Melford Pond, Bowie, Maryland

Radio control sail boating at its finest!

The Maryland Model Yacht Club is a fun group of enthusiastic sailors (both men and women of all ages!) from the tri-state area. We actively race several classes of radio-controlled sailboats and members range from novice to several national champions. We invite you to come join the fun.

The club is sanctioned by the AMYA (#205). 

Come join us!!! 

Our Next Race Day is July 18th!

Results for June HERE

Overall Results through June HERE

June Race Day Write Up (and a couple photos below)

By June's RD Dave Rakena

Sailing Conditions & Wind

June provided a tale of two halves on the water. Early on, the wind was good and relatively consistent, allowing for a clean course and excellent racing -especially for the Victoria class. Both the DF65 and ODOM sessions started well but some volatility soon followed.

As the afternoon progressed, the wind began swirling unpredictably, leading to dramatic shifts. Skippers had to contend with reversed-course sailing with wind completely flipped versus the starting direction, and several races saw the wind change multiple times mid-race. Starting in opposite directions race to race due to shifts always causes stress but the skippers handled it well. Along with the direction changes came heavy velocity surges. The ODOMs faired a little better in the heavy air, but the DF65 fleet took the brunt of it with sudden gusts causing submarining with multiple skippers needing to bring their boats ashore to drain them out. 

Victoria Class

Taking full advantage of the steady early breezes, the Victoria class enjoyed the most consistent racing of the day.  John Ebell and Tom Walsh went toe-to-toe at the front of the pack, with Ebell ultimately taking the top spot with 69 points, closely followed by Walsh at 65 points.
Victor convincingly won race #3, with John H and Alan also scoring wins.

• Top 3 Results:

  1. John Ebell (69 pts)

  2. Tom Walsh (65 pts)

  3. Victor Gorokhov (55 pts)

DF65 Class

As the wind turned wild and boats started submarining, Team Rickels completely dominated the ranks. Mike and Devon put on a masterclass in heavy, shifting air, turning the regatta into a family duel.  Mike was nearly untouchable, racking up 5 bullets out of 7 races to finish with 95 points. Devon kept the pressure on to take 2nd overall with 88 points, completing a Team Rickels 1-2 for the class. It was fantastic to welcome our newest members, the Schwarzes (Andrew, Will, and Nick), to their first-ever MMYC race experience. Nick Schwarz led the trio with 8th-place overall under tricky conditions.

• Top 3 Results:

  1. Mike Rickels (95 pts)

  2. Devon Rickels (88 pts)

  3. John Ebell (74 pts)

ODOM Class

The ODOM fleet handled the velocity surges, but the swirling, multi-direction wind changes threw the leaderboard into flux for everyone except Mike.  In another dominant display, Mike and Devon Rickels locked down the top two spots on the podium yet again. Mike traded blows early with Devon but pulled away in the final three races with consecutive bullets, finishing first with 46 points. Devon secured 2nd with 40 points.  Across both the DF65 and ODOM classes, Mike's ability to read the shifts allowed him to win an incredible 9 out of 14 total races, never finishing lower than 3rd.

• Top 3 Results:

  1. Mike Rickels (46 pts)

  2. Devon Rickels (40 pts)

  3. John Ebell (35 pts)

RD Notes

Thank you to everyone who came out to enjoy the racing, the beautiful sunshine, and the challenging, shifting conditions. Due to the high number of close-quarters incidents brought on by sudden wind reversals and gusts, remember to give each other a bit more room out there, ensure you're always in control of your boat, and complete your penalty circles when required!

Note: Keep an eye out for John Ebell's email regarding a potential practice session on either June 27th or July 4th to help work out the kinks before our big July regatta (which features free pizza!).

John Ebell Drone Videos from April Race Day

CAM 20260418102114 0006 W Victoria Class

CAM 20260418124106 0012 W DF 65 Class

CAM 20260418144936 0022 W - YouTube ODOM Class

**See the example drone shots below**