On Saturday the 25^th of July nineteen skippers gathered at Frensham Pond for the 2009 Footy Championships. The weather started light, looked as if it might remain light, indeed that was the forecast, but there was thunder in the air and a front not too far away. Now, were operating the two rig rule and here was a guessing game. In the end some opted for the big rig chancing a later thunder storm, and others for the medium rig convinced that it would blow.

Well it did and it didn’t. Sometimes it gusted up and the big riggers grew nervous, sometimes it fell away and the medium rig skippers were a littler envious. In the end both were probably right. At around 3.45 the sky clouded over ominously and the first splatter of rain stopped play with fifteen races in the bag.

Rob Vice sailing a new Stollery AWK, could hardly be caught and finished with a score of 17 points from 15 races; Richard Alford drove his own home built yellow Footloose to second place, and Charles Smith sailed in to third with Rogers Stollery’s earlier Ant design, fitted with a rather different electronics package. Several other new boats were on the water including Gary Sanderson’s beautifully finished lightweight, and Andy Trewin produced the most amazing series of rigs for us all to see.

The races were very competitive, to the full RRS, but in the best sporting spirit. Hayley Vice deservedly took the new Colts Foot trophy for young skippers and Lockie Vice sailed wonderfully well. Hayley was also to take the prize for the most courteous behaviour on the water.Ten year old Mim Roche did several of the tougher downwind legs for her grandfather (with much better results!)

Frensham provided tea for everyone, prizes for every competitor and a very well deserved bottle of whisky for Roger Stollery who ran the racing throughout with great understanding of the Footy Class and much encouragement for the slower skippers. He was backed by a the same first class Frensham team that put on the Frensham open earlier in the year.

(place, name, club, design, score)
1^st Rob Vice Guildford ‘AWK’ 13,
2^nd Richard Alford Southwater Dabblers ‘FOOTLOOSE’ 37,
3^rd Charles Smith Frensham Pond ‘ANT’ 59,
4^th David Hawkins Frensham Pond ‘AWK’ 69,
5^th Geoff Sutton Frensham Pond ‘BUG 3’ 70,
6^th Paul Midgley Guildford ‘GER’ 82,
7^th Gordon Edmondson Woking ‘AWK’ 87,
8^th David Wilkinson Cotswold ‘IAMBUS’ 89,
9^th Nick Burden Southwater Dabblers ‘HOTFOOT’ 102,
10^th John Cadenhead Southwater  Dabblers ‘MICRON’ 102,
11^th Hayley Vice Guildford ‘ANT’ 136,
12^th Gary  Sanderson Colwyn Bay ‘MONGOOSE’ 137,
13^th Bill Letten Hove Lagoon ‘MICRON’ 158,
14^th John Birnie Gloucester ‘ZEPHYR’ 160,
15^TH Lawrence Hartley Clevedon ‘507’ 174,
16^TH Lockie Vice Guildford ‘BUG 3’ 194,
17^th Andy Trewin Clevedon ‘K2’ 209,
18^th Don Videlo Frensham Pond ‘BUG 3’ 237,
19^th Mark Collyer Tri Forces ‘ANT’ 242.

The 2009 Footy Class Championships (UK)