By Danielle Rexrode
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

It was smooth sailing for members of Charlestown and Oak Crest’s model yacht clubs as they launched their handcrafted sailboats into the 2006 season.

“I really like the freedom and open air of being outside and sailing,” says Charlestown’s Black Swan Yacht Club Commodore Rune Engblom who set his Norse Lady officially afloat for the first time this season. For Rune, a native of Norway and lifelong boater, the yacht club is the next best thing to actually being out on the water.

All Aboard
“A good percentage of our club members, including myself, previously owned full size boats,” says Rune. “Now I enjoy going to the lake and daydreaming about my motorboat while I’m sailing my model yacht.”

The Black Swans sail every Wednesday, weather permitting, at Charlestown’s Lake Charles.

“If you see the American flag flying over Lake Charles you can be sure we’ll be sailing that day,” says Rune.

The 31-inch Victoria Racing Class boats the clubs sail are built from kits that include the mast and hull. The radio controls are sold separately. The average cost of a complete kit runs $175-$200.

“Most members have their own model yachts, but we have five extra boats that were donated to the club and available for people to try out before they buy their own boat,” says Rune.

Seasoned sailor Bill Nichols has been racing Noel, with Oak Crest’s Blue Heron Yacht Club for nearly eight years and is the club’s present commodore. Noel is one of 19 sailboats in the Oak Crest fleet and was named after Bill received the model yacht as a Christmas gift from his kids.

“I’ve been a sailor a good part of my life,” says Bill. “Working with model sailboats is also challenging. When you have a sailboat of any size you have a tendency to want to make that boat sail as fast as possible. There’s a real skill to making sure everything works together in order to sail well.”