2016 Videlo Globe at Frensham Pond Sailing Club

Racing Footys is a great deal of fun, because they are lightweight, incredibly nippy, can turn on a sixpence and are marvellously responsive, weighing only about the same as a jar of marmalade! Sometimes quick reactions can cause the odd collision, but competitors know this and enjoy the immediate response of correction with a quick penalty turn. The amount of fun generated by this class is inversely proportional to its size!

A dozen Footy competitors from all over the country descended on Frensham Pond for an open meeting in fresh and variable south-easterly and later easterly winds. Although it was sunny it was cold, particularly for those who were sailing in the Lark and Phantom dinghy class open meetings and capsized. The radio sailors did not have that problem, but these little 1 foot long boats were struggling for control in the strong gusty conditions and were down on their smallest rigs in the strengthening afternoon breeze. Such is the reliability of modern radio equipment that there were very few retirements in the 16 races completed.

By the end of the afternoon there were quite large waves and as the boats bobbed up and down in one collision before the start Mike Ewart's rig clashed with David Wilkinson's rig and pulled it right out of the boat!

In this event there was always good competition to be found and there were many tight battles at both ends of the Footy fleet. Initially the honours were shared between David Wilkinson sailing his ICE and Peter Shepherd sailing his FAT BOY SLIM with four wins each, but at lunchtime Peter Jackson was top of the leaderboard with a score of 20 ahead of Peter Shepherd 23 and David 26.

All this was to change in the afternoon as the icy wind blew stronger and more steadily parallel to the control area shoreline giving a true beat and run in big waves round the sausage shaped course with a windward mark, spacer and leeward gate. In these conditions and with his smallest rig Peter Shepherd was unbeatable with a run of seven wins. Peter Jackson continued to be consistent, but a run of seven seconds was not enough to beat his clubmate!

At the prize-giving Peter Shepherd was presented with the beautifully made timber globe trophy and thanked Race Officers Roger Stollery, Bryan Stichbury and the FPSC Model Yacht Group for running another good event. He hoped that next year the entry would be even bigger. Even at this event the Footys had more entries than either of the dinghy open meetings and of course the radio sailors got more racing!

The Novice Trophy presented to the top skipper who has not finished one of these open meetings on the podium, was presented to Sid Sims, who sailed well throughout the event to finish sixth and was seen going downwind at an astonishing speed in the big waves. His boat, like the winner's had a beautifully made balsa hull powered by a lightweight swing rig with 3 mm carbon spars and bin bag sails.

Results:
1st Peter Shepherd Abington Park Fat Boy Slim 19,  2nd Peter Jackson Abington Park F Plan 27,  3rd John Burgoine Birmingham Ice 42,  4th David Wilkinson Cotswold Ice 45,  5th Mike Ewart Two Islands Ice 52, 6th Sid Sims Birmingham Fat boy Slim 82,  7th Keith Parrott Frensham Pond Ice 82,  8th Graham Whitehead Frensham Pond Ice 93,  9th Frank Wood Frensham Pond Ice 95,  10th Steve Hill Frensham Pond Supabug 103, 11th Colin Robertson Charne Ice 135,  12th Mike Hyland Portsmouth Carbon Footprint 168.