Model Yachting News • Week Ending May 23, 2026

Posted on by Paul McBride

Written by Mark Whitehead, Tim Wright
Proofreading & Editing by Kathleen Whitehead
Photos by Paul McBride, B. B. Wright, Mark Whitehead
Layout and Photo Captions by Paul McBride
Games by Dave Perry

e-mail: backbayskippers@gmail.com

Well-Deserved Award

Since Al Stevens will be unable to attend the upcoming awards ceremony at Brookwoods, he was presented the Volunteer of the Year Award for 2025 at this week’s Soling regatta. The award recognizes his dedicated hard work for the Model Yacht Building Program. Al spent hours identifying, labeling, and packaging all the parts required, and helped lead the Soling boatbuilding workshop.

Volunteer of the Year
Perpetual and Individual Trophies
Commodore Mark Whitehead presented
the Volunteer of the Year Award to Al Stevens.
The water covers the dock. Reaching down is not necessary at this time of year.
There'll be a long reach by the end of the season.
You get your feet wet when launching boats from the dock.
Man in a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses stands on a gravel path by a lake, holding a remote control, with people sitting in camping chairs behind him.
Charlie Lincoln

New Skipper

We welcomed Charlie Lincoln to the Back Bay Skippers this week. Charlie has refurbished an old Soling and is in the process of getting himself and the boat tuned for competition.

Charlie Lincoln Getting His Boat Ready
Small model sailboat with white sails and a purple hull gliding on calm water, mast upright and rigging visible.
Charlie Lincoln 8

As a demonstration of what the Back Bay Skippers are, Ted Monetta worked with Charlie and his boat the entire afternoon, helping Charlie get off on the right foot. Thank you so much, Ted!

Two men stand along a lakeside path, each holding a remote controller for an RC device as they look toward the water.
Charlie Lincoln and Ted Monetta
Jim Opie

A Snowbird Returns

Jim Opie returned to the fold this week for his first regatta of the season. Jim pulled off a tie for second in Race #10, so he truly is ready for action.

RC sailboat with white sails and red hull gliding on calm water near a red-and-white striped buoy.
Jim Opie 130
A pair of loons pause during lunch to watch us sail.

Out on the Water

For the May 19 Soling regatta, twelve skippers launched on yet another blustery day, completing twelve races. Seven skippers qualified for scores, and once again Tim Wright led the way with 1.0. Linwood Davis met the challenge of a hard wind by placing second with a score of 2.6. It has become a habit for Jeff Witzel to be in the top three, and his score of 2.9 qualified him for third place, only three tenths behind Linwood.

Jeff Witzel 820
Two small sailboats race on a lake near a marina with houses and docks in the background, one white-sailed and one blue-sailed boat.
Linwood Davis 22 and Tim Wright 58
Hauling in Entangled Boats

Bill Malay was leading all the way in Race #12, only to be overtaken just a few feet from the finish. We’re not sure how accurate the scoring for Ted Monetta is because he and Charlie Lincoln were swapping boats and Ted’s #237 is faster.

Sadly, the commodore, Mark Whitehead, had smoke billowing from the hold of his #12, leaving the electronics inoperable for the entire regatta.

Group of small model sailboats racing on a lake with trees in the background, seen from shore edge.
The Solings are off to a great start.
Denis Boisvert sailed a Vintage Marblehead with the Solings.
Soling Scores, May 19, 2026
 1. Tim Wright       1.0
 2. Linwood Davis    2.6
 3. Jeff Witzel      2.9
 4. Ted Monetta      4.8
 5. Jim Opie         5.1
 6. Bill Malay       5.3
 7. Doug Griggs      5.4
 8. Rick Gates       -50% 3.0
 9. Denis Boisvert   -50% 4.0 sailing VM
10. Anthony Quinn    -50% 10.0
11. Charlie Lincoln  Not Scored
12. Mark Whitehead   Fire in the Hold

US12 Sailing

On Thursday, May 21, only four sailors showed up for US12 sailing. Perhaps it was due to the cool weather, overcast skies, and strong winds. Along with B. B. Wright, our scorekeeper, they were treated to a wonderful afternoon of sailing. Jim Opie, John Simms, Bill Malay, and Tim Wright had some very good races, and started a round-robin, where each skipper sails every boat. It went well until a collision dis-masted Jim’s boat on the final race of that series. He wasn’t steering, and Tim doesn’t want you to know who was. Jim showed off his building and troubleshooting skills by getting his boat back on the water quickly.

While scores were kept, the racing was very informal, and by my judgment, all of the sailors were winners — just for being there at all.

Bill Malay Balancing the Trim of the Rudder
Launching Bill Malay's US12
John Simms gets his boat ready to sail.
A Well-Organized Scorekeeper Table with the
New Starter Clock
Tim Wright, Jim Opie, Bill Malay, John Simms
Tim Wright to the Rescue

AMYA Region 1 US12 Championship

In case you haven’t heard, the Back Bay Skippers are hosting the Region 1 US12 championship during one of our regular sailing sessions on June 18. If you are a member of the AMYA, you can sign up on the AMYA website for no charge. If you aren’t a member but want to sail, you can. Your scores won’t be counted in the AMYA event but will count for the spring and season series. If you prefer to watch without sailing, you might consider loaning your boat in case it’s needed. Tim is loaning his backup boat, but others might ask for one.

We look forward to seeing more sailors next week.

Register for AMYA US12 Championship

Tim Wright 400 and John Simms 101
Bill Malay 7 and John Simms 101 approach the mark.
The US12s are off to a great start.
Adult man bending over to show a young boy how to operate a remote-controlled boat by a lakeside, with trees and a cloudy sky in the background.
Try your hand at RC sailing.

Back Bay Sailing

Now that the sailing season is underway, join us on Tuesday or Thursday at 1 PM, weather permitting, to enjoy the fun. Wednesday is set aside if conditions on Tuesday or Thursday aren’t suitable. We welcome you to just watch the spectacle or ask to give it a try – we love to share. Please note that because of the Model Yachting Fair, there will be no Soling regatta Tuesday, May 26.

Quiz and Game Fun Page - Updated 11/4/2022​

Trophy Room

Skippers Memorial

Soling 1M Building Manual

Skippers Knowledge Base

Videos and Photos

Previous Highlights

Score Sheets

US12, Soling Masters, Soling Sailors

Upcoming Events: [2026 Schedule]

  • May 26, 2026 Model Yachting Fair at Camp Brookwoods
  • June 2, 2026 Soling Season Starts. Tuesday Regattas 1PM to 3PM
  • June 4, 2026 US12 Season Starts. Thursday Regattas 1PM to 3PM
  • June 18, 2026 AMYA Region 1 US12 Championship at Back Bay 1PM to 3PM – Free to Register
  • July 4, 2026 Model Yachting Day. Try RC Sailing at Back Bay
  • July 6-10, 2026 Soling Building Workshop
  • August 15, 2026 Sasquatch Footy Regatta
  • September 13, 2026 6th Annual RC Laser Regatta – Region 1 Championship, Bow Lake, Strafford NH
  • September 22, 2026 Soling Season Ends
  • September 24, 2026 US12 Season Ends
  • September 29, 2026 Soling Enduro
  • October 1, 2026 US12 Enduro
  • November 3, 2026 Dock Out

Past Events:

e-mail: backbayskippers@gmail.com

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