1978-1980: 1st years of the Solent R/C MYC

Although from 1978 onwards the Marblehead (RM) races and championships previously held at Setley were hosted by the New Forest Club in the Ringwood area, model yacht sailing continued at Setley. Having originally founded the New Forest Club to encourage the sailing of "smaller" radio controlled yachts like the Marblehead, Bob Jeffries and other past New Forest members now formed the Solent R/C Model Yacht Club.

While the sailing and racing of RM yachts remained the primary object of the club, smaller models also occasionally featured. The "Duplex 575" was a small radio controlled yacht, manufactured by Duplex Craft of Leicester and later Lesro, which became popular in the 1970s/80s (and are still sailed by some enthusiasts). The photo (left) shows a surviving example at Setley in 2007 (it belongs to SRCMBC member Ken Carter). Back in August 1979, the SRCMYC organised a regatta for Duplex 575 yachts at Setley (see magazine article right). These semi-scale model yachts must have seemed a novel sight compared to much larger racing classes like the RM which were based on the vane-steered yachts developed in pre-radio days.

With radio control equipment for use in models becoming lighter and more readily available there was a growing interest in R/C scale models. The formation of a SRCMYC Scale Section was announced in an article in the March 1980 Model Boats magazine. The Scale Section would meet at a different time to the radio yachts. An early view of Scale model activities at Setley in the 1980s is shown in the photograph (right).