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 scheduled.
