Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Five hours behind us time-wise, the forty-two crews at the 2019 Fireball World Championships hosted by Pointe Claire Yacht Club are still sleeping after a lay-day and what has been a light-wind regatta thus far writes Cormac Bradley.

Facebook reports suggest that Pointe Claire have been excellent hosts, but Mother Nature has been less generous in bestowing wind on the regatta, though by all accounts that is about to change for the last two days of the event, today, Thursday and tomorrow.

The event has attracted a good international attendance with American, Australian, Belgian, British, Czech Republic, French, Irish (1), South African and Swiss visitors as well as a host of Canadians.

Race wins have been shared equally between Heather McFarlane & Chris Payne (AUS 15152) [Race 4 & 6], Ian Dobson & Richard Wagstaff (GBR 15161) [Race 1 & 5] and the Swiss combination of Claude Mermod & Ruedi Moser (SUI 14799) [Race 2 & 3].

The nett effect of these race wins and additional scores is that the Aussies lead the regatta with six races completed by a single point from the Brits with the Swiss a further five points adrift. However, in terms of international détente, the United Nations would be delighted to see a single boat from each of five different countries occupying the top spots in the regatta as France occupied fourth place with Ludovic Collin & Remy Theuillier (FRA 14917), counting two seconds as their best scores, and the Czech Republic taking fifth overall, in the form of Martin Kubovy & Roman Rocek (CZE 15019) with best race finishes of third and fourth and a clatter of seventh places.

Our own Frank Miller and Ed Butler are not finding the light stuff to their liking and a BFD in the first race was not an ideal start. However, they are showing (slightly unwelcome) consistency as their finishes are in a tight range of three places, 27th to 29th. They will enjoy the forecasted stronger breezes of the last two days.

Other well-known Fireball characters at the regatta are; International FI Commodore, Christina Haerdi (SUI 14859) sitting in 8th overall, Derian and Andy Scott (GBR 14941) in 7th, Debbie Kirkby (CAN14766) in 12th, Ben Schulz (AUS 15113) in 15th “Monsieur Cantona” (FRA 14959) in 16th and hosts Joe Jospe and Tom Egli (CAN 15113) in 17th. Stronger winds over the last two days will suit many of these individuals and their respective crews.