Imagine watching a unique, classic radio-controlled sailboat glide effortlessly across the water, its lines perfect, its sails catching the breeze. Such a vessel may not be from a box but a builder’s dedicated hands and dream that began in an ocean far away.
Once upon a time, in 1952, Champ Rogers was born on a beautiful sunny island called Anguilla. Imagine beaches with sand like sugar and water so blue it sparkled! Champ’s granddad lived there, too, and he was famous for building big, strong fishing boats. Champ always said he got special “boat-building magic” passed down from his granddad.
Champ’s dream.
When Champ was 11, his family packed their bags and moved from their sunny island to a new country – the United States! It was a big adventure.
Growing up, he joined the U.S. Army to help his new country. He worked on a very special, big ship that floated on the ocean, far, far away, near a place called Vietnam. This ship was like a giant floating workshop for helicopters! While he was out there, looking at the waves, now an Army chief, Champ started dreaming, but he wasn’t dreaming of big fishing boats like his granddad built. He dreamed of small, beautiful sailboats, the kind you can sail with remote control, like a toy car, but for the water!
Guess what? Champ never stopped dreaming about those little boats. When he came home, he started building them! He used makeshift tools, scavenger materials and careful hands. He built boat after boat, making so many lovely little sailboats over the years.
And even now, after all this time, Champ is still following that dream. He’s been working on his most special R/C sailboat for the past six months. He didn’t just buy it; he designed it himself, cut the tiny pieces of wood, put them all together, painted it beautifully, figured out all the little lines (rigging), and even used a needle and thread to sew the tiny sails himself!
He took a dream that started long ago on a big warship far away and, piece by piece, is making it real in his workshop. This shows that if you have a dream and you work hard, you can build something wonderful.
With the spring winds, we have had some fantastic racing recently! It’s great when there is such close competition and many boats participating. Having minimal rules while respecting basic right-of-way calls like “starboard” is a good balance for friendly yet competitive sailing. It’s a bonus that collisions are usually harmless! Races are every Sunday and Wednesday at noon.
Contact Gene Mangold by voice or text at 772-678-5101 or Bernie Bossert at 816-678-3817.
Author: Gene Mangold
