The Queen City Model Yacht Club hosted their annual 2026 SeaWind Spring Regatta May 9th at Pineville Lake Park in Pineville, NC.

Fifteen SeaWind skippers and many spectators came out and enjoyed a very nice overcast late spring day. The temperatures were comfortable, ranging from the 60s in the morning to the mid-70s in the afternoon. The day started with our competitors meeting, where Commodore and Race Director for the day, Bob Green, welcomed the competitors and discussed the sailing instructions. This was followed by Howard Baugh's playing of the United States National Anthem. Boats were in the water at 10AM and racing soon after. The wind started out light for the first race but filled in nicely and stayed mostly steady throughout the day ranging from 2 to 7 mph, with a few higher gusts in the afternoon.

We were able to complete eight races in the two-hour morning session and another ten races in the two-hour afternoon session. Our Race Director, Bob Green, did a great job of keeping the fleet on task. Bob and the fleet also kept our scorekeepers Sheryl Saindon and Kieran Wolford very busy with many close finishes. Our fifteen competitors were well behaved with only a few over early at the start calls and some minor collisions. Penalty turns were completed without argument, which made for a very enjoyable day of sailing. We had seven of the fifteen skippers win a race over the 18-race event.

The battle for the win was very close between Andy Russell and Mike Saindon with only 1 point separating the two after 18 races. Andy took first place with 38 points and Mike was second with 39. Steve Helander finished third with 59 points. David Watson was fourth with 63 points. Bert Pirson rounded out the top five with 72 points.

Thank you to the Greenville Model Yacht Club and Greensboro Model Yacht Club for travelling to sail with us. It is always a pleasure when we get to sail with our friends from our neighboring clubs and we are looking forward to sailing with you again soon. Thank you to Bob Green, Sheryl Saindon, Kieran Wolford, Jim Poutier, Steve Sutton and Marie McComb who volunteered their time to make this regatta a success. Also, a special thank you to the Pineville Parks and Recreation Department for allowing us to use this beautiful facility to sail our Remote-Control Yachts.