Council Members

I started model yachting in 1961 aged 9 years at Fleetwood  MYC, 100 yards from where I lived, and raced my first A week as mate in 1963.

I raced vane yachts as a mate, and then a skipper until 1973 when radio controlled equipment was small and light enough to fit inside a Marblehead.  Although there were a few specialised Radio controlled Marbleheads available, most people were using vane boats and several people were making their own winches from amongst other things, alarm clocks!  However, very soon along came David Andrews (founder of “Whirlwind” winches) which made a massive difference to our boats.

I raced in the first Radio Marblehead Nationals at Guildford (Elsted Moat) in 1973 where I first met my good friend John Cleave, with whom I have had many adventures, in all kinds of boats, ever since!

I continue to race very actively most weekends in A class (vane and radio), Marblehead, IOM, Laser, DF95, DF65  and even Vane 36”

I also did 20 years in Soling keel boats, but the class has died in the UK now.  I still do odd Keelboat racing – when invited, and will be at Itchenor Points Week in XOD in June 2019.

I’ve been radio sailing since 2008 and very much a “racer” rather than a builder or designer I enjoy travelling to different clubs to meet and compete against fellow radio sailors and spreading the word of our great sport.

Please introduce yourself if you see me and feel free to ask me any questions.

At school I was introduced to dingy sailing at the age of 12. At 16, I bought my first boat for £10, a clinker built National 12 and joined Sutton-in-Ashfield Sailing Club in Nottinghamshire. My National 12 had a split in the wooden mast, and a young joiner offered to mend it for me. His name was Clive Hand. The rest is history as they say. We sailed together for many years up to the time when we became taxi to our two sons as they travelled around racing a Graduate Dinghy.

In the early seventies I ran a windsurfing school, and was Ladies National Windsurfer Champion in 1978. Not many ladies were windsurfing in those days, so not as grand a title as it sounds. Clive and I had a Pegasus 800 yacht which we kept in Suffolk Yacht Harbour until his mobility became a problem. This is when we turned to model yachts. I took up racing an IOM in 2013, and am now a member of Lincoln Radio Sailing Club with my IOM, a DF95 and DF65.

Having done secretarial/accountancy work during my career, I came on to the Council in 2019 for a three year term. After a one year rest I am back. In addition to my work with the MYA I am also Registrar for the DF Racing UK Class Association and on the committee of Lincoln Radio Sailing Club.

Registrar DF Racing Uk Class Association
Committee Member Lincoln Radio Sailing Club

I started Radio Sailing in 2014 after giving up flying Radio/Free flight Sailplanes for over 40 years. I never had any experience with sailing apart from a Mirror dinghy at school many years ago. The rules for me were somewhat difficult to understand and some of them still can be.

I work as an IT Consultant and it was not long before I was involved with sorting out my Club website. That progressed into joining MYA Council as the Digital Communications Officer and looking after the MYA websites. It has been a challenging process to make improvements but we are well on the way now.

Radio sailing for me is one of the best things I ever got into. I have enjoyed meeting new people and racing against them. I currently sail three classes, IOM, Marblehead and Ten Rater. I doubt I will add any more.

I started model yachting as a youngster in 1957 after being introduced to the sport by my father. Interest at that stage was in vane model yachts but nowadays as one gets older and the Fleetwood lake appears to get longer, I am restricted to radio sailing. The emergence of the Dragon classes has rekindled interest in my club – Fleetwood and I have both a 65 & 95. Particularly interested in promoting the sport at grass roots level. My other main interests are football – season ticket holder at Fleetwood Town FC and walking in the lake district.

Took over as Treasurer of the Association in 1985, and have been on Council ever since. Throughout my time in office, I have been active in helping to stage international as well as national events for all classes.

Over the decades I have been responsible for various aspects of the organisation and administration of our sport, at various levels (measurer, treasurer, secretary, technical matters, national judge). My interest in the technical side of the sport has benefited from an understanding of the design aspect of our sport which, itself, was informed by formal training as a naval architect, a profession that I practiced for a few years before having the privilege of earning a living by supplying goods to the sport.

My long term involvement in technical matters has given an appreciation of the long term benefits and disadvantages of previous decisions. I hope providing relevant input in this area will support the current administration in its move towards a more professional level of management.

IRSA Technical Committee Member
IOMICA Technical Committee Member
IMCA formative committee member
ITCA formative committee member
SAILSetc Ltd Director

I Started sailing at age 12 and progressed rapidly to be International Cadet World and National champion in 1973, Youth National champion (Lasers) 1974 and then ran an Olympic campaign in 470’s to reach second place in the 1976 Olympic trials and then hung up my olympic boots after the Russian Olympics boycott. I subsequently campaigned various dinghies and then moved into yachting, getting involved in a number of projects up to 1994 when I changed my focus to building a family. Over the time sailing, I was often involved in race management, protest committees and club admin.

During Covid, I had the idea to build a model yacht. One IOM became two and started racing after which I bought a production boat. My building and racing story is set out on www.nigelbarrow.co.uk, a site I created to pull together all the relevant information and videos relating to IOM on the web along with my own sailing knowledge for the benefit of new and existing owners. The site gets hits from all over the world and was viewed for 184 days in total since the start of 2021. I used to work for an information company and the lack of centralised data on the IOM drove me nuts.

Racing IOM’s introduced me to the RC family who are the friendliest most helpful group one could wish for. Ask any question and it will be answered. If you have a breakdown at a meeting, helping hands will quickly step in.

I had a career in sales, focused on software and latterly critical information and insight in the Energy sector and look forward to extending my activities with my involvement in the MYA.

You can find me racing at Frensham Pond, Gosport, Emsworth or on the circuit.

I had been a keen aeromodeller in my youth and I sailed dinghies at the BP sailing club at Teddington and at Island Barn Sailing Club. I followed that with many years of windsurfing until work commitments caused me to call a halt. While looking around for an activity in retirement that would allow me to become involved in similar activities, I came across Hampton Court Model Yacht Club. I went down to the club to see what it was all about, was invited to try my hand at sailing a member’s boat and was immediately hooked. I joined the club as soon as I retired. All this in the most beautiful setting of Home Park, behind Hampton Court Palace.

I was hugely impressed by the way that members quickly made me feel at home and were always available for advice as I took my first steps in radio sailing. I started with an Isis IOM, followed quickly by an A boat, Micro Magic, an Alternative replaced the Isis and then I acquired a 10 Rater and a Marblehead. This fleet covered all the classes sailed at HCMYC and enabled me to maximise my sailing time at the club. The club adopted DF95s as a replacement for the Micro Magic last year and now my boat is part of a rapidly expanding fleet that continues to attract new members.

I joined the HCMYC committee in 2017 and am currently the club secretary.

I graduated in chemistry, qualified and worked as a Patent Attorney and then held positions in a UK plc of legal director and EHS director. During my working career, I had extensive experience at board and committee level in companies in the UK and overseas which I hope will enable me to contribute positively to the MYA.

Secretary, Hampton Court Model Yacht Club.

I have sailed dinghies for over 40 years prior to becoming actively involved with the Radio Sailing scene in early 2014, when a group of 10 members at my home Sailing Club of Redesmere in Cheshire purchased the DF65.

At the time I was busy with helping to run dinghy events around the country as a Race Officer or assistant and was also a volunteer member of the Race Management Committee at the RYA. As part of that group, I was requested to assist the MYA with Race Team training.

I then joined the Birkenhead Club in 2015 and have subsequently purchased and raced IOM, RG65, DF65 and DF95 boats. I can be regularly seen competing at DF and RG TT events and have also participated at Open, Ranking and Nationals for the IOM.

I have been Race Officer for numerous events at Birkenhead and at other National and Ranking events around the country, where I am usually assisted by my wife Judith. I am a member of the MYA Race Regulations Team and assisted in the delivery of Race Team training in 2018. I am also the PRO for The 10R and M Nationals in 2019 and their World Championships in 2020 in West Kirby.

I started model yachting in 1973 by joining Bournville, were I sailed vane from then to now.

I became a 6m Registrar in the late 1980’s and an A Class Registrar in the 1990’s.

Working with Martin Mickleburgh in 1995/96 we restructured the MYA Year Book into current format.

In the late 1980’s with others, formed the 6m Owner’s Association (OA) and started radio sailing of 6m’s in late 1980’s with Mike Ewart and Bill Akers.

Working alongside David Cooke in 1992, we updated the 1994 A Class Rules which were agreed worldwide.

In 2012 I became the Midland District Councillor and was MYA Racing Officer from 2013 – 2016. I returned as Midland District Councillor in 2018.

Owner of SailWinch UK.
Committee Member of Bournville RS & PBC.

I moved back from Malta 7 years ago. Whilst there, I had my own Yacht Charter and delivery Business, and was the Secretary of the Malta Model Boat Association.

On return to the UK, I almost immediately took over as Secretary of Norwich MYC. and have been instrumental in lifting the profile of the club, which now holds National Ranking and National Championship Events.

I was elected to position of  Sailing Secretary for the Eastern District in 2017 then Eastern District Councillor in 2018.

I sail IOMs, Marbleheads  and 6M

Information to follow

My passion for model yachting began at a very early age, whilst on family holidays at Fleetwood. My first Marblehead was purchased from Fleetwood in 1970 for the princely sum of £20. I joined Bournville in May 1971 and have remained in continuous membership since.

Through the years I have been involved with a variety of roles at club, district and national level. On the sailing side I have been fortunate to win six individual national championships and one team championship plus, been PRO for a number of nationals.

Having sailed all classes over the years, my favourite yachts are the six metres. Along with my fascination for modern designs of all types, I have a keen interest in preserving heritage yachts.

I am married, with three daughters. I am mechanical, electrical, and an electronic engineer who eventually became a training officer and trainer. I then found that I could make the personal computer work wonders and became a database specialist.

I started my ‘modelling’ life at school with static ‘solids’ of aircraft before moving on to build small boats including a series of tiny jet powered hydroplanes. During my apprenticeship at Vauxhall Motors I took up building and racing slot cars, including rewinding tiny electric motors. Later I moved to small powered boats specialising for a while on ‘fast electrics’. It was during that time, in the 1970s, that I got into radio sailing with a ‘575’, becoming a UK Champion for a while before taking on a ‘class’ yacht in the form of a ‘Sea Horse’ Marblehead. I built and raced several Marbleheads, ending with a swing rigged, carbon, ‘No Secret’ named Hemlock. I assembled, from Ian Cole mouldings, my Six Metre ‘Red Dwarf’ and was part of the radio revival of the class in the 1990s when we used to match race them – something I really loved. I was in at the beginning of the I0M class and still have yacht registered No 7 – it only needs the radio gear reinstalling to go on the water again. During my sailing time I maintained a regular column on ‘small yachts’ in the Model Boats magazine, offering help to beginners and reporting on events from club level up to World Championships – all from a competitor’s point of view.

Work and family commitments caused me to drop out of radio sailing for around fifteen years before being persuaded by my family to return with the acquisition of Terry Rench’s Fraktal. I have since relaunched ‘Red Dwarf’ as well as taking on a DF95 and now a RG65, another yacht that I find a real joy to sail. I have rejoined Two Islands RYC, of which I was a founder member in the last century, and hold the position of club Race Officer.

My election to Trustee of the MYA is the second time I have been on the ‘Council’, having been Midland District Representative, League Secretary, and – for a short time in the beginning – I0M Registrar.