Model boats can be found throughout history from Egypt to China. One of the oldest “model sailing ships” is a 4000 year old clay boat originally discovered in the old Mesopotamia region and now preserved at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. (source; Wikipedia)

Vane controlled sailing started over a hundred years ago at the beginning of the 20th century. A gadget, called the “Vane”, is controlled by the wind and it in turn keeps the steering (rudder) and sails in their correct position to sail across a pond. It is similar to the idea of a “cruise control” in modern cars. This was a very popular way to race model yachts up until the advent of modern radio controls. Vane sailing is still popular in some places across the world.

From the 1960’s, radio control sailing became possible with the development of portable transmitters and receivers. This was a great leap forward for model yachts and the modern 2.4GHz radio control units have excellent range and reliability.