Pond Yachts

Genesis

Some refer to them as 'little boats' and others, as "RC's' or remote controlled. Either way they are the Independence Fleet at PYC. It all began in 2007 when a model boat-building class was organized over the winter. The class met on the second floor of the (chilly) Junior Clubhouse. Under the watchful eyes of our in house master shipwright, a fleet of ten 43-inch boats (about one-sixteenth the size of a "real" yacht) were constructed.

Today the fleet numbers 29 and holds two yearly regattas, the Tide Mill Challenge and the Hoyt O. Perry Independence Regatta, and is a sanctioned AMYA class administered by the Independence Yacht Class-Owners Association.

“ These PYC model yachts, it seems, were intended just to test the fun factor in sailing. Can one enjoy the same range of thrills watching and remotely controlling a 40-foot boat as one can on the foredeck or in the cockpit of a real boat? Testing is ongoing.” Pequot Pilot, May, 2008"