Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

#FIREBALL – Bright sunshine greeted the Fireball Frostbite fleet in Dun Laoghaire yesterday and combined with 8-12 knots of breeze, it allowed the fleet to race outside the harbour for the first time this year.

Thirteen boats took to the water and Kenny Rumball & Dave Moran led from start to finish in a five-lap race that incorporated a separate weather mark for the Fireball fleet.

A “deep” first reach that kept the chasing bunch high allowed the wily fox that is Neil Colin, sailing with Margaret Casey, to outsmart everyone bar Rumball/Moran and get to the first gybe mark in 2^nd place. Colin/Casey conceded another place to John Chambers to occupy third and this order remained for 2 laps before Noel Butler got wound up to stage a recovery, overtaking Colin/Casey on the third beat.

Late on Alaistair Court & Gordon Syme and Mick Creighton & Paul McDermott also got through with Court/Syme getting fourth on the last leeward mark, followed by Creighton/McDermott.

It was a day of snakes and ladders on a course that had holes of no-wind, à la Puma in the Volvo Ocean race in China, and big shifts resulting in a lot of place changing.

The all-girl team of Cariosa Power & Marie Barry had an excellent last beat to get into 7^th, followed by Frank Cassidy & John Hudson.

With seven races completed and a single discard in play, the overall standings show that there is competition to be had between 1^st and 2^nd, separated by a point and 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th, separated by four points, with a single point between 3^rd and 4^th.

The Frostbite Mugs were won by Mick Creighton and Paul McDermott who finished in 5^th place.