2024 Footy National Championship and Junior Championship with the Videlo Globe at Frensham Pond
by Roger Stollery 24 Apr 10:14 BST
21 April 2024
This event was run in conjunction with an open meeting for Phantom dinghies and club racing, with the Footys racing off the lee shore in what were huge waves to these 1 foot long racing boats. The wind was blowing harder than forecast and was bitterly cold, but that did not deter eight competitors, who had travelled from as far as Birmingham to enjoy the 17 races on the windward/leeward course.
Most selected the second smallest rig D, except Oliver Stollery who broke the mast as a result of the collision in Race 1 and had to use the his smallest swing rig E, just a foot high off the deck. John Burgoine also didn't finish that race as his rig C was just too big for the wind conditions and the big waves, which made it impossible to sail the course.
Peter Jackson with his diagonally measured light and narrow F PLAN design with an offset pivot una rig won Races 1 & 3, but as the heavier gusts came through suffered from being over-canvassed. The measured wind speed was 12 to 18, but the vicious gusts exceeded 20 mph.
Peter Stollery, who had never raced a Footy before and had borrowed his son Nathan's ICE AGE 4 won Race 2, which was the start of the dominance of the event, winning 11 races.
However he was challenged hard by IOM specialist, Nick Royse, who also races a Phantom dinghy, and had borrowed Race Officer Roger Stollery's IC. This featured a special Dave Hollom fin and was the fastest boat to windward, but was caught out by being unable to round the windward mark with the same skill as Peter Stollery, but was very consistent with 8 second places.
Tacking was difficult unless you tacked on top of the wave and John Haine found that wearing round by gybing from one tack to another was a quicker and more certain method, because of the amazing manoeuvrability of these short and wide Footys. All the ICEs enjoyed the runs because the powerful bow threw spray everywhere and looked very impressive.
Other race winners included experienced Footy sailor, Keith Parrott with two wins and Oliver with two wins achieved by changing up to C rig in the later races when the gusts were not so strong. They finished with the same score, but Keith broke the tie by winning more 2nd places.
Everyone was pleased to finish and get inside the clubhouse to warm up for the prize-giving and the famous Frensham Pond Sailing Club tea with a delicious spread of sandwiches, cakes and buns.
At the prize-giving RO Roger thanked the competitors for supporting the event and the Radio Sailing Group race team for setting up and helping to run the racing. In turn he was thanked by the prizewinners for running a good Championship.
Charles Smith received a special last prize, and then gave a tribute to John Cadenhead, who died quite recently, for bringing over the first Footys from New Zealand and starting the class off in the UK 22 years ago. He explained some of the rather crude technology in an earlier design that he had brought to show how far the class had developed into superb racing machines.
Results:
1st Peter Stollery, Guildford MYC, ICE 18 - Champion's Trophy & Videlo Globe
2nd Nick Royse, Frensham RSG, IC 38
3rd Peter Jackson, Holloway SC, F Plan 39
4th Keith Parrott, Frensham RSG, ICE 49
5th Oliver Stollery, Guildford MYC, ICE 49 - Junior Champion's Trophy
6th John Haine, Frensham RSG, ICE 71
7th Charles Smith, Frensham RSG, FAT BOY SLIM 98
8th John Burgoine, Birmingham, SLIM 122
About the class:
The swing rigs are amazingly simple with bin bag sails supported on 3 mm carbon & wire spars all of which is self balancing which apart from the jib boom angle has only one key adjustment: a bowsie on the top of the jib halyard.
Sportsmanship is always good in this class because of the ease of doing penalty turns which are done willingly by competitors. Footys are regarded as the fastest boats in the world as they have been timed doing three 360° penalty turns in under 10 seconds!