# FiREBALL – As the report that precedes this one suggested, the penultimate day of the Fireball Worlds in Mandurah saw a duel in the sun and waves between the young British combination Tom Gillard and Sam Brearey and the Australians Robin Inns and Joel Coultas. The Y&Y registered report for the day advises that these two broke away from the rest of the fleet and match-raced each other around both courses today (Friday). The breeze for the day was healthy and generated big swells with both the weather mark and the gybe mark providing fun and games for all. It seems that even past champions Chips Howarth and Vyv Townend found the conditions challenging and were out-gybed by their younger rivals. The report also indicated that the time Messrs Gillard and Brearey spent in the gym, before their departure for Australia, paid dividends today.

Despite a score card for the day that reflects two wins, it seems that the lead in both races changed hands a number of times between the Aussies and the Brits. The Brits took the honours for the day but Inns and Coultas took the next best set with 2 x 2nd places.

Ben Schulz and Phillip Bowley had their best day to date scoring a 5th and a 3rd to allow themselves a spot in the overall top ten, albeit in tenth place. Martin Lewis and Richard Byne scored a fourth in the day's second race which, with a seventh in Race 7, sees them hold a 4pt advantage over Howarth & Townend and 6th place overall.

Allison/Watson had the best day of the three boats tied on 24pts behind Gillard/Brearey & Inns/Coultas. Their points tally for the day was 12pts (4th & 8th) allowing them to open a 3pt gap on Heywood/Littedike & Wade/Saxton who both scored 15pts on the day – a 6th and a 9th each – in different races.........obviously!

Fireball Worlds, Mandurah, Western Australia.

Top 10 Overall & Selected Others

Eight Races completed, Single Discard.

1 Gillard & Brearey (GBR) 1 4 2 6 1 2 1 1 12pts

2 Inns & Coultas (AUS) 5 3 1 2 8 1 2 2 16pts

3 Allison & Watson(AUS) 8 2 4 4 6 21 4 8 36pts

4 Heywood & Littledike (AUS) 7 1 3 7 17 6 6 9 39pts

5 Wade & Saxton (GBR) 3 6 11 5 5 5 9 6 39pts

6 Lewis & Byne (GBR) 12 13 9 1 4 4 7 4 41pts

7 Howarth & Townend (GBR) 6 9 12 3 2 10 3 16 45pts

8 Kubovy & Winkler (CZE) 14 7 10 9 3 3 15 10 56pts

9 Gordon & Fletcher (AUS) 2 8 13 13 7 13 10 7 60pts

10 Schulz & Bowley (AUS) 9 11 8 18 13 11 5 3 60pts

13 Goacher & Thorne (GBR) 11 16 7 65 16 7 13 13 83pts

14 Scott & Scott (GBR) 15 36 5 8 14 9 16 19 86pts

17 Jospe & Egli (CAN) 22 23 16 16 12 12 36 14 115pts

18 McFarlane & Payne (AUS) 13 15 23 12 25 17 18 18 116pts

23 Moser & Nouel (SUI/FRA0 17 20 27 22 29 15 39 31 161pts

As this report is being written, the crews in Mandurah are only 3½hrs away from the first (scheduled) start of the final day's racing. With a four-point cushion, Tom & Sam may be on the cusp of securing their first World title, but the evidence of the regatta to date is that Robin & Joel will push them all the way!

#FIREBALL – Another two races, 5 & 6, were sailed in the Fireball Worlds in Mandurah today, with the end result that the order of the top five changed. The report on the Yachts and Yachting website describes the wind as being very shifty 10 – 15 knots, ESE which locals claim would result in big shifts………and this proved to be the case. With a sixth race completed, the first discard kicks in and the consequence of a good day on the water, plus the discard, sees GBR’s Tom Gillard and Sam Brearey take a 2pt lead into the lay-day. They scored a 1-2 on the water today while their closest opposition, Robin Inns and Joel Coultas scored a 8-1.

These two will continue the challenge for overall honours into the final day of sailing while behind them the next three teams are locked on 24pts each. John Heywood & Brett Littledike, Greg Allison & Richard Watson and Dave wade & Tim Saxton will have everything to fight for on the last day.

Thus the ratio of the top five stays as was, 3:2 in favour of the Aussies, but Gillard and Brearey are leading the way.

Other well known names, to the Irish fleet are Martyn Lewis & Richard Byne (GBR 15056) who won the fourth race, in sixth overall. These are the guys who were using the North 3DL main in Sligo. Chips Howarth & Vyv Towend, World Champs in 2009 & 10 (LaRochelle & Barbados) are in 7^th overall. Derian & Andy Scott (GBR 14941) are in 11^th with Ben Schulz & Phillip Bowley (AUS 15062) in 12^th. Ex-Commodore of Fireball International, Russell Thorne, crewing for Steve Goacher is in 13^th, while ne Commodore of FI, Joe Jospe, sailing with Tom Egli is in 17^th, winning today’s handicap prize with two 12ths on the water.

The next best performance of the day, after Gillard and Brearey, were the Czech combination of Martin Korbovy & Pavel Winkler who scored two 3rds.

 

 

The 64-boat fleet now has a lay-day before two final races to conclude the event.

 

#FIREBALL – As was to be expected, the challenge for the 2012 Fireball Worlds title has become a showdown between the Aussies and the Brits. There is no Irish representation at the Western Australia event, just six months on from Sligo's staging of the same event in 2011.

After two days of racing, in what seem to be ideal conditions, the top five places are split 3:2 in favour of the host nation with their boats in 1st, 3rd and 4th. As this scribe expected the leading British boat is Tom Gillard and Sam Brearey (GBR15041) who are sitting in second place, two points behind the South Australians, Robin Inns & Joel Coultas (AUS 15025).

Perennial attendee at these international regattas, David Wade, sailing with Tim Saxton this time, is in 5th overall, with Aussies John Heywood & Brett Littledike (AUS 14786) and Greg Allison & Richard Watson (AUS 15032) in third and forth overall respectively.

Reports from Mandurah suggest that the conditions have been exhilarating with some competitors are saying they have never travelled quite so fast in a Fireball.

Another British combination who seem to be enjoying the conditions are Martin Lewis and Richard Byrne who scored a race win on Day 2. They rounded the first mark of the race in 2nd place behind Derian and Andy Scott but powered away from them on the reaches. Past Champions Chips Howarth and Vyv Townend finished this race in 3rd, behind the regatta leaders Inns/Coultas.

2012 Fireball Worlds, Mandurah, Western Australia.

1 AUS 15025 Robin Inns & Joel Coultas 5 3 1 2 11pts

2 GBR 15041 Tom Gillard & Sam Brearey 1 4 2 6 13pts

3 AUS 14786 John Heywood & Brett Littledike 7 1 3 7 18pts

4 AUS 15032 Greg Allison & Richard Watson 8 2 4 4 18pts

5 GBR 15045 David Wade & Tim Saxton 3 6 11 5 25pts

#SAILING – The last race of the 2011 season for Irish Fireballs started under clear blue skies but with a cold aspect to the breeze which came from a westerly direction. As the afternoon progressed a distinct change in weather was evident with grey skies rolling in. It was yet another busy day on the water for the Frostbite fleet which boasts RS 400s and 200s, 420s, a 470, Mirrors, Lasers, IDRA 14s, Laser Vagos and of course the Fireballs.

There is a solid core of 12-14 Fireballs that have raced throughout this first series even though there are closer to twenty boats actually entered for the event. As advised in previous reports, the attraction of the Frostbites is that they don’t take up the entire day. All the participants keep their boats in the Dun Laoghaire Harbour complex which means that to make a 14:05 start, most crews assemble for 13:00 in order to rig and make the short sail out to the outer harbour. All four Dun Laoghaire waterfront clubs, Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club, Royal Irish Yacht Club, Royal St. George Yacht Club and National Yacht Club are represented on the water and for this series we have also had Sligo Yacht Club and Howth Yacht Club represented. The expectation is that we may have some participants from north of the border in Series 2 in the New Year.

Last of the three fleet starts, the Fireballs had a competitive and clean start with boats distributed along the line and the form boats stacked down towards the pin – Messrs Rumball, Butler and Boyle – with Smyth, Cassidy and Miller mixing it with them.

Rumball/Moran, Butler/Oram and Boyle/Hurley were joined in the rounding of the first weather mark by Colin/Casey with Smyth/Bradley in close company. Rumball and Butler got distracted with each other to allow Colin/Casey to lead the fleet around the first gybe mark but thereafter the pecking order became very established with Rumball/Moran leading the fleet followed by Butler/Oram and Boyle/Hurley.

However, outside these podium places there was lots going on as Miller/Donnelly, Colin/Casey, Court/Syme, Smyth/Bradley and latterly Chambers/Butler joined battle to determine the next sets of places. There isn’t a great deal to choose between these crews off the wind so going upwind is where the places are made, and yesterday the choice of which way to go up the beat was difficult. Staying right appeared to get better breeze but the starboard tack hitch into the weather mark was fraught with twitchy gusts. Going left appeared to have benefits initially but then the breeze fell off as the mark was approached.

Though not consciously racing for the day’s mugs, the early bidders for that honour were Smyth/Bradley but they were always in close company with the other claimants – Court/Syme. Mugs are won at the finish line and with Court/Syme initially putting Colin/Casey and Miller/Donnelly between themselves and Smyth/Bradley, only let Colin/Casey through to keep an insurance in place for the race trophies. Mug winners last week, Luke Malcolm and Shane Diviney (Howth), were retirees this week with a ripped main – the vagaries of racing!!

Frostbites Sunday 18th December
1.	Kenneth Rumball & Dave Moran	15058	Irish National Sailing School
2.	Noel Butler & Stephen Oram	15061	Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club
3.	Andy Boyle & Barry Hurley	14934	Royal Irish Yacht Club
4.	John Chambers & Hugh Butler	14807	Royal St. George Yacht Club
5.	Neil Colin & Margaret Casey	14775	Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club

In keeping with the Sunday before Christmas, there was an element of decoration to the fleet with Santa hats on display by some crews (Boyle & Hurley in particular) but the most significant pointer to the time of year was the tinsel that flew from the top baton and end of the boom of Neil Colin and Margaret Casey.

The Series 1 prize-giving was held in the DMYC which was busy and warm as a consequence. Overall prizes were awarded to the three fleets, PY, Lasers and Fireballs with the Fireball results as follows;

Frostbites Series 1 (pre-Christmas).
1.	Noel Butler & Stephen Oram	15061	Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club
2.	Kenneth Rumball & Dave Moran	15058	Irish National Sailing School
3.	Andy Boyle & Barry Hurley	14934	Royal Irish Yacht Club
4.	John Chambers & Hugh Butler	14807	Royal St. George Yacht Club
5.	Neil Colin & Margaret Casey Alaistair Court & Gordon Syme	14775 14706	Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club
7.	Louise McKenna & Hermine O’Keefe	14691	Royal St. George Yacht Club

Series 2 commences on Sunday 8^th January 2012.

#FIREBALL – The Committee Boat for the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club Frostbites was located at the end of the east pier yesterday  to set a course with a wind bearing of 260º. However, local vagaries in the wind reduced the first leg to more of a fetch than a beat. Wind strength was initially at Force 3 but quickly built to in excess of Force 6 before dropping off again to F2/3. The Fireball start became the subject of a General Recall due to the significant bias on the start line and it appears that the fleet was victim to lots of capsizes in the blustery conditions.

Twelve Fireballs made the start, of which one became a retiree. The results are as follows:

1. Kenneth Rumball & David Moran	15058	Irish National Sailing School
2. Noel Butler & Stephen Oram	15061	Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club
3. Andrew Boyle & Barry Hurley	14934	Royal Irish Yacht Club
4. Luke Malcolm & Shane Diviney	14790	Howth Yacht Club
5. John Chambers & Hugh Butler	14706	Royal St. George Yacht Club

Luke Malcolm and Shane Diviney collect the day’s mugs for 4^th place and in overall terms the status is as follows.

Sunday 18^th will see the conclusion of Series 1 with a prize-giving after the racing in the DMYC.

#FIREBALL– In contrast to the blue skies and sunshine of the previous Sundays, in November, the first December Sunday of the Frostbites in Dun Laoghaire was typified by more seasonal weather, cold, grey skies and blustery conditions. Yet again the wind moderated from the forecast and the previous night’s conditions to allow sailing to take place – the forecast had been for Force 7 – 8 in the Irish Sea, but on Sunday morning XC Weather was predicting 12 – 14 knots with gusts in the twenties.

Twelve Fireballs took to the water this weekend and were rewarded for their perseverance with fast three sails reaches and challenging beats. Some of the fleet took a bath, under spinnaker, and described the water temperature as bracing.

The wind peaked before the start in terms of continuous breeze but throughout the race the westerly wind was gusty. One combination retired after a lengthy capsize, another due to a broken spreader, but the remaining boats enjoyed a five lap race.

The pecking order was established early on with Butler/Oram (15061) being chased by Kenny Rumball, crewed this weekend by Connor Kinsella (15058), and Andy Boyle sailing with Barry Hurley (14934). In fourth place, for the first lap at least were Frank Cassidy & Cormac Bradley (14719) before they went the wrong way up the second beat to lose places to Alistair Court & Gordon Syme (14706), Neil Colin & Margaret Casey (14775) and Louis Smyth & Joe O’Reilly (15007). Smyth/O’Reilly took a bath on the first reach of the next lap to allow Cassidy/Bradley back into 6^th.

The blustery conditions and stronger breeze saw Louise McKenna & Hermine O’Keefe (14691) at a disadvantage relative to their male competitors and the lighter combination of Luke Malcolm and Shane Diviney , in their first frostbite series were further back than they might have preferred.

Dave Coleman & Glenn Fisher (14407) formed the rearguard of this fleet. On the coldest day of the series so far, everyone retired to the hospitality of the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club, where soup and rolls restored bodies to a more comfortable condition.

Finishing third, Andy Boyle and Barry Hurley picked up the day’s mugs.

Noel Butler & Stephen continue to lead the series with Kenny Rumball & Dave Moran/Connor Kinsella 2^nd and Andy Boyle/Barry Hurley/Brian Flahive third. There are two races left in Series 1, 11^th and 18^th December, before the Christmas break.

#FIREBALL – New Irish Fireball Class Chairman, Neil Colin (14775), was Master of Ceremonies when the Irish Fireball fleet celebrated the (regatta) season just concluded with its prize-giving dinner hosted by Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club on Friday evening 25th November.

In addition to awarding medals for the season long Travellers' Trophy, the occasion sees the Class award its own prizes to recognize excellence and contribution to the class.

An attendance of approximately 50 people was bolstered when some of the past members of the class joined us. Martin and Matt Treadwell had an extended period of success in the Irish Fireball fleet but terminated their participation in the fleet around 2002. Frank Cassidy, with wife Gemma doesn't get to sail his Fireball regularly these days, as sailing other boats gets in the way, but both were there. Another past Fireballer, whose nickname is Shergar – suggesting he was fast on the water – added to the numbers of ex-Fireballers who joined the current fleet for the celebration.

The prizes were awarded after dinner;

Travellers' Trophy

Silver Fleet.
3rd: Cariosa Power & Marie Barry, DMYC, IRL 14854.
2nd: Ben Malone & Matthew Bennion, Skerries Sailing Club, IRL 14939.
1st: Mary Chambers & Brenda McGuire, DMYC, IRL 14865.

Gold Fleet

3rd: Kenny Rumball & Seamus Moore, Irish National Sailing School, IRL 15058.
2nd: Barry McCartin & Conor Kinsella, Cushendall SBC & UCDSC, IRL 14820.
1st: Noel Butler & Stephen Oram, National Yacht Club, IRL 15061.

Class Awards

Ladies Helm.
1st placed Lady Helm in Travellers' Trophy.
Diane Kissane, Howth Yacht Club, IRL 14939, 11th Overall.

Asterix Trophy

(For a significant/outstanding contribution to the Class.)
Louis Smyth:- for his contribution to the Sligo Worlds, including; liaison with Fireball International, the Irish Class Association and Sligo Yacht Club, collecting, hosting and transporting visitors to Ireland for the planning and regatta phases of the event and collecting boats from the UK for international competitors.

India Trophy

(Most Improved)
Barry McCartin & Conor Kinsella, IRL 14820:- For finishing 2nd overall in the season-long Travellers' Trophy.
Captain's Prize.
(Awarded at the discretion of the Dun Laoghaire Class Captain.)
This year's award was made by Owen Laverty who has just stood down as DL Class Captain.
Cormac Bradley:- Owen made the award in recognition of Cormac's contribution to the Irish Fireball Class, highlighting his efforts to organize events over the years, his reporting of Fireball events and the manner in which he carried out these activities – without complaint!

The Liam Bradley Trophy

(This is a new trophy, donated by Immediate Past Chairman, Cormac Bradley, in honour of his late father.)
Barry McCartin & Conor Kinsella:- Awarded in recognition of the fact that they are a new combination in Fireballs who have enjoyed spectacular success in a very short period (finishing 2nd overall in the Travellers' Trophy). Cormac alluded to the fact that they sailed four of the five regattas, sailed consistently (finished in the top 3 in the four events), in an accomplished manner without protests and in a style that made it entertaining and challenging to race against them. Cormac emphasized the need to recognize new talent coming into the fleet as this would be the future life-blood of the class.

Noel Butler & Stephen Oram - Travellers' Trophy winners

Conor Kinsella receives The Liam Bradley Trophy on behalf of himself and Barry McCartin

Neil Colin (Class Chairman) presents the Lady Helm Trophy to Diane Kissane

Photos by Patrick Kiersey

#FIREBALL – Rounds 3 & 4 of the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club's Frostbite Series were sailed in frost-free conditions yesterday, Sunday 20th November, with a distinctly mild aspect to the start of the afternoon before it started to get grey and dark. Indeed, the weather was so benign that the fleet was able to sail outside Dun Laoghaire's harbour and had two back-to-back races.

A new innovation for this year's races, the setting of a separate weather mark for the Fireballs, was put into place for the fourteen Fireballs that contested the first race of the day and the thirteen boats who sailed the second race.

Both races were sailed in light winds which made for challenging conditions and some boats found windless "holes" from which they struggled to escape – makes one empathise with the Volvo Ocean competitors who have an ocean wide windless zone to negotiate en route to Cape Town. Observing from shore, this correspondent noted that the weather station on the east pier had recorded a maximum gust of 5kts up to the start of the second race. Exciting stuff!!

Messrs Butler and Oram (15061) won both races on the water, the first giving them their 2011/12 Frostbite Mug. They spent the afternoon exchanging places with Graeme Grant & Hugh Butler with Kenneth Rumball and David Moran never too far away.

Rumball/Moran took 2nd place on the water in the day's first race and followed it up with a 3rd in the 2nd race of the day. However, as Butler/Oram and Grant/Butler who finished 1st and 2nd respectively already had Frostbite Mugs, Rumball/Moran took the prize for the fourth race of the series.

In overall terms however, Andrew Boyle/Barry Hurley/Brian Flahive lead the series with a 20pt total. Yesterday they scored a 4th and a 6th to add to the 2 x 5th of Rounds 1 & 2. Butler/Oram and Louise McKenna/Hermine O'Keefe are tied for 2nd overall, 3pts adrift of the leaders, while Grant/Butler and Rumball/Moran close out the top five.

#FIREBALL – The Irish Fireball frostbite season got underway in unseasonable blue skies and sunshine conditions on Sunday 6^th November, when 11 Fireballs in a 40+ fleet got the series underway writes our Fireball Correspondent.  Arriving at Dun Laoghaire harbour, conditions were not conducive to racing, the waters of the harbour and beyond being mirror-like. Race Officer Stuart Kinnear persevered with the idea that a race was possible and was rewarded when enough breeze came through to get a race of two laps of a triangle away.

Hugh Butler crewing for Graeme Grant on their way to winning the Fireball Class in last Sunday's DMYC Frostbite race in Dun Laoghaire Harbour Photo: Bob Hobby

As the new Class Chairman, Neil Colin, with crew Margaret Casey, adopted the same style that will be required onshore – leading from the front. They started about midway down the line and found themselves in the middle of the course as a consequence. On the right-hand side Louis Smyth and Cormac Bradley found stronger breeze but weren’t able to quite close on Colin/Casey and were additionally distracted by Louise McKenna and Hermine O’Keefe who had gone right as well and then went back to the middle.

Colin/Casey rounded first followed by McKenna/O’Keefe, Smyth/Bradley and the established combination of Kenneth Rumball & Dave Moran.  The downwind legs were quite genteel but competitive all the same. Smyth/Bradley got through McKenna/O’Keefe despite the close presence of Rumball/Moran.

2^nd beat and Colin/Casey went more middle than left while Smyth/Bradley again hit the right. This closed the gap but not quite enough to see a change of lead. However, it was enough to stay ahead of McKenna/O’Keefe at the weather mark but a split of downwind courses saw the girls get ahead until gybes onto the opposite tacks saw Smyth/Bradley get back into second. This close attention to what was going on behind them left Colin/Casey to extend their lead to the leeward mark and a safe win.

With a DMYC Frostbite mug up for grabs every Sunday of the series, Colin/Casey were able to relax with their hands on the 2011/12 edition.

The Frostbite is a popular series with a single race on a Sunday afternoon meaning that the day isn’t completely taken up. Husband and wife, Frank and Gemma Cassidy made their Frostbite debut, while Alastair Court and Gordon Syme, whom we haven’t seen all season, though their boat was in Sligo, also made their first appearance of the season. Mick Creighton blooded a new crew, while two other crews, Dave Coleman and Grattan Donnelly, teamed up to sail Blind Squirrel, 14713.

Welcome visitors were Luke Malcolm and Shane Diviney from Howth and Peter Armstrong and Matt Mayron, sailing under the burgee of Sligo Yacht Club.

Round 2 saw a complete contrast in the pre-race weather from the previous Sunday. At 11:30 it was blowing 25 knots, by 12:45 the wind was down to a Force 2. The race eventually was sailed in a F3 which moved around a bit but was mostly in the northern sector of the compass card. Graeme Grant and Hugh Butler led the fleet this week around five laps of another triangular course, doing enough to stay ahead of the bunch. They were chased by Noel Butler and Stephen Oram and Louis Smyth, sailing with Joe O’Reilly for Round 2. These two spent the race exchanging places while some of the others to feature at different stages were Alastair Court and Gordon Syme and Mick Creighton & Paul McDermott. The trio of Barry Hurley, Andy Boyle and Brian Flahive has shown the greatest consistency with two 5^th places! These three also count double-handed Fastnet races in their list of activities for the 2011 sailing season.

Thus, with two rounds down the overall standings are as follows;

Overall	Sail No	Race 1	Race 2	Total Pts
1. Louis Smyth/Cormac Bradley/Joe O’Reilly	15007	2	3	5
2. Louise Mc Kenna & Hermine O’Keefe	14691	3	7	10
2. Andy Boyle/Barry Hurley/Brian Flahive	14934	5	5	10
4. Alastair Court & Gordon Syme	14706	7	4	11
5. Luke Malcolm & Shane Diviney	14790	6	6	12

Series 1 of the Frostbites runs through to the Sunday before Christmas (18^th Dec), with series 2 starting Sunday 8^th January 2012.

#FIREBALL – Experienced Dun Laoghaire helmsman Neil Colin from the Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club has succeeded Cormac Bradley as Irish Fireball dinghy Class Chairman. Bradley stays on as Irish liaison with Fireball International and Press Officer.