Syracuse.com - Remote controlled sailboat enthusiasts have Thanksgiving tradition

[HuntingNY-News]

It's the annual George Dickel Cup Regatta, held in the Inner Harbor of Onondaga Lake on Thanksgiving morning. Watch video

Steve Woiler, of DeWitt, controls his remote controlled sailboat at the Inner Harbor. Stephen D. Cannerelli [email protected] 

It all started 12 years ago when three sailing buddies decided to scale things down on the size boats they were using.

The result was the Inner Harbor Model Yacht Club - a small group that today consists of a dozen guys who race remote controlled sailboats. The boats are built from kits and measure three feet long, and four feet high from the tip of the keel to the top of the mast.

The club's favorite racing areas are the Inner Harbor area of Ononodaga Lake, and at the Henderson Harbor Yacht Club on the shore of Lake Ontario, where many are members.

 

"A lot of us either sail or race bigger boats, ranging from my son's 28-footer to my 39-footer," said Lee Cagwin, 67, a real estate appraiser from Fayetteville, the group's leader.

"With these small boats, we use a small radio box -- the same unit the guys use who fly the remote controlled airplanes. With the control box, one part works the sails; the other, the rudder."

The highlight of the The Inner Harbor Model Yacht Club's sailing season is the annual George Dickel Cup Regatta held each Thanksgiving. Members gather with their boats at 10 a.m. at the dock on the Inner Harbor off Kirkpatrick Street.

They set up marks in the water beforehand using a kayak. They then hold several races. The overall winner gets his name inscribed in the George Dickel Cup, which he gets to keep for the year. The cup was obtained in the early going from Cagwin's mother. It stands about a foot tall and "looks like large martini pitcher," he said.

It snowed the first year the regatta was held.

The sailors compete for the George Dickel Cup and finish each year's competition with a shot of George Dickel Tennessee Whisky.Stephen D. Cannerelli [email protected] 

"Who cares what the weather is? It doesn't matter. We go, have a good time, sail, come back home and have a good Thanksgiving dinner," said Cagwin, whose grown sons, Tyler and Todd, both participate.

Tyler won last year. Todd holds the club's record for most wins (3).

Who is George Dickel?

It's actually a whisky these sailors savor. The initial three club members ended the first regatta back in 2002 with everyone taking a shot from a bottle of George Dickel Tennessee Whisky. It's been a tradition ever since.

The original members were Cagwin; Steve Woiler, of Dewitt and Art Bronstein, of Syracuse. Bronstein is no longer a member.

Cagwin noted the sport of sailing remote-controlled sailboats is not unique to the Inner Harbor club. There's a National Model Yacht Association, and numerous clubs exist across the country.

He said there's a wide variety of sizes and classes for radio-controlled sailboats. Hotbeds for racing include Marblehead, Mass., Annapolis, Md. and San Diego, Calif.

"Three years ago, my son, Todd, was fifth at the national championships at Annapolis," Cagwin said.

All the members of the Inner Harbor Model Yacht Club race the CR 914 model sailboat, which they bought in a kit for $495 from a distributor in Annapolis. Everything comes with it. For those who want the boat completely assembled beforehand, the cost is about $900, Cagwin said.

"It takes a while to get the hang of it," Cagwin said. "When the boat is sailing away from you, you work the sails one way. When it's coming back, you do just the opposite.

"And you're just using the wind. Anyone who sails would find it intriguing to do."

For more information or to join the club, email Cagwin at [email protected].

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog