Footy boats at Guildford: Fred's Big Toephy

February 3rd 2008

Photos by Gary Sanderson
Click to enlarge

Little boats on a huge lake in a strong breeze gave testing conditions the eleven sailors, who travelled from all over the country to the first of the 2008 UK Footy open meetings at GMYC's Abbey Meads Lake near Thorpe Park, Chertsey on 3rd February 2008. The 12-20 mph southerly winds with sharp gusts up to 25 mph built up big waves for these one foot long open class boats weighing just over a pound. Remarkably most were able to put up amazingly good performances both up and downwind. With the boats being so light, tacking could be difficult particularly in the gusts, but gybing round provided a perfect alternative for these highly manoeuvrable boats.

SIxteen races were sailed, initially over a triangle and sausage course, but later PRO Martin Crysell shortened this to a simple upwind and downwind course, parallel to the operating bank. There was plenty of close racing and lots of lead changing, as the big waves, the gusts and lulls sometimes slowed windward progress or led to broaching off the wind.

Race 1 was won by GMYC Commodore Paul Midgley sailing a hard chine swing rigged 'BUG', to a basic MYA plan, with 8 year-old Cameron Vice in 2nd place sailing a conventionally rigged '12 INCH', which is the MYA chine kit boat he won at last year's Footy Championship. Race 2 was won by Michael Van Der Peet sailing the ultra lightweight narrow MOONSHADOW design, using a McCormack balanced una rig, which uses torsion in the mast support to flex and reduce gust impact on the boat so that the rig heels before the boat!

The next two races were the start of Roger Stollery's dominance of the top two places with his powerful beamy double chine ANT design powered by a simple swing rig and lightweight polythene double surface sails. However he didn't have it all his own way as Races 5 and 6 were won by Gary Sanderson with his round bilged DUCK design also powered by the flexible balanced una rig and double luff Argos bags! The fleet always made a colourful sight!

After lunch all boats were going better as skippers learned how to get the best out of their tiny lightweight boats both in the strongest winds and in the lulls with the big waves. However, Roger only lost three of the next 10 races letting Gary win Race 11, Paul Midgley Race 14 and Cameron Vice the last race.

A beautiful, unusual and appropriate perpetual 'Toephy' especially designed and carved by Fred Shepherd, the Guildford Club's top skipper of the 1960s, was presented to the winner and was received with much delight, amusement and admiration.

Photos by Rob Vice and Mark Mortimore
Click to enlarge
Results:

1st Roger Stollery Guildford ANT 17, 2nd Gary Sanderson Colwyn Bay THE DUCK 31, 3rd Paul Midgley Guildford BUG 34, 4th Cameron Vice Guildford '12 INCH' 39, 5th Michael Van Der Peet Colwyn Bay MOONSHADOW 92, 6th Phil Broszek Guildford '12 INCH' 92, 7th Mark Mortimore Guildford ANT 139, 8th Andrew Halstead Colwyn Bay RAZOR 145, 9th Russell Potts Vintage Group PIP SQUEAK 144, 10th Charles Smith Frensham Pond BUG 156, Andrew Truett Clevedon Five-O-Seven 156.

Report by Roger Stollery