San Diego Argonauts Radio

This episode takes a look at some of the model yacht clubs accessible to us on the West Coast beyond California. Starting with Portland, Seattle, and Idaho, and then a quick detour to British Columbia to visit Salt Spring Island, where a passionate community of sailors keeps the tradition of wooden IOMs alive. Whether you're a seasoned racer or just traveling and looking to gain some new pond experience in some of the country's most beautiful areas, these clubs offer well-attended regular racing and stunning sailing locations that are worth the trip. Also, let's look at the calendar and discuss heading to Sacramento for the DF-95 Travelers Trophy Event. For more San Diego Argonauts events, opportunities, and fun — check out our website.

Let’s go on a tour of RC sailing ponds across California: from San Diego all the way up to Redding. We’ll learn about the clubs, the classes they sail, the people who keep them running, as well as tips for visiting each venue. Plus, we'll chat about how to find clubs near you to try out using the AMYA website!This episode also discusses the UK Nationals, insights from Larry Grant's masterclass experience in Croatia, and a race report from the 2026 DF 95 Region 8 Championship held at our very own San Diego Mission Bay Pond. Congrats to Chris Davidson from Australia on taking the top spot over the weekend!For more San Diego Argonauts events, opportunities, and fun — check out our website: https://sandiegoargonauts.com!

Today, we're talking all things DF-95 Regionals with Chris Steiger, Regional Director for the DF-95s and the PRO (Principal Race Officer) for the upcoming event. We talk sportsmanship on the water, what goes into a well-run regatta, and how Chris plans to keep things fair and competitive at this year's event. Also, Chris shares his journey to RC sailing, from discovering the Argonauts at Mission Bay in 1976, all the way to becoming one of our regional race directors. We'll also discuss the upcoming Global DF-95 Championship in South Africa.The DF-95 Regionals take place April 11-12th, 2026, at the San Diego Mission Bay Model Boat Pond. And rest assured, Bob's Pond Dogs will be served!For more San Diego Argonauts events, opportunities, and fun — check out our website!

March is the time to check out the hard work of our scale division at the annual open house, coming to the San Diego Mission Bay Model Boat Pond on March 21st. Whether you build scale model boats or not, it's easy to appreciate the time, energy, and expertise required to make these detailed works of art take sail. We'll talk with Jeff Sparksworthy, VP of the San Diego Argonauts Scale Division, about scale models, his earliest nautical fascinations, the fate of hobby shops during the rise of online shopping, and how robotics students could become the future pond-goers here in San Diego.We'd love fellow Argonauts to bring a friend, grandchild, or family member to the open house on March 21st from 8am-2pm PT at the San Diego Mission Bay Model Boat Pond.For an upclose look at the remarkable models Jeff mentions, head down to the free San Diego Nautical History Gallery & Museum at Liberty Station, located in the old command building at the intersection of Decatur and Roosevelt. A very special shoutout this week goes to Rod Messinger for his work on the club dinghy during a busy time at the pond. We appreciate you, Rod!For more San Diego Argonauts events, opportunities, and fun — check out our website!

The recent Region 8 Championship featured excellent competition and drew a large community of traveling sailors from around the country. Let's break down the leaderboard, the performances of those in attendance, and which boat models sailed to success. Despite shifty wind conditions, the competition was well attended and well-documented by AMYA's Vice President, and the man behind Shakey Cam Productions, Dan Shier. We'll chat with him about the value of model yachting 'game tape' for improving tuning, the workflow for making these videos, and the importance of establishing more ponds across the country. Find out more about Dan Shier's new DF95 marketplace at www.OlympiaModelSailors.com.For more San Diego Argonauts events, opportunities, and fun — check out our website.

February is underway with a full slate of races on the calendar! Time to review the recent Traveler series in Arizona that many San Diego Argonaut sailors attended. We'll also get a behind-the-scenes look at this week's Region 8 IOM Championship with race chairman and competitor Gil Gansky. The Championship takes place February 20th, 21st, and 22nd, but Gil and his team have been working hard on the event for months. Tune in for a look at Gil's regatta planning strategy, secrets to success on race day, and how Gil's background sailing the shores of Lake Michigan led him to model yachting with us in San Diego.Throughout today's episode, we highlight how appreciated and valuable our club volunteers are in ensuring the club runs smoothly. Volunteers keep events on the calendar and draw sailors from all over the world to our club for the great events we host. If you want to get more involved in the club outside of points races, Len Bose has an opportunity for DF95 owners at an upcoming demonstration day.For more San Diego Argonauts events, opportunities, and fun — check out our website.

New year, new podcast. Welcome to the inaugural episode of San Diego Argonauts Radio. Here, we'll chat about all things San Diego Mission Bay Pond — from events and open houses, to race results and club get-togethers. In this episode, let's discuss the End of the Year Banquet, the latest Pondside Chat Seminar, the January Soling and Odom Competitions and their results. And we'll chat with a San Diego Argonaut who drives upwards of four hours to compete with our club.Hosted by 2026 San Diego Argonauts Commodore: Jess Atkinson.For more info on the San Diego Argonauts, visit us online at www.sandiegoargonauts.org.