THE BOAT BATTLES AT BRANDYWINE BAY – You’ve seen them or perhaps heard them—that high-pitched buzzing, roaring sound coming at you from the waters of Brandywine Bay some random Sunday. If you’d looked to the western end of the bay you’ll have seen a cluster of trucks, a couple of tents and, if you’re lucky, some fast-moving blurs on the water.

This is the BVI radio controlled racing group: a tight world of 20 or so participants who race their scale-model boats over short courses for not much more than bragging rights. The boats themselves are built by the racers at a cost of up to $1,000 or more. It’s exciting racing with intense rivalries. Boats flip over with the slightest provocation. The smallest swell can seem like a 10-foot wave to a regular boat, and the turns they take are at high-G levels. They run on gasoline and achieve speeds of up to 80 MPH or more.

Check them out at www.hispeedracing.net.