DF95 Global Championship / Bringing the DragonFlite 95 WorldWide!
Roy Macavoy once said in the movie Tin Cup, " When you come to a defining moment, you define the moment or it defines you."
The DF95 Global Championship was a definitely one of the defining moments for DF95, and with the help of 43 excellent international skippers, and some of the best regatta staff it has been my pleasure to work with, we not only succeeded in defining the moment, in some cases we redefined it with our ground breaking aerial video for radio sailing.
We achieved together a sense of unity for a class I have never felt at any radio sailing event before.
I will admit that the start of the regatta, we were definitely getting defined... lol! No internet, logistical race management issues, and absolutely horrific weather were just a few of the gremlins
we were battling, but through it all the camaraderie, and fun before, during, and after the sailing were simply amazing!
Days 2 & 3 weren't much better, the wind would just not cooperate and our excellent Race Officers, Mark Foster and Chip Till, worked hard to set fair courses and get some racing in. Through it all, our skippers and staff had a great time and each night the bar at Texas Land & Cattle would turn into a party and smiles were seen everywhere.
Mike Weston from RC Yachts UK, flew in for the event, and worked the entire regatta to make sure any repairs, parts or rigs were supplied to those who needed them, another redefining moment!
When Wednesday dawned , originally scheduled as a lay day, our fleet voted to race anyways, and they were rewarded with great B rig conditions( 10-15kts ) and great tactical sailing.
The video team Headed by Sparky Sorensen, finally managed to get our live stream in action as well and were rewarded with some fantastic racing again, all captured live by ground breaking drone shots of the racing! Our viewers were able to see footage never before seen in a RC sailboat race.
Day 5 was touch and go as we battled Texas thunderstorms, rain, and elements. Again after racing bar and drinks were the order of the day, not a sour face in the bunch.
Then came the final day, Friday November 9th. It was cold ( 40 F / 7 C) but winds were finally prevailing and out of the North at 20 knots... C rigs! This is was our defining moment. We were rewarded with epic one design racing, and incredible drone piloting in high winds without GPS from Sparky, as we showed the world what a great fun sport radio sailing can be.
Our skippers sailed with great skill in the toughest of conditions and showcased what a fantastic boat the DragonFilte 95 is and how much fun sailing in high winds can be!
Over 6 epic days, we completed 29 races ( nearly 90 heats) with FOURTEEN different A heat Race winners. Many of the skippers who flew in used charter boats, proving that in the DF class it is all about the skipper, not about spending hundreds or thousands on a new hull. We sailed in all 4 rigs available in every type of condition.. a tribute to one of the best best performing manufactured sailing classes in the world
The awards dinner that night was a raucous affair, with more cheering and laughs than I have ever heard at one of those events.
Everyone walked home with something and we crowned our new Global Champion, also DF95 Class founder and designer, John Tushingham from the UK.
The best thing about the DF95 class is you don't need to be a sailing rockstar to join the race (although there are a few in the fleet ) . It is one of the easiest performance RC boats to assemble and put on the water, and available worldwide.
Come join us and find your own defining moment!
We are now uploading the video we captured in HD on YouTube, check out the DF95 Global Championship channel!! Here is Race 12A:
The DF95 Global Championship was a definitely one of the defining moments for DF95, and with the help of 43 excellent international skippers, and some of the best regatta staff it has been my pleasure to work with, we not only succeeded in defining the moment, in some cases we redefined it with our ground breaking aerial video for radio sailing.We achieved together a sense of unity for a class I have never felt at any radio sailing event before.
I will admit that the start of the regatta, we were definitely getting defined... lol! No internet, logistical race management issues, and absolutely horrific weather were just a few of the gremlins
we were battling, but through it all the camaraderie, and fun before, during, and after the sailing were simply amazing!
Days 2 & 3 weren't much better, the wind would just not cooperate and our excellent Race Officers, Mark Foster and Chip Till, worked hard to set fair courses and get some racing in. Through it all, our skippers and staff had a great time and each night the bar at Texas Land & Cattle would turn into a party and smiles were seen everywhere.
Mike Weston from RC Yachts UK, flew in for the event, and worked the entire regatta to make sure any repairs, parts or rigs were supplied to those who needed them, another redefining moment!
When Wednesday dawned , originally scheduled as a lay day, our fleet voted to race anyways, and they were rewarded with great B rig conditions( 10-15kts ) and great tactical sailing.
The video team Headed by Sparky Sorensen, finally managed to get our live stream in action as well and were rewarded with some fantastic racing again, all captured live by ground breaking drone shots of the racing! Our viewers were able to see footage never before seen in a RC sailboat race.
Day 5 was touch and go as we battled Texas thunderstorms, rain, and elements. Again after racing bar and drinks were the order of the day, not a sour face in the bunch.
Then came the final day, Friday November 9th. It was cold ( 40 F / 7 C) but winds were finally prevailing and out of the North at 20 knots... C rigs! This is was our defining moment. We were rewarded with epic one design racing, and incredible drone piloting in high winds without GPS from Sparky, as we showed the world what a great fun sport radio sailing can be.
Our skippers sailed with great skill in the toughest of conditions and showcased what a fantastic boat the DragonFilte 95 is and how much fun sailing in high winds can be! Over 6 epic days, we completed 29 races ( nearly 90 heats) with FOURTEEN different A heat Race winners. Many of the skippers who flew in used charter boats, proving that in the DF class it is all about the skipper, not about spending hundreds or thousands on a new hull. We sailed in all 4 rigs available in every type of condition.. a tribute to one of the best best performing manufactured sailing classes in the world
The awards dinner that night was a raucous affair, with more cheering and laughs than I have ever heard at one of those events.
The best thing about the DF95 class is you don't need to be a sailing rockstar to join the race (although there are a few in the fleet ) . It is one of the easiest performance RC boats to assemble and put on the water, and available worldwide.
Come join us and find your own defining moment!
We are now uploading the video we captured in HD on YouTube, check out the DF95 Global Championship channel!! Here is Race 12A: