Irish Fireball Sailing Dinghy News & Regatta Results
Andy Thompson of East Antrim BC is “Sailor of the Month (Worlds)” for February
1st March 2024 Sailor of the Month
We’ve become accustomed to veteran dinghy racing superstar Andy Thompson of Larne suddenly emerging into the spotlight again at some world championship, and he has already made his annual mark for 2024 by brilliantly crewing for Tom Gillard at Geelong…
Fireball sailors Tom Gillard of England and Andy Thompson of East Antrim Boat Club in Northern Ireland have been crowned World Champions at the 2024 Fireball Worlds in Geelong, Australia. The duo sailed a near-perfect regatta, rarely falling outside the…
Fireball duo Tom Gillard from Sheffield and Andy Thompson from East Antrim Boat Club in Northern Ireland will take a seven-point lead into the final two races of the 2024 Fireball Worlds in Geelong tomorrow as they look to be…
British Team Dominates Challenging Fifth and Sixth Championship Races at 2024 Fireball Worlds
14th February 2024 Fireball
The fifth and sixth championship races of the 2024 Fireball Worlds were held on what was supposed to be a lay day, in switchy and gusty southerly winds. The conditions were challenging, with big shifts, big gusts, and some of…
Fireball Worlds Day Three Blown Out as Sailors Get Set to Sail on Lay Day
13th February 2024 Fireball
The third day of the 2024 Fireball Worlds in Geelong, Australia, has been blown out after a lengthy wait on shore that ultimately ended with a decision to make up the races on tomorrow’s lay day. Sailors were met with…
The 2024 Fireball Worlds is shaping up to be one for the ages, with a mix of light and heavy conditions on the second day, and the results so far offer no clear premonitions at this early stage. Even after…
Chris Bateman of Cork Harbour is “Sailor of the Month (Dinghies)” for December
1st January 2024 Sailor of the Month
Former junior champion Chris Bateman is a top sailor who leads by example and inspiration. Having decided that the ever-young Fireball is the answer for junior and adult dinghy sailors who don’t want to go down the cheque-book route to…
Growing Fireball Dinghy Fleet Enjoys Pre-Christmas Blast at Monkstown Bay
24th December 2023 Monkstown Bay Sailing Club
Day three of the December Fireball Frostbite League was held on Saturday, the 23rd, on Monkstown Bay in Cork Harbour in glorious winter sailing conditions. A beautiful sunrise set the tone for the morning's racing. The bay was awash with golden light…
The recent Irish Fireball Association agm was a lively affair as the class discussed two thorny issues and reconfirmed its commitment to younger sailors. First, the thorny stuff - there was a lively, sometimes heated discussion around the decision not…
On November 11th Saturday last, the Fireball resurgence continued in Cork as a Frostbite league raced on the waters of Monkstown Bay. With the class continuing to blossom in Cork, Six competing Fireballs arrived for the second day of a…
Viking Marine DMYC Frostbites to Kick Off This Sunday Despite Challenging Wind Forecast
5th November 2023 DMYC
The Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club (DMYC) is looking forward to the kick-off of this winter’s dinghy Frostbite Series sponsored by Viking Marine in Dun Laoghaire this Sunday afternoon (5 November), with the wind forecast to provide a challenging afternoon.…
The scheduled start of the DMYC-hosted Viking Marine-sponsored Frostbites for 2023/24 is just over a week away and yet, to date, there is a very modest entry of boats. Indeed, the numbers entered thus far would represent a poor turnout…
A Great Week of Racing for National Yacht Club Sailors in 29ers, Fireballs and Flying Fifteens
27th October 2023 National YC
At home... Last weekend provided plenty of action on the back of a stormy Friday, with many club sailors enjoying a great weekend of training and racing. Fireballs blast along on Dublin Bay at the end of season regatta The…
Such has been the upswing in enthusiasm for Fireball sailing that despite completing the full suite of scheduled events for 2023, there was a significant view that a further event would be well received. Fortunately, Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club…
Andy Thompson is "Sailor of the Month (Dinghies)" for September
1st October 2023 Sailor of the Month
For the second year in a row, East Antrim Boat Club top crewman Andy Thompson hit the sailing headlines by winning a major Fireball dinghy title with ace UK helmsman Tom Gillard. In 2022, Gillard and Thompson scooped the world…
Gillard and Thompson Will Defend World Fireball Title in Geelong, Australia
23rd September 2023 Fireball
Current Fireball World and European Champions, Tom Gillard, and Andy Thompson of Larne in Country Antrim will defend their World title in Geelong, Australia, next year. "We have several Irish competitors entered, and after a strong showing by the Irish…
