Our History
Rugeley Model Boat Club (RMBC)
In advance of the closure of the RPSMC, the club searched for an alternative location in late 2016. Some fifteen venues in the area were visited and considered, and at that time, only one was deemed suitable, so the Club moved and re-established itself to be affiliated with Manor Park Sailing Club at the large river-fed lakes at Kings Bromley -within sight of the Power Station cooling towers.
Note that when we decided to move to Manor Park, the Aldridge Model Boat Club had NOT been formed and they only started building it's jetties suitable for scale model launching etc. in early 2018. Mind you, they suffer with serious weed problems and have to suspend sailing in hot weather! in contrast Manor Park being River fed doesn't get a weed problem.
Although we still have access to a modern club house, toilets, galley and lakeside patio, unfortunately there is no alcohol licence and no food available. We now meet Monday afternoons, but because the lakes are so large, we can really sail anytime and not bother anybody. We officially changed our name in 2017, preferring to drop the Power Station association bit, and adding Boat as we rarely now use land models or helicopters etc - it's nearly all boats.
Our new lake is SUPERB for model yachting, with good access, excellent clear water and large enough to almost always get wind! It is regarded as one of the better MYA lakes in the UK, so there is another model yacht club on the site, see link on left of this page, as Manor Park Radio Sailing Club (MPRSC). They sail much more expensive model yachts from a seperate clubhouse on the site, usually Wednesday and Sunday mornings, and keep to the official rules of MYA and RYA when racing! They are MYA affiliated and members compete in both National and International events, hosting some events at Kings Bromley. We are good neighbours, and share a rescue boat.
Sailing of RMBC scale models is more limited, and having more open water than previously at Rugeley, it is very dependant on the weather, but we do have suitable launching areas for models, and allocate specific days for scale models. See our Timetable.
We remain a small friendly club who just enjoy sailing, without too many rules - we sail for fun. Our yacht sailing took on a new dimension in 2019 when we started to include the popular DragonFlite 95 yachts - more expensive to buy than the Victoria, but a beautifully balanced yacht for sailing in most weather conditions.
We still get a lot of enjoyment out of our weekly sailing meets, keep our "business meetings" to a minimum, and maintain the spirit of the original club - it is alive and well and thriving - So much so that we held a memorable Queen's Platinum Jublilee Regatta in June 2022 and you can see more of that day by clicking the link on the left. Our eternal thanks must go back to those founding members who had the foresight to start this most enjoyable club.
