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How to Use This Website

The website has a scrolling ‘news feed’ of items (see below) listed in date order, most recent first. You might prefer to access information from the general list of topics shown under “Categories” which appear to the right or beneath the ‘news feed’ depending on what device you are using. There is also a “search bar” facility, plus you can subscribe by email. If you’d like a demonstration sail, please click the Trial Sail item on the main menu bar above.

Radio Sailing Transmitter Manuals – on pdf Printouts or their own websites….?

Our 2025 pdf downloadable transmitter manuals for Radio Sailing Beginners have so far been popular. As I write, the Beginners Guide to programming the Radiomaster has been downloaded 1,075 times in a bit under a year. Doesn’t sound like many? Well according to AI there are only around 19,000 radio sailors in the World. Makes you think.

To upgrade the Datchet Radio Sailing manuals to include some really sexy radio sailing transmitter ideas, we built a website for each brand – we have Radiomaster, Futaba and Spektrum Manuals online now.

If you haven’t seen them, look for the button saying “RADIOS” on the menu (bar or button) of this Club website.

Naturally we thought the websites would sort of take over the popularity. Then something else unexpected happened – the number pdf downloads of the Beginner Manuals actually accelerated and increased.

Consequently now we’re wondering if the websites need to have pdf downloadable versions of their content. Perhaps readers prefer a repined manual to work from.

It wouldn’t take long to do. Let us know what you think!!

Radiomaster Shimmering Winch …??

On Radiomaster, quite a few of us at Datchet notice a little shimmering on the mainsheet winch… a little shiver or judder. You can feel it best with your fingertip on top of the winch drum screw. It doesn’t seem to present any issues while sailing, but it would be nice to get rid of it. It happens not when sheeted right in or out, but is there in the centre on the mainsheet travel.

Our man in Australia says to try replacing our ceramic antenna ERC receivers with an ER6. NB has done this on the VISS.

However, this weekend, PH suggested he has found the answer by setting the Transmitter packet rate from the original 500/sec to 333/sec.

Very easy to do. Go to the ExpressLRS button of your transmitter system page.

Just access your ExpressLRS button on the Transmitter software to see where you adjust the PacketTransmission Rate.

You can see the field you need to change in this blocked are of the photo. Try that on “333 Full” and see what you get.

I’ve tried this on an ER5Ci receiver with a TX15 this morning. I’d swear my shimmering winch is reduced, but sadly not completely eliminated. It might be specific to the TX15 – we just don’t know yet.

Sunday M Racing – “A Bit of a Day”…!!

(Photo – Graham and Phil run their F6s downwind)

We had six members in today, though two were on Worlds Team GBR IOM Training. I must say, they were simply fabulous to watch. Extremely close, tweaking their way to performance. Great.

If you bring your IOM, you obviously cannot race your `Marblehead !! That left four of us. Chris had phoned to say the Ramsgate weather forecast looked horrid and he couldn’t face the two hour drive each way in the rain !! Dave L called in but didn’t seem to be sailing – but great to see him!!

In the region, the morning was indeed rainy horrid, but Datchet was in a little micro climate of its own – we were on B Rigs (good choice) and pretty much the rain dried up by the end of the bacon rolls and tea session. There were supposed to be some 30mph gusts around, and sure enough as we were in for lunch the sun shone through and up the breeze went – sizeable waves too. Then by the end of Kit Kat bars, it subsided and IOM training continued.

So we had some breezy parts. Seven races I think. Richard lost his rudder post inside the hull which caused some spectacular goings on. You’d be surprised how much water a Marblehead can take in and still float. Saved by our alert Commodore suddenly shouting, “that boat is coming in right NOW…” There was gallons aboard. So Dr Hetem has said Marblehead in surgery as I type. Dr H’s managed to trip over a post and do a spectacular parachute type body-roll mid race… resulting in his TX battery pack popping loose. While GH sorted the battery, RJ – with his buoyancy aid invisible beneath his Rooster Robe obviously – had to nip out on the far end of the pontoon to sort the boat out. That left our Sailing Secretary HM, to suddenly lose control in a blowy bit – rudder all wonky. It drifted gently down to the Clubhouse – amazingly on-target at the main pontoon. This turned out to be a connector at the receiver and the rudder was fine!! On top of all that, NB lost his IOM jib tack (long story) just before lunch – and chose a blowy moment for that too. ….So a bit of a day.!!

Our IOM Team GBR heroes hard at it below….Congrats to NB for winning the DF95s at Chipstead yesterday !! Good for the Acersail stats!!