali.
"If you are really serious about ocean racing then you need to be prepared for very little sleep. You've got to train and adapt your mind and body to sleeping 15 minutes on the hour — brutal regimes like that — as well as being cold and hungry," he said.
"I found out after a year or two of that, it wasn't for me."
However, there was no cure for his sailing addiction.
"There's a lot of fulfilment to sailing by yourself. You have a lot of time to think and a lot of time to relax and enjoy nature," he said.
"But a lot of people enjoy competition and this is a low cost competition where you can still be with a group of mates — have a laugh and play."
The club's closure threat
It was Andrew's know-how that was called upon a couple of years ago when a complaint — the club's first in 25 years — threatened to close them down.
A boat owner claimed that lines from the club's marker buoys could become entangled in propellers and cause a crash.
"We were told that we couldn't sail here anymore and I was looking around the members here — many of them well north of 80 years of age — and one or two had bloody tears in their eyes," he said.
"I wasn't happy about that so I went away and had a chat to a mate of mine who's very big on electronics and I said 'can we make anchorless buoys?'"
It turns out, they could.
"It's two little motors. There's a GPS, an accelerometer and a gyroscope in this little package. The GPS drives it to the location and when you tell it to stop, it stops and stays on that."
Not only did the invention mean the model yacht sailing could continue in Manly Harbour, but now there's offshore interest and orders for the motorised, GPS-fitted buoys.
A 'Men's Shed' on water
Russell Gray and his wife spent three years sailing the Queensland coast and learned so much in that time, he wanted to pass on the knowledge.
The club now offers a 10-week course in sailing model yachts.
"It's like a 'Men's Shed' on water," he said.
"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."
Grant McDuling is a recent graduate.
[Qld local edition teaser]
After a career in the navy, he thought he knew a fair bit about boats, but discovered there was much more to learn.
"I originally thought there was not much to it — turning the rudder to port or starboard but a lot of that course was involved with the physics of sailing, the wind direction … and how to balance your boat," he said.
"Then of course there's a lot of stuff about the rules of racing. It's not just about getting to the end first."
His wife bought him his first radio-controlled yacht for his birthday in February, and even though he's still working on winning his first race, Grant sees grand things on the horizon.
"I can see another yacht coming along," he said, laughing.
"You know, they say he who has most toys wins!"
If you have an interesting story to tell, we'd love to hear from you. Email: [email protected]
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10-542 Royal Esplanade
Manly Queensland 4179
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The Wynnum Manly Yacht Club Marina takes up a section of the Manly Boat Harbour, one of the most picturesque areas of the Esplanade along the eastern part of Moreton Bay. It's always a hive of activity and great to take in at sunrise or sunset. The protected marina keeps boats up to 19 metres safe and has berths for lease and sale at various times.
The Wynnum Manly Marina is one of my favourite places to walk in Brisbane. It is the most convenient for me that also has water views but even so, it is a relaxing place for sure. Go for a walk along the marina, take your kids fishing off the jetty or grab a coffee and relax on a bench over looking the vast number of boats. Whatever you decide to do, there is a leisure activity for everyone here. Morning and afternoon there is often a stream of boats coming and going which is enjoyable to watch, really peaceful.
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| Elektrostal Geographical coordinates | Latitude: , Longitude: 55° 48′ 0″ North, 38° 27′ 0″ East |
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| Elektrostal Area | 4,951 hectares 49.51 km² (19.12 sq mi) |
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| 8 June | 02:43 - 11:25 - 20:07 | 01:43 - 21:07 | 01:00 - 01:00 | 01:00 - 01:00 |
| 9 June | 02:42 - 11:25 - 20:08 | 01:42 - 21:08 | 01:00 - 01:00 | 01:00 - 01:00 |
| 10 June | 02:42 - 11:25 - 20:09 | 01:41 - 21:09 | 01:00 - 01:00 | 01:00 - 01:00 |
| 11 June | 02:41 - 11:25 - 20:10 | 01:41 - 21:10 | 01:00 - 01:00 | 01:00 - 01:00 |
| 12 June | 02:41 - 11:26 - 20:11 | 01:40 - 21:11 | 01:00 - 01:00 | 01:00 - 01:00 |
| 13 June | 02:40 - 11:26 - 20:11 | 01:40 - 21:12 | 01:00 - 01:00 | 01:00 - 01:00 |
| 14 June | 02:40 - 11:26 - 20:12 | 01:39 - 21:13 | 01:00 - 01:00 | 01:00 - 01:00 |
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The Coomera Cup 2023, hosted by Wynnum Manly Radio Model Yacht Club (WMRMYC), at Eagleby, will held over the weekend of the 22th and 23th of June. It is a ARYA ranking event…. Jul 28.
Radio controlled Yacht sailing club in SE Qld. International one metre and DF65 sailing in scratch and handicap racing as well as social race/sailing. Sailing Days & Times •On the first Sunday, IOM...
Wynnum Manly Radio Model Yacht Club with the assistance of the Redlands Radio Yacht Club. Sailing IOM (International One Metre) and DF65 (Dragonforce 65) radio controlled yachts Queensland Australia.
Last year your club introduced the DF65 class RC racing yacht…. Read More. Jeremy Price 13/7/23 Jeremy Price 13/7/23. Some great tuning tips from Paul Jones… Russell Gray interviews Paul Gray at the 2023 Coomera Cup. ... Join the fun club! Wynnum Manly Radio Model Yacht Club,
About the Wynnum Manly Yacht Club. Our Club was established in 1995. We cater for all levels of sailing from beginners to social sailing, and to club competitions. Many of our members compete at state and national championships and our top sailors are some of the best in Australia. You may never have sailed and would like to learn - we can ...
It all began when two men decided to sail their model yachts around the Wynnum wading pool in the late 1980s. Now, the Wynnum Manly Radio Model Yacht Club has become a passion for a growing number ...
Thu 23 May 2024 19:30 — 21:00. WMYC Clubhouse. Details. WMYC General Meeting Thursday 23rd May starts at 7.30pm. Winter Warmer: Paint & Sip. Sat 01 Jun 2024 17:00 — 19:00. Wynnum Manly Yacht Club. Details.
Pleased with the quality of chairs and tables previously purchased from Nextrend, Wynnum Manly Yacht Club purchased more when they upgraded to continue suppl...
Wynnum Manly Yacht Club, Manly. 1,732 likes · 20 talking about this · 4,376 were here. Home to sail, power and dragon boats
Nestled in the beautiful grounds of Wynnum Manly Yacht Club and proudly affiliated with Australian Sailing, we're all about fun and friendly yacht racing! Our racing scene is geared towards yachts meeting Category 5 safety requirements, so safety first, always! Join us most Sunday afternoons for some thrilling SAGS pursuit races - it's all ...
Classes of RC yacht. There are many classes of RC yacht, but as the Wynnum Manly Radio Model Yacht Club sails and races only 2 classes of RC yacht, Dragonforce 65 (DF65) & and International One Meter (I.O.M), we'll focus on them. Dragonforce 65 (DF65). These one class yachts are low cost, great fun, popular and very affordable, and ...
The Wynnum Manly Yacht Club was founded in 1962. Although dinghy, skiff and small boat sailing was well catered for in Waterloo Bay at that time, a group of local sailors decided there was a need for an 'all boat' club to support racing of various classes of vessels, and the WMYC was formed at its current location.
Wynnum Manly Yacht Club. Details. Learn from Marine Medical Solutions business owner, Master Class V Ship's Captain, and marine industry expert Wendy Sullivan. State of Origin: Game 2. Wed 26 Jun 2024 18:30 — 22:00 Wynnum Manly Yacht Club. Details. Join us to witness Australia's greatest sporting rivalry which is back with the 2024 Ampol ...
Monday & Tuesday CLOSED Wednesday & Thursday 7am to 2pm Friday 7am to 8pm Saturday* & Sunday 7am to 5pm Bookings: 0431 510 090, www.captainsparrot.com * Exceptions: Planned Club functions, privately booked events and pre-booked large group dinner reservations. · Read more. Help keep the Club in good condition by letting us know if there are ...
2 reviews of WYNNUM-MANLY YACHT CLUB "The Wynnum Manly Yacht Club Marina takes up a section of the Manly Boat Harbour, one of the most picturesque areas of the Esplanade along the eastern part of Moreton Bay. It's always a hive of activity and great to take in at sunrise or sunset. The protected marina keeps boats up to 19 metres safe and has berths for lease and sale at various times."
Regular Club competitions take place throughout the year. Major sailing events are advertised on the website and email. All racing is conducted in accordance with the Racing Rules of Sailing. ... Join the fun club! Wynnum Manly Radio Model Yacht Club, Queensland Australia ...
596K subscribers in the vexillology community. A subreddit for those who enjoy learning about flags, their place in society past and present, and…
Elektrostal Geography. Geographic Information regarding City of Elektrostal. Elektrostal Geographical coordinates. Latitude: 55.8, Longitude: 38.45. 55° 48′ 0″ North, 38° 27′ 0″ East. Elektrostal Area. 4,951 hectares. 49.51 km² (19.12 sq mi) Elektrostal Altitude.
Heliport information about UUDO - Orlovo, MOS, RU. Information on this site may not be accurate or current and is not valid for flight planning or navigation.
Since 1997 the yacht racing activities of The Club have been conducted by the Wynnum Manly Sailing Club. The WMSC runs several regattas during the year including The Hart Cup, a Lady Skippers Race mid-year and since 1976, The Saint Helena Cup. On top of this the Sailing Club also conducts a single or short-handed series of races each year and a ...
Most general racing takes place at Manly Harbour. Some events are in other locations. Please see calendar or Special Events. All racing is conducted in accordance with the Racing Rules of Sailing. Cost $3 per day. We now race DF65's at our venues on a regular basis. The sailing days, initially, will be the same as our IOM calendar.
Cities near Elektrostal. Places of interest. Pavlovskiy Posad Noginsk. Travel guide resource for your visit to Elektrostal. Discover the best of Elektrostal so you can plan your trip right.
Mailing address. WMRMYC Inc. P.O. Box 5674, Manly QLD Australia 4179. Bank. Suncorp BSB 484 799 Acc. No. 451579665. Social Media Links. https://www.facebook.com ...