Southwold Model Yacht Regattas (SMYR) is model yacht

Model yachting

Model yachting is the pastime of building and racing model yachts. It has always been customary for ship-builders to make a miniature model of the vessel under construction, which is in every respect a copy of the original on a small scale, whether steamship or sailing ship...

 racing club based in the town of Southwold

Southwold

Southwold is a town on the North Sea coast, in the Waveney district of the English county of Suffolk. It is located on the North Sea coast at the mouth of the River Blyth within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The town is around south of Lowestoft and north-east...

, Suffolk, UK.

SMYR was formed in 1894 and the Southwold Regatta has been held every year (except war years) since. The event is open to all, but radio-controlled boats are prohibited. There are various types of competitions testing both speed and accuracy with handicaps for more skilled sailors. Some of the boats entered are up to 80 years old and include replicas of the old Beach Yawls. The model yacht pond used for the regattas is located at North Beach is managed by the Club with members carrying out much of the maintenance (with some assistance and financial support from Waveney

Waveney

Waveney is a local government district in Suffolk, England, named after the River Waveney that forms its north-west border. The district council is based in Lowestoft, the major settlement in Waveney, which is the only unparished area in the district...

District Council).

Regattas

The Regattas are structured and usually last either half a day or a whole day. Competitions are held during spring and summer months with the largest, the Annual Regatta, being held at the end of the summer. The regular races normally involve about 6 or 7 boats starting from equally spaced positions. Boats vary in length between 15" and 36"; they race in 3 different classes - A, B and C (from longest to shortest).