Victoria Lake in Hagley Park was created in 1897 - and yacht club members have been racing their models on it ever since.
The challenges facing those early model yachties were much the same as those facing today's enthusiasts - the wind and the lake weed.
Reading the wind and its fickle shifts continues to be an ongoing challenge for both novice and experienced model yachtie, while the problem with lake weed has been partially overcome by the creation of the Canterbury J Class model yacht.
President of the Canterbury J Class Owners Association Rodney Ford says most of the members of the yacht club have been boat or dinghy owners who like a good race.
He says whenever there are two boats on the water, there's a race on.
By John Spurdle
Public Interest Journalism Fund
