Thomas Smith Group is supporting the Malta Model Boat Association Open National Championship for the fourth consecutive year.

The annual IOM Open Invitation, which will be held between March 17 and 20 at the Mellieħa Bay Hotel, is set to attract the participation of over 40 entries from all over Europe, including UK, Netherlands, Ireland, Norway, Germany, Belgium, France, Italy and Turkey.

Malta will be represented by 12 skippers who will race their one-metre remote-controlled yachts.

The event was first run in 1997 and has been an annual event ever since, with the exception of 2001 to 2004.

One-metre remotely-controlled sailing yachts are the most common type of radio controlled sailing among hobbyists around the world. The one metre long sailboats can reach speeds of 19kph.