used to be rather heavy by model yacht standards. Among the racing fraternity, one of the great points of discussion currently is between the lighter, narrower Footys advocated mostly by Brett McCormack and Angus Richardson on the one hand and the wide, heavy "All-American Muscle Footy" popular in the United States. One novelty of the class, which may well spread to others, is the McCormack rig. This is a single-sail rig in which the mast is allowed to bend sideways at its base to enable to boat to cope with gusts of wind without being overpowered. This allows more sail to be carried in light weather and eases the concentration requirements on the skipper when it blows. Footys are suitable for construction by virtually anyone. Because of their small size they place a high premium on sailing ability as opposed to Star Wars technology. and no-one should feel themselves ruled out by lack of funds. For example, the well-known BUG design by Roger Stollery can be built largely from scrap materials for about £5 + radio gear (2 channel transmitter, receiver and 2 servos can be bought for around £40 and can be used in other models). Footys are very often designed and built by their owners. However, for those with less time or confidence, there is an increasing range of high-quality kits on the market such as the 507 footy from Australia and the Kittywake from the US. Racing Because of the origins of the class – spread out across the world and largely spread by the Internet – racing in Footys was slow to take off: the boats were simply too far apart. The first revolution came when Ian Hull-Brown of New Zealand proposed and designed the “Internet Course”. This is in essence an easily made standard race course that allows boats anywhere in the world to run time trials against one another. Initially, the idea was widely applauded but found little practical application. Late in 2006, Brett McCormack proposed a format in which owners would submit their best times within a fixed period (say a month) to give a worldwide champion for the month. The first New Zealand Postal Classic was run in April 2007. Despite some errors of organisation from which the class associate feels it has learned a great deal, this event attracted some 33 entries. Further events using slightly different formats are continuously being