WATCH: Ready, set, sail in this remote regatta

• Seven skippers battled it out in downtown Kelowna
• Many are captains of both RC and full-sized ships
• Next chance to watch racing is in July

They say when the winds get shifty, the shifty sailors do well.

And for decorated RC sailboat skipper, Mike Wagstaff, that meant it was time to show off his decades of skills.

“I’ve been playing some of the breezes a little bit backwards and forwards,” he told Kelowna10. “Luckily, I’ve been doing reasonably well today, it’s been good.”

Good enough for first place, at least, at Saturday’s Spring Regatta.

Seven skippers battled it out over 18 races at Tugboat Beach in downtown Kelowna for the Okanagan Model Sailboat Association’s first major race of the year.

The day drew swaths of curious crowds, so much so that one cyclist collided with a lampstand and crashed, Wagstaff noted in a post regatta report. Thankfully, the rider rode away with nothing more than a bruised ego.

Normally, the RC sailors gather on Sunday and Wednesday afternoons, but for four regattas each year, competition takes centre stage on Saturday.

The winds were a bit stronger in the earlier part of the day, but around noon, some clouds rolled in, muting the breeze. Since these boats are solely powered by mother nature, no wind can really slow things down. Nonetheless, the skippers sailed on.

Similar to normal-sized sailboats, racing rules are enforced to keep things fair.

“Everything on these sailboats is exactly the same as a big sailboat that you’ll see racing out on the lake here from the Kelowna Yacht Club,” Wagstaff said. “Somebody can learn sailing on one of these boats and then translate it into a bigger sailboat without any problem.”

Wagstaff has been a real sailor for almost his entire life but wasn’t able to commit to owning a boat or being a crew member due to his travels for work. So, he got into model sailboats and hasn’t looked back.

“That was back in 2005 and I’ve been doing it and enjoying it a lot since then,” he explained. “I’ve been to, over the years, ten national championships down in the United States, and that’s when it’s very intense.”

One fellow sailor - both model and full-sized - said she bought her husband one of the RC boats a few years ago for his 50th birthday and decided to join in on the action.

“When I’m sailing, your focus is on sailing and nothing else, it’s just so relaxing,” Wendy Jolly said.

However, when it’s time to compete in the regatta, Jolly said relaxation can turn into stress as she goes head-to-head against her competitors.

“I’m out here to kick some butt,” she said. “When I first saw my competitors and they were all over the age of 60 or 70, I’m like ‘oh, I got this’. But no, I don’t got this, these guys are good,” she explained.

Jolly’s skills secured her third place on the day. All results are available here.