Free Sailing (free-sailing) model boats on Spreckles Lake, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco...

Even before radio control came into the picture folks were racing model sailboats. At first, in the 1890's or so, they were controlled simply by making adjustments prior to each launch. But then, after the turn of the century, different wind-vane steering mechanisms entered the hobby, through the Braine Gear, the Vane Gear of Nathanael Herreshoff in 1875, and even fancier interpretations since then.

Super popular in the 1930's, it is so very cool that this sport is still supported here. Still relatively popular in the UK, In the United States there are very few Free Sailing spots remaining. Go check out the San Francisco Model Yacht Club! There are many different boating options at the club. For the rest of you, please consider joining just to support this amazing location...

San Francisco Model Yacht Club: https://www.sfmyc.org

American Model Yachting Association: https://www.theamya.org

Find out more information on free-sailing from the US Vintage Model Yacht Group: https://usvmyg.org/history/free-sailing/ (information above was taken from this article)

Recreation and Activities at Golden State Park: https://sfrecpark.org/1111/Recreation...

Commercial (?) website with additional information about the park: https://goldengatepark.com/model-yach...

Spreckles Lake Wiki page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprecke...