About the KMSC

ABOUT US

Here is where we sail. Delco Park Pond in Kettering OH. We have plenty of room for more boats on this pond!

This is a panoramic view of about 140 degrees.

KMSC Club

The KMSC is AMYA sanctioned as Club #237, and all members are required to be AMYA members, and have their boats registered with the AMYA Fleet. See directory for all AMYA Clubs.

We have beem sailing V-32 sailboats at Delco Park in Kettering, OH, since the Summer of 2006. We sail Scored Races almosr every other Sunday and compile scores for end of season recognition. The rest of our Sunday sail days are Fun Sail days where we race, but do not keep score. See Schedule.

Two fleets are sailed, V-32 and Dragon Force. The club constitution is set up to encourage other fleets to develop, and to encourage the promotion of non-racing activites and fleets. In 2105 a number of KMSC members began sailing Joysway Dragon Force sailboats, and a sailing plan and schedule for that fleet was set up for 2016.

Club dues are $15 per year. Dues are used to pay club expenses including insurance, course markers, and club equipment.

Business meetings are usually held once or twice a year, one at the end of the sailing season and as-needed for regatta planning at the MCL Cafeteria in Kettering, OH. Club business may also be conducted at the pond on a sail day or through Email..

Starting a club? Here is a little story of how we started our club, and contains some information how we coordinated with the local park managers.

How we started the Kettering Model Sailing Club
By Ralph Kanko, Commodore, KMSC, AMYA Club #237
In 2006, my neighbor and I were sailing V-32s with a club located about 25 miles away. We decided to start a club closer to home, with a focus on racing. We assembled the required three AMYA members, filled out the paper work and obtained an AMYA charter for club #237. A nearby park had always allowed RC sailing on their pond, so we had a good place, but we needed more than just an informal approval. We wanted the Park Management to know that we were responsible, organized, and would easily integrate our activities with the park’s events. Thanks to the information on the AMYA site and to so many clubs who posted their charters and club rules online, we used them as source information and drafted a club charter. Club rules were also prepared that clearly stated that park rules needed to be followed. This park previously had lost some ridiculous lawsuits, so their legal department was very interested in our plans. They approved our charter and rules documents and allow us to sail at Delco Pond. Initially, AMYA insurance for the pond was necessary for us to hold regattas with out-of-town guests. After several years of sailing, and a change in the park's administrative staff, we were required to provide proof of insurance before we could get approval each year for our club to sail at the pond.

Because park rules do not allow us to put a full-size boat on the water, the park staff puts out the permanent marks for us in the spring and removes them in the fall. The staff will also move marks when they get displaced by wind or fishermen. While this may seem like a problem, it works well because the park responds quickly, and we also have three markers that we throw out and retrieve to set up start lines and extra marks due to changing wind conditions.

One of the critical items for us to sail as a club was a willingness to cancel race days if there is a park festival, wedding, or in the case of the 4th of July fireworks, the entire park is closed while they prepare the explosives. We provide a single point of contact and made sure we are responsive to any concerns of the park. The park did not want us to put up dining flies for shade on a regular basis, but allowed us to use them for regattas. They also stipulated no wading, swimming, or boating. We complied without complaint. After several years of sailing there with no problems, they allowed us to use dining flies for any racing, and also a rescue boat for regattas. The pond is used for fishing, so we sometimes need to choose a less than optimum location for the start line to prevent any conflict, and we try not to sail near their lines. This approach must be working, because we have not had one complaint since we started sailing in 2006. During the first two years we usually had three to six boats out on a sail day. We just kept sailing every Sunday afternoon, and started gaining more members. Our membership grew about 10 to 12, and we regularly have about 6 to 8 boats sailing each session when the weather cooperates.

We schedule scored races about every other weekend and compile the scores for the season. Since we average the scores for the season, it is not critical that a skipper attend every race day to remain competitive. Certificates are awarded for the top three skippers at our fall meeting.

The other park visitors certainly enjoy our boats. We get many, “Nice boats!” comments. We often pass our controls to strangers who seem interested.
See the Regatta History page to see all the regattas our club has hosted at Delco Park.

Sources of New Club Members

After six years of sailing, we took a survey of what brings in new club members. Invited Friends is our main new member source.

KMSC Dates to Remember

Summer of 2008. The club grows from five members to ten members. Top four skippers recognized at Jan 09 meeting.

Sept 17 -19, 2010. AMYA V-32 National Championship held at Delco Pond, Kettering, OH.

July 15 - 17, 2011. AMYA V-32 Region 4 Championship held at Delco Pond, Kettering, OH.

August 16, 2014. AMYA V-32 National Championship Regatta held at Delco Pond, Kettering, OH

August 19, 2015. AMYA V-32 National Championship Regatta held at Delco Pond, Kettering, OH

August 26 & 27, 2016. AMYA V-32 National Championship Regatta scheduled for Delco Pond, Kettering, OH

I spent half the summer sailing, and the rest I just wasted.