All posts by Robert Wood

2021 RC Scale Boat Events

Events, Scale,

Dust off your boats and brush off those pandemic cobwebs. Time to start prepping for these upcoming, awesome RC scale boating events!

We’ve created a series of themed events.  Bring your themed RC scale boats, and let’s have some fun!  For more information see our Facebook page or contact the Scale Division Vice Commodore. Download our 2021 Scale Division Event Flyer (PDF)

Saturday, June 05, 2021 – “Scale Regatta & Tug Fest”

  • Join the SDA Scale Division’s popular Tug Fest to match your Tug’s pulling power against our contestants’ heavy hauler of the sea. Charge up your batteries and put on your biggest prop to show the other crews who has what it takes to keep the sea lanes open and the cargo moving. All scale boats are welcome for free running, including scale sailboats. (no entry or registration fees)
  • 8:00am-6:00pm

Saturday, July 17, 2021 – “Age of Steam”

Shine up your brass, tighten your fittings, fire up your boiler, and get up a full head of steam to show the world the ways that having a raging fire in a boat can actually work (most of the time).
Bring your steamers and favorite stories to share in this exciting hobby. Feel free to show off your stationary engines as well.

  • Static displays and live steam demonstrations welcome!
  • 8:00am-6:00pm

Saturday, August 28, 2021 – “Gray Day & Commodore’s Lunch”

It’s your day to “Bring out the Gray” to join our fleet of battleships, aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, and other military vessels for a great day of sailing these classic warships. Be warned, however, that there may well be some subs, and a Bismarck or a Yamato lurking in the waters along with a German Schnell Boat, just to keep it interesting.
SDA Members – Please Join Us for Lunch – Members of SDA can all join us for our Commodore’s Lunch in which we host our members for a sandwich and chips meal on the green at the pond when the smoke of battle settles down for a brief cease fire.

  • 8:00am-6:00pm

Saturday, December 18, 2021 – “2021 Model Boat Festival of Lights”

  • Come celebrate the holiday spirit with the San Diego Argonauts Scale Division Model Boat Festival of Lights inspired by San Diego’s popular annual event. Bring the family, some lawn chairs, some hot chocolate, and a camera to get big time enjoyment from this small scale festival of lights.
  • 4:00pm-8:00pm

2018 RC Scale Boat Events

Events, Scale

Dust off your boats and start prepping for these upcoming, awesome RC scale boating events!

We’ve created a series of themed events.  Bring your themed RC scale boats, and let’s have some fun!  For more information see our Facebook page or contact Jeff Sparksworthy jsparksworthy@gmail.com.

  • May 19 – “Tug-O-War”
    • Bring your tugs. We’ll measure their pulling power against a scale and have tugs pull each other across sight lines. We will also have a weighted barge pull.
    • 9:00am-noon
  • June 16-17 – “Mini Maker Faire”
    • Argonauts will exhibit at the Antique Gas and Steam Museum in Vista, CA.
    • All day Saturday and Sunday at one of the coolest museums you’ll ever visit!
    • Facebook link to event
  • June 23 – “Fun Run”
    • This would replace our Regatta with an unjudged navigation course.
    • Vote for best of show.
    • 9:00am-3:00pm with the Sailing Division invited to sail the islands starting at noon
    • Bring your own lunch.
    • Silent auction.
  • July 21 – “A Gray Day”
    • Bring your battleships, submarines (even though they’re black), flat tops, cruisers, mine sweepers, tin cans, landing craft, and cargo ships for a set of scale runs like a point to point speed burst races for destroyers, a convoy, and a “round the pond” task force cruise.  No sneak attacks allowed!
    • 9:00am-noon
  • August – Off the Pond
  • Sept. 8 – “Steamer Day”
    • Steamer Day and Boats, Kits, & Parts Swap.
    • 9:00am-noon
  • Oct. 27 – “Yacht Days and Pleasure Boats”
    • Chris Craft, Minnows, Orcas, etc.
    • 9:00am-noon
  • Nov. 17 – “Working Boats”
    • Fishing boats, fire boats, tugs, ferries, garbage scows, floating cranes, dry docks, etc.
    • 9:00am-noon
  • December 8-9 – “Pearl Harbor Remembrance Model Boat Run / Fleet Gathering”
    • A run of 1:96 scale ships & boats at Santee Lakes.  Argonauts with 1/96 scale ships are invited to run with the Task Force 96 group.
    • December  8, 2018 — 9:00am – 4:00pm
    • December  9, 2018 — 9:00am – 3:00pm
    • More info:  www.dec7modelboatrun.weebly.com
  • December 15 – “2018 Model Boat Parade of Lights”
    • A magical evening run involving tiny boats and lots of little, beautiful lights.
    • 5:00-8:00pm

2017 Model Boat Parade of Lights

Events, Scale

Check out the San Diego Argonauts’ lighted remote controlled model boats! We’ll launch the Christmas season with our tiny Model Boat Parade of Lights at the San Diego Model Boat Pond.

Public is welcome. Bring a chair. Enjoy the little lights!

Model Boaters:  If you have a scale model boat, start working on your lights. Be sure to bring a warm sweater, a hot beverage, and a great camera. This is going to be another beautiful event!

In case you’re new to the mini Parade of Lights, here’s a video from January 2015:

And David Manley’s video from 2016:

Ideas for easy RC model boat lights.

2017 Scale Model RC Boat Regatta

Events, Scale

The Scale Boat Division of the San Diego Argonauts invites scale model boaters to our 2017 Scale Model RC Boat Regatta!

It’ll include a navigation course, raffle, and more!  Static modelers are welcome to display their boats. The public is welcome to spectate too!

Bring your own sack lunch, table and chairs.

For more information, check out our event on Facebook or e-mail jsparksworthy@gmail.com.

NAMBA INSURANCE REQUIRED:  Anyone operating a boat or participating in the pit area must have proof of current NAMBA insurance.

Due to recent changes in the City of San Diego risk assessment regulations, we are now required to secure a general liability insurance policy that covers the City in the event anyone running a boat with a motor causes an accident. This requirement is a blanket requirement for any boat with a motor, no matter how slow or small. We have secured the best insurance available for this purpose through NAMBA International, but the insurance is only valid for NAMBA members who are involved in an accident, and we are required to follow NAMBA safety regulations in order for the insurance to be viable.

To comply with NAMBA safety regulations, we will rope off an area for launching, recovering, operating and judging boats entered into the navigation competition, which we will call the Pit Area. Anyone wishing to enter the Pit Area must have proof of current NAMBA membership, either Single Event Insurance (SEI) secured for this event, or a full membership for the year. NAMBA yearly membership ($50.00) may be obtained at www.namba.com, or you can purchase Single Event Insurance for the regatta for $15.00 at the event. We recognize that this poses an unexpected financial burden, but if we expect to continue enjoying this type of event at the San Diego Model Boat Pond, we really have no choice but to comply with the City’s requirements.

By the way, NAMBA insurance is primary insurance, which means it does not require that you first seek coverage for a claim via your own homeowner’s insurance policy. To read all of the benefits of NAMBA insurance, visit http://www.namba.com/content/insurance.asp

If you have any questions about this change, please feel free to chat with Rob Wood, Jeff Sparksworthy, or Mark Weber.

Download our Event Poster PDF

Download our Navigation Map in PDF

Memorial Service for David Alvarez

Events, Scale

It’s with a heavy heart that the Scale Boat Division of the San Diego Argonauts invites you to remember David Alvarez, our beloved Scale Vice Commodore.

  • Date:  May 6, 2017
  • Time: 10:00am
  • Location:  San Diego Model Yacht Pond

Please bring a boat to run and a story to share about this incredible guy.

If you’d like to help plan the service, please meet at the Pond this Saturday morning, April 29th and talk with Mark Weber.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1656932951281435/