At the end of every season there is always speculation about who will be buying new boats and what new combinations will be sailing together the following season. The advent of a World Championships heightens that speculation and with the Fireball Worlds scheduled for June 2011 in Sligo, the Irish fleet were the beneficiaries of this fevered activity writes Cormac Bradley.

At the close of the 2010 season the word was that there would be at least one new boat coming into Ireland for 2011. Ironically, the speculation about these individuals' plans has not been resolved because they are not partcipants in the Dun Laoghaire Frostbite Series, coming as they do from the northern side of the Liffey.

Then the word was out of first one and then two new boats, both coming to Dun Laoghaire. Both have now arrived to Stephen Oram and Kenny Rumball respectively. Kenny's boat is still in dry storage (as advised as recently as last Sunday, 1oth April), but Stephen's boat has already taken to the water. Both boats will have numbers around the 15060 mark, as I have seen a photo of 15057 at the Dinghy Exhibition in London in March.

Both boats will be sailed by new combinations. Stephen Oram teamed up with Noel Butler for the Frostbite Series which they won, despite significant on the water competition from Rumball and others. However, it seems the partnership will extend into the 2011 summer season and the Worlds in June. Seamus Moore announced his (premature) retirement from Fireballs after the Barbados Worlds to go running on a serious basis and among his achievements was completing the New York marathon. However, by the time of the 2010 Fireball Nationals, in Baltimore, he was teamed up with Kenny Rumball to finish 2nd overall and they saw out the season in Dunmore East and the Munsters Championships, which they won.

In addition to being very competitive in the Frostbites, the pair were going afloat early on Sunday mornings to get more time on the water. Thus it would appear that they are an "item" for the Sligo Worlds.

Therefore, as the eve of the 2011 regatta season approaches, these two are at the leading edge of the domestic fleet. There are other more established partnerships that will also contest Sligo, Owen Laverty & Ed Butler (Snr), Frank Miller & Grattan Donnelly, Andy Boyle & Brian Flahive among others but none of these have been able to consistently knock Butler/Oram or Rumball/Moore off the winning path.

Over the winter, the most successful Irish Fireballer internationally, outside the aforementioned, in recent times, Francis Rowan, has been conspicuous by his absence. Francis, sailing with red-hot talent from the UK, Tom Gillard (2010 European Champion), was placed third at the 2009 Fireball Europeans in La Rochelle, winning one race, and was placed inside the top ten at the Worlds the following week, again winning a race. To date there isn't a whisper of Francis' 2011 plans.

The domestic season kicked off last weekend, 9/10th April, with Silver Fleet training in Killaloe, organised by Neil Colin. This weekend coming (15/16th April) we have another training weekend with Adam Bowers at the Royal St. George Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire. Adam is the perennial coach to the British Cadet Class and has coached Olympic aspirants in the 470 Class. He is based in Weymouth, the venue for the 2012 Olympic Regatta which gives his proteges a distinct advantage in the 2012 qualification process. This will be Adam's fourth visit to these shores for training Irish Fireballers and last year's format of coaching at an active regatta, the Leinsters in Howth, was enormously successful. The first regatta of the season will follow shortly therefater, the Leinsters, hosted by Carlingford Sailing Club on the southern shores of Carlingford Lough on 7/8 May. Ex-Fireball Chairman, Ian O'Gorman is the organiser of the event in one of the country's most picturesque locations within very easy driving distance of the greater Dubln area.

Thera are no regattas planned in advance of the Worlds but there will be a reconnaisance in Sligo over the weekend of 21/22 May where we will be joined by Tim Rush of North Sails. This is a revised plan that brings together what was going to be a training weekend by Tim in Dun Laoghaire and a separate visit to Sligo. The absence of regattas is to afford people time for their own individual plans for getting up to speed for Sligo. In a separate assessment of Irish chances at the Sligo Worlds, Noel Butler speculated that two Irish combinations could get into the top 20 in Sligo. At this stage, Butler/Oram and Rumball/Moore would appear to be the leading candidates for those two slots, but the other Irish combinations will be doing their best to upset that particular "applecart" but in a friendly way!

Forty entries are already in for Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta, a fixture widely expected to be the biggest in Ireland this season when it sets sail on Dublin Bay in July.

Organisers are expecting up to 500 boats to keep it on a par with the 2009 event. The early entries, 11 weeks ahead of the entry deadline, is being taken as a thumbs up by competitors for the fun and vlaue theme of this year's VDLR.

So far 22 different clubs have entered from six countries. The bulk of the fleet is Irish but there are early entries from France, Isle of Man, UK, Wales and Northern Ireland. Another good turnout is exepcted from Liverpool and Holyhead for boats competing in the IRC Lyver Cup Race across the Irish Sea. Ten boats from the Clyde will also compete on the Bay.

Cork's Conor Phelan the skipper of Jump Juice is one of the first Royal Cork boats confirmed.

Two handed IRC racing makes its debut in July's Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta organisers have also confirmed. Click HERE.

On the dinghy front, the Fireball class has confirmed it will be running an'Open Championship' within the regatta, an event that follows the class world championships in Sligo in June.

Stena Line have confirmed their commitment to the discounted ferry fare scheme for entrants to the 2011 Fireball Worlds in Sligo Yacht Club from across the Irish Sea. Stena generously put in place a similar scheme for 2010 that allowed Irish Fireballers to get to the UK to collect the boats from Barbados and to contest the Fireball Europeans in the Czech Republic.

The scheme will only apply to the crossing of the Irish Sea, with the exception of the Fleetwood – Larne route, and regrettably will not apply to the routes from mainland Europe as Stena operates these in conjunction with other parties.

Access to the preferential fares will be via a dedicated website, using an event code and specific booking information all of which will be provided by the Irish Fireball Association once Stena Line have confirmed their fare structure for the 2011 season.

The website is www.stenaline.ie/event and the booking information will consist of specific words and a dedicated event number.

The only condition attached to this offer is that participants must be able to confirm their entry to the Worlds in documentary form at their ports of departure and arrival, otherwise additional charges will be levied.

 

The Fireball World Championships come to Sligo Yacht Club next June and the West Coast club has been gearing up for what looks certain to be the biggest dinghy event here in 2011. Have a look at this short web commercial (SCROLL DOWN FOR VID) which tells you all you need to know about what to expect in one of Ireland's most scenic and - from the sailor's point of view - challenging locations.

As predicted the wind Gods had nothing to offer the Fireball fleet assembled in Pavlov, Czech Republic for their Class Europeans on the final day of sailing last Friday. They waited until the cut-off of 13:50 local time but nothing of substance emerged. That meant that the results as they stood last Thursday remained. The entry was 49 boats with GBR, IRL, SLO, SUI, BEL, GER, CZE, FRA, NAM represented. Fireball's next international event will be the Worlds in Sligo in June 2011.

1. Tom Gillard and Sam Brearey 15041 GBR
2. Tom Jeffcoate and Andy Thompson 15045 GBR
3. Jaroslav Werner and Pavel Winkler CZE 14809.
17. Louis Smyth and Cormac Bradley IRL 15007

 

 

 

Day three of the Fireball Europeans in the Czech Republic saw three races completed in a relatively steady 16 - 18 knots sailing writes Cormac Bradley. Yet again British combinations cleaned up with Jeffcoate/Thompson taking two wins to Gillard/Brearey's one. The consequence of that is that with the first discard kicking in, the former close to a point of the latter. Werner/Winkler are a further 2 points adrift in 3rd. Martin Kubovy (15019) drops to fourth. Rush/Lewis rise to 5th after 7,3,7 today. Germans Nolle/Leemann (14508) are in 8th, Eva Skorepova is 12th and Peculier/Novel (FRA 15015) are 13th. And the Irish? A 22,15,25, the last result the consequence of a capsize, get them back into the top 20 to lie 19th overall.
The wind blew down the dam today making for more comfortable coditions but it was no picnic! We are sailing in temperatures of 10 degrees and today's session was 5hrs long. This evening sees the mid-week party in Hotel Pavlov - a sponsor of the event. A barbecue is promised - I can see us huddled around the fire for heat! Or maybe the band, the Fireballs, will reinvigorate us!

31 Fireballs contested the last domestic regatta of the season at one of the Class' favourite locations Dunmore East. Included in the entry was Brian O'Neill from Strangford Lough, currently the northern representative of the fleet, Michael Ennis another northern recruit to the class, sailing with Class Treasurer, Marie Barry. One of the newest members of the Class, Luke Malcolm, sailing with Shane Divney, out of Howth, in 14790 also made the trip. Another welcome participant was Ciaran Harken, crewed by Walter Walsh.

All the usual suspects were there, Messrs Butler, Rumball, Laverty, Bracken, McGrottys (x2), Miller, Smyth, Colin and Oram together with some that we haven't seen so much of this season - Rowan, Hickey, Court and Boyle.

Speculation was rife on the Friday evening with both Met Eireann and the locals promising breeze for the weekend. The question was how much breeze?

Three races were sailed on Saturday in wind that started off around the 13/14 knot mark and built progressively as the day progressed. Two Olympic courses were set for Races 1 & 2, with Simon McGrotty & Ruairi Grimes making an early declaration of their intent with a commanding first place in Race 1, carrying on where they left off in Howth at the Leinsters. Local man Michael Murphy, crewed by Alex Voye came second, with Francis Rowan & Conor Clany 3rd. Unusally, Rumball/Moran were back in 8th with Butler/McCarthy inan equally unusual place of 4th.

Race 2 saw a more normalised finishing order with Rumball/Moran, Murphy/Voye, Clancy/Rowan the first three home, followed by Butler/McCarthy, McGrotty/Grimes & Laverty/Butler. McGrotty/Grimes were in the running for most of the race but a capsize undid their quest for a place in the 1-2-3. However, by this stage the wind had come up and the capsize count was increasing. Finishers were down to 22 boats as prolonged capsizes and the growing breeze led some people to call it quits.

A windward/leeward race was set for Race 3 and completed on the water but was subsequently protested out on a procedural error by the race management team. And so the fleet was ashore early as the conditions dictated that a fourth race would be questionable.

The Class AGM took place at 18:30 on the Saturday evening followed by an exceptionally good meal in the clubhouse and the usual post-mortems on the day's proceedings. The Sea Area forecast at midnight on Saturday night did not offer much relief for the fleet and the seascape on the Sunday morning wasn't altogether inviting.

With only two races completed, the race management team decided to run two windward/leeward course closer to shore and of shorter length to try and get a four race series completed so that the fleet would have the benefit of a discard. The wind speed indicator on the committee boat was showing 16-18 knot as the course was being set and the fleet flew down to the start area in steep seas that had been thrown up by an ebbing tide pushing out against the opposing breeze. Still spinnakers were flying as the fleet made their way downwind to the start. Saturday had seen spectacular reaches on the Olympic courses, today would see equally spectacular surfing conditions.

With two races in the bag, Murphy/Voye had four points, McGrotty/Grimes had 6, Butler/McCarthy 8 and Rumball/Moran 9.

A very fast W/L race saw a 1-2-3 of Butler/McCarthy, Murphy/Voye & Rumball/Moran. McGrotty/Grimes had being doing well but another capsize saw them relegated to 5th. Laverty/Butler were as consistent as ever with a fourth.

With all races counting, Murphy/Voye were still leading with 6pts, Butler/McCarthy were 2nd with 9pts, McGrotty/Grimes had 11pts & Rumball/Moran were on 12.

By this stage the wind was starting to creep up a couple of knots and with the tide about to turn the expectation was that the seas would subside a bit. Unfortunately the number of starters was down to 15 at this stage. Again the conditions were exhilarting downwind and the ability to stay upright was a key factor to getting a significant finish. Rumball/Moran upped their performance to take a comfortable win on the line, followed home by Butler/McCarthy, and McGrotty/Grimes. Murphy/Voye sailed their worst race to score a 4th, which effectively cost them the overall title.

This left Rumball/Moran as the 2010 Munsters Champions with Murphy/Voye in 2nd place, followed by Butler/McCarthy.

In the Silver fleet, newcomers Luke Malcolm and Shane Divney won with a 22, 12, 12, 7 series which saw them in 11th place overall. Luke sailed the Leinsters in a borrowed Fireball and has since purchased hos own Fireball and this was his first outing in a competitive regatta - bodes well for the future. Second in the Silver fleet was Ciaran Harken and walet Walsh (13th overall), with Cearbhailldaly & Martina Michels third.

This was a physically challenging regatta and easily had the strongest wind conditions we have had this season. Not since Lough Neagh in 2009 have we had quite so much breeze. However, at the start of the weekend it was great to see so many Fireballs on the water, 31, our highest entry for the year.

The AGM was a constructive affair with a lot of comment on how we manage our domestic season next year with a World Championships down for decision in Sligo in the second half of June. Attempts to get regatta dates pencilled in that bit earlier in the light of the June dates haven't been altogether successful and Saturday night's meeting probably means we are going to have to put our thinking caps on again. There was no real change in the committee structure, Siobhan Hayes has stood down as Silver Fleet Class Captain after a number of years in the post and will be succeeded by Barry MacDevitt. We have also lost the services of Daire McNally & Marguerite O'Rourke who have/will be relocating away from Ireland and we thank all three of them for their services while they were on the committee. The bulk of the committee have indicated their willingness to continue and the Class Captains at Club level will be resolved in the next few weeks as they have their own meetings.

The focus of Fireball sailing now moves onto the Frostbites which will be starting in October.

 

Kenny Rumball and David Moran made the most of strong winds and big seas sailing to win the Fireball Munster Championships in a last race decider at Dunmore East this afternoon. In a series that was cut to just four races because of strong winds the Royal St. George pair scored an 8,1,3,1 from locals Michael Murphy and Andrew Voye counting 2,2,2,4 after a single discard. Third was national champions Noel Butler and Shane McCarthy.  Today's tow races were sailed as two short windward-leeward courses. 31 competed.

Fireball Munsters, Dunmore East

1 K Rumball & D Moran RStGYC. 2.M Murphy & A Voye WHSC. 3. N Butler & S McCarthy DMYC.
Silver Fleet. 1. L Malcolm & S Divney Howth. 2. C Harken & W Walsh. 3. C Daly & M Michels Coal Harbour. Cormac

 

24 Fireballs made up the numbers that contested the 2010 Irish Fireball Nationals, hosted by Baltimore Sailing Club over the last weekend of August. 23 visitors and one local boat sailed a nine-race series that went down to the outcome of the last race.

In a regatta where the winner's enclosure was dominated by two combinations, Noel Butler and Brian Flahive and Kenny Rumball and Seamus Moore, nobody else got a look in and the outcome of the regatta was determined on the last race result. Both combinations suffered a DSQ, Butler/Flahive on a black flag and Rumball/Moore on a protest, but in each instance the other combination got the first place on the scorecard.

Butler/Flahive's second place in Race 9 was enough to give them a one-point margin over Rumball/Moore in the overall points count after the second discard kicked in.

The regatta also highlighted the need for greater vigilance on the paperwork issues of class membership and sail measurement which the Class Association will have to address in revised regatta documentation.

Baltimore's Race Officer, and Rear-Commodore, David O'Brien must have a direct contact with the wind Gods because over the three days of the event there was something for everyone. Friday was light and somewhat fickle and saw three races completed after an initial delay to let the wind fill in. Saturday saw four races sailed in good trapezing conditions that left the fleet tired but satisfied. Sunday saw the final two races completed in wind that had gone up a notch in the wind strength gauge. Crews were seen adjusting their rigs as the breeze built during the morning.

Butler/Flahive took three bullets on the Friday only to have the middle race consigned to a black flag infringement. They weren't the only transgressors as almost every successful start was conducted using "El Negro" leaving a sprinkling of DSQs across the fleet scorecard. Some people managed to acquire two infringements of this type. Rumball/Moore had a quieter start to proceedings picking up a 7, 1, 3, which allowed them to lead the regatta overnight.

John Downey/Jon O'Dowd scored two top-ten finishes making the regular fleet sit up and take notice as they are a combination we haven't seen before and they were sailing a borrowed boat. Bryan Byrne & Cillian McGee also scored two top ten results. Byrne is normally at the less blunt end of a Fireball, but showed that he is no slouch when he exchanged a tiller for a jib-sheet. But for consistency, Mike Murphy and Alex Voye, the latter just back from Commodore's Cup duty, picked up second prize for the day and the commensurate slot in the overall standings.

Day 1: Close of play.

1. Kenny Rumball & Seamus Moore – 11pts.
2. Michael Murphy & Alex Voye – 13pts
3. John Downey & Jon O'Dowd – 21pts.

In the Silver fleet, Cearbhall Daly & Martina Michels led, followed by Jim Ryan & Pat Culloo, with Emma Geary/Jack Hogan and Brian O'Neill/Owen Synnott tied in third.

Others to have a good first day were Mick Creighton/Conor Kinsella (2nd & 4th), Louise McKenna & Hermine O'Keeffe (4th & 7th), Michael Ennis/Marie Barry (3rd & 9th), Frank Miller/Grattan Donnelly (7th & 8th) and John Dunne/Jon Evans (5th & 10th).

The fleet ate in Baltimore on the Friday night enjoying glorious late August weather and beers "al-fresco".

Saturday belonged to Rumball/Moore who dominated proceedings on the water with 4 bullets. They would later lose one of these to the aforementioned protest. Butler/Flahive kept the pressure on with a 7,2,1,2 but they admitted that in the stronger breeze they were at a disadvantage, Flahive's 71kg not having the same effect as Moore's bigger leverage. Creighton/Kinsella consolidated their good first day with four top ten finishes, 6, 6, 4, 5, while Neil Colin & Margaret Casey got back to their normal position in the fleet with four top ten results, including a 2nd in Race 4. Ennis/Barry continued where they left off with three more top ten results. Geary/Hogan also built on their foundation from Friday to show that when they breeze was up they could still compete, three top ten results showing their pedigree.

Stephen Oram & Cormac Bradley had a better second day with a 5th in Race 6, two 11th and a tenth. A black flag infringement on day 1 skewed Niall McGrotty's scorecard on Friday but on Saturday he and his crew Robert Mahon came back with a 5, 7 and 8. The 24th entry to the event, Messrs Harken and Walsh joined us on the Saturday.

The close of racing on Saturday saw the running order as follows;

Gold. Silver.
1. Butler & Flahive – 13pts. Geary & Hogan – 66pts.
2. Rumball & Moore – 14pts. Daly/Michels – 97pts.
3. Downey & O'Dowd – 36pts O'Neill/Synnott – 98pts.

The fleet enjoyed a sit down dinner in the club on Saturday evening before adjourning, once again, to the delights of beer drinking in the village square.

Sunday saw the weather forecast correct for the third day in a row with stiffer winds greeting the competitors as they rigged. Race Officer David O'Brien was able to get the racing underway punctually again. Butler took the first race of the day with Downey second and Rumball third. Creighton slipped off the pace with a 12th which for some neutral observers seemed to spell the end of his challenge for a podium finish. Murphy/Voye continued their good form with a 4th and Byrne got a fifth to stay in contention for a low place finish overall. Colin/Casey came unstuck with a black flag, while Laverty/Butler continued their run of very low scores that had begun in race 5.

Race 9 saw Murphy/Voye lead the charge to the first weather mark and onward round the first triangular lap. They would eventually finish 3rd to Rumball who won again and Butler who finished second. Creighton pulled out a 5th place to re-ignite his challenge for a podium finish and Laverty/Butler continued to undo the damage of two black flags earlier in the regatta to finish 4th.

Thus Butler/Flahive took the regatta with a single point margin from Rumball/Moore with Creighton/Kinsella in third overall. In the Silver fleet, the local heroes won with the visitors, Daly/Michels (Dublin) and O'Neill/Synott (Belfast/Dublin) in third overall.

1st Noel Butler & Brian Flahive 1 DSQ 1 7 2 1 2 1 2 10
2nd Kenny Rumball & Seamus Moore 7 1 3 1 1 DSQ 1 3 1 11
3rd Mick Creighton & Conor Kinsella 2 4 15 6 6 4 5 12 5 32

Silver
14th Emma Geary & Jack Hogan 18 10 20 8 5 15 10 16 14 78
18th Cearbhall Daly & Martina Michels 10 6 19 14 22 21 20 19 16 104
19th Brian O'Neill & Owen Synott 19 18 11 19 19 17 14 DSQ 15 113

The final regatta of the Irish domestic regatta scene is in Dunmore East under the burgee of Waterford Harbour Sailing Club, a favoured venue of the fleet, over the weekend of 18/19 September.

With the absentees from the Nationals back in the saddle for September, and our new recruits to the fleet who have contested single regattas also in place, this promises to be a mega-fleet to conclude the regatta schedule.

Noel Butler and Shane McCarthy lived up to their pre-event billing as favourites for the Fireball Leinster Championship at Howth YC this weekend. The National Champions ended up eight points clear in the 20 boat sailing fleet. The southside pairing has already won the Open Championship at Killaloe and the Ulsters at East Down this season. Second was Kenneth Rumball and David Moran of the Royal St.George. Full results below:

HOWTH YACHT CLUB. FIREBALL LEINSTERS (O'ALL) 18/07/2010 Fireball: 1, Noel Butler/Shane MacCarthy DMYC (5.00); 2, Kenneth Rumball/David Moran RStGYC (13.00); 3, Simon McGrotty/Ruairi Grimes SSC (13.00); 4, Mike Murphy/Alex Voye GBC (14.00); 5, Ed Butler/ RStGYC (16.00)

Photos from Gareth Craig on the Afloat Gallery HERE.