PRO Martin Crysell set a simple windward/leeward course with a leeward gate including 3 beats. Initially there was a decent breeze, but the forecast 6 or 7 mph southerly wind parallel to the control bank did not materialise. The conservative choice of rig selected at registration made sure that if anything, the racing was more fun, with close battles being fought in a sporting manner throughout the fleet. New skipper to Footy racing, Gordon Edmondson enjoyed being able to beat the best on occasion. David Wilkinson was delighted to have a competitive boat, a new superbly made balsa ‘PAPAYA III’ design, after having failed to complete a single race in the previous two light weather Footy events. Finished the night before and launched at the event it was placed 4th and included 3 podium places.
The front of the fleet was dominated by Rob Vice sailing a new 5 plank chine ‘AWK’ design, which set a new standard by winning 13 races. He did not have it all his own way as in Races 2 and 5 he was beaten by Roger Stollery sailing his ‘ANT’ after tight covering battles close to the finishing line.
There was considerable interest in the two new designs, as both benefited from the removal of the AA battery restriction in the revised Class Rule, allowing boats to be of lighter displacement. German Mario Stiller’s hard chine ‘PAPAYA III’ displaced 325 grams boat with 150 grams of ballast. Despite the fact that the boat looked very boxy with hardly any rocker or plan curve and a submerged transom, it went remarkably well with a small balanced Una rig.
The other new boat was more predictable being a development of Roger Stollery’s Swing Rigged ‘ANT’, which dominated last season’s results. The hull and sails are still made from re-cycled Corex, insulation tape and freezer bags, but with thinner foils and AAA batteries it is 100 grams lighter at 500 grams with the same 275 gram ballast.
Results
1st Rob Vice Clapham ‘AWK’ 13, 2nd Roger Stollery Guildford ‘ANT’ 24, 3rd Richard Alford Southwater Dabblers ‘FOOTLOOSE’ 53, 4th David Wilkinson Cotswold ‘PAPAYA III’ 53, 5th Gary Sanderson Colwyn Bay ‘Duck’ 61, 6th Trevor Thomas Derby ‘MISTRALLETTE’ 63, 7th Gordon Edmondson Woking ‘GER’ 84, 8th Andy Trewin Clevedon ‘KITTIWAKE’ 84, 9th Charles Smith Frensham Pond ‘ANT’ 101, 10th Geoff Sutton Frensham Pond ‘BUG’ 114.