Kayaking in Asia

Just like most other R/C hobbies, such as trains, cars or planes, remote control boats transcend a simple love of boats but instead embody the childhood dreams of those who make and use these miniatures. A popular way to enjoy remote control boats is by racing the models. Model boat racing is an intense activity, which requires skill, quick reflexes and a near-obsession with speed.

R/C boat racing is, perhaps, surprisingly organized; complete with a (partially) international federation, which has set rules and organizes events. NAMBA, or the North American Model Boat Association, is the largest association of its kind. NAMBA has 20 districts within the United States and Canada , which organize local events for model boat racers.

A second major organization for the sport is the International Model Power Boat Association, or IMPBA, which was organized before NAMBA was formed. The International Model Power Boat Association rules were actually copied by NAMBA when that organization was formed. Interestingly, the International Model Power Boat Association and the North American Model Boat Association primarily serve the same area – the United States and Canada .

When you compete in an event, either in the IMPBA or in NAMBA, you compete against other boats in your class, providing for a fair race. The classes are determined by the overall design of the boat as well as propellant as both have a considerable effect on the ships speed.

Events organized by these two organizations follow oval tracks with buoys marking turns. For sprint boats, short, straight, tracks are used.

If you prefer the slower pace of sailboat, racing there is also an association which organizes events specifically for wind-powered boats. Radio controlled sailboat events are governed by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF), the same organization that governs full-scale sailing races. The rules for R/C boats are identical in every way to their full-scale counter parts (the only difference is a special section specifically for R/C events).

The ISAF recognizes four classes of sailing ships which can be used in events, the smallest being the ‘International One Meter.’ Just as its name suggests, boats are restricted to being 1,000mm long. To keep costs down, hulls must be comprised of wood or fiberglass. This allows for very competitive home building of boats.

The second class is the International Marblehead. Slightly larger than an International 1 Meter , this class’s maximum length is 1,290mm with a maximum draught of 700mm. The two larger classes are the International 10 Rater and the International A class, which is the largest class of r/c sailboats.

Finally, for those who enjoy building fast, agile, ships and have a (perhaps unnatural) love affair with destruction, there is a competition designed for you. Though combat-style involves no racing, it requires the same level of concentration found in racing events. These model boats are specifically designed for easy repair after they have been sunk by competitors. Their hulls are balsa wood so projectiles may easily penetrate the boats while projectile speeds are kept at a safe level.

In Nepal there are hundreds of rafting companies littering the streets of Thamel and Pokhara, but how know which company and more importantly which guide to go with? Once you are on the water, your guide is the most important part of the package so it’s not a decision you want to make lightly and often cheapest isn’t always the best, especially when it comes to your safety.

While being a raft guide can be a lot of fun there’s a lot more to it than dosing around on a beach, shouting the occasional command down the raft and keeping the clients entertained. To be a good and safe raft guide can take years of experience, and even then it can still be unpredictable as the rivers are different every time you run them. When choosing who to go rafting with make sure that you have a chat with the people taking you down the river. Find out what qualifications they have, where they have worked and how long the have been rafting. As their river experience is the most valuable asset you will have once on the river.

In Nepal, the qualifications to look for are WRT (whitewater rescue technician), SRT and of course First Aid and CPR (and make sure they carry a decent medical kit). Although qualifications are of course important, you can’t put a price on local river knowledge and the experience the guides have running these rivers. Many of the guides in Nepal have grown up alongside these rivers so have in depth knowledge of them.

Your guide will basically be your new best friend on the trip! They will be responsible for getting you to the river, getting the raft sorted out, giving you safety instructions, teaching you to raft (if beginners), getting you down the river in a fun and safe way, getting the camp and food sorted and generally keeping you entertained (and alive!) over the course of your trip. So it is very important that you chose a guide that you trust.

Also, make sure the company you book with have safety kayakers, no matter which river you run or how experienced you are it is always a good idea to have them there as a back up. Ask the company what their safety to raft ratio is. It is also a good idea to ask a few questions about the equipment you will be using, for instance how new is the raft? Are they self-bailing? What transport will we be using? Do I need to rent any additional equipment for the trip, e.g. sleeping bags? At least with all these covered you should be pretty safe.

Recently there has been a big push in Nepal to get local women into rafting and kayaking. Ask your agency whether they hire women as this is a great way to promote equal rights in Nepal and is giving women throughout the country a great push to get out there and it adventure sports ago.

Generally when you meet with these companies you will get a feel whether you can trust them or not. The best way to choose a company is to get a recommendation from someone who has just been rafting. But most importantly make sure you are comfortable with who you choose and hopefully you’ll end up having one of the best experiences of your life!

GRG’s is a rafting company based in Thamel, Nepal and makes it their policy only to use experienced raft guides, male or female and has safety kayakers on all of their trips. (in fact their motto is ‘safety first!’). For more information have a look at their website on http://www.grgadventurekayaking.com or to meet the guides before you book a trip please feel free to email on info@grgadventurekayaking.com or drop by the office for some chiya!

If you’re interested in sailing in the UK at all, you’ve probably heard of the RYA or Royal Yachting Association. Founded in 1875 as the Yacht Racing Association, the name was changed in 1953 to better reflect the number of watersports that they govern, from sailing and windsurfing to personal watercraft, powerboat and sports boat racing.

In addition to governing these water sports, the RYA offers educational courses. The sailing courses are many and varied.

They offer courses in windsurfing and personal watercraft, for example. Sailing courses include small boat sailing, sail cruising, powerboating and motorcruising. (Powerboats are powerful boats used for speed, for towing waterboarders and waterskiiers. Motorcruising is a term for boats that are built to cruise long distances, not meant for speed alone).

Courses for day skipper are offered. What is a day skipper, you ask? Contrary to the name, it is a person qualified to skipper a craft day or night. Such skippers are familiar with the tides, have docking and navigation skills, and are familiar with all safety guidelines and regulations.

The courses also include an Inland Waterways helmsman’s course, which enables people not only to cruise through the inland waterways of the UK, but also the lakes, rivers and canals of Europe as well…which is an excellent way of getting up close and personal with the areas one is visiting.

All types of watersports are fun, but piloting sailboats and powered craft are also extremely complex, requiring a lot of knowledge, and the place to gain that knowledge is the RYA, and the RYA courses which are designed to teach their students everything they need to know to be a safe and competent sailor.

For many years now there have been different kinds of racing games coming out for people to play. People like to play car racing games the most, but there are many other kinds of racing and driving games out there. Some of these include motorcycle racing, four-wheeler racing, boat racing, wave-runner racing, etc.

When people play car racing games they are able to relate with that experience well because most people drive real cars more than they do real motorcycles or wave runners. This makes people feel like they can connect to the game because they are able to visualize the real-life experience. Generally speaking, you cannot take your real car and cruise down the high-way at 150 mph. That would obviously be against the law and it is not safe. Car racing games and other fast-paced games allow people to experience this side of driving a vehicle that they cannot in real life. This is one of the main reasons people choose to play racing games.

There are even some driving games that you can play where you are being chased by the police. This law-defying simulation experience also allows people to taste what it might be like to run from the police in a high-speed chase. People play car racing games because of the experiences that those kinds of simulations can give them while at the same time creating a risk-free scenario.

Today, people like to play car racing games more than ever because of the advancements in the graphics. Some games are so realistic that they can create an almost life-like feeling for the people playing them. Some kinds of games are not meant to be life-like, but racing games, especially car racing games, are more popular when they can come as close as possible to looking and feeling like the real thing. Some racing games will even have motors that vibrate the controller when the car on the screen hits a wall or another car etc. This also adds to the effect of making it feel like the real thing.

In order for people to play car racing games and get the most out of them, they should look for the games that can make them feel like they are really inside a real car while playing. Some car racing games will create a “camera” view where you drive the car by looking at the car from the outside. This is a fun way to do it, but the more realistic view is from inside the car behind the steering wheel, looking out the windshield. This view will really add to the perception of realness.