Clear Air The Key to Success in Fireball Race 8

13th July 2013

Afloat.ie Team

Clear Air The Key to Success in Fireball Race 8

#vdlr2013 – Emerging into clean air from Mk2 (lap 2)of the inner loop trapezoid course was the key to success in today's final race for the Fireball fleet writes Cormac Bradley.

The fleet again concentrated their efforts on the left hand side of the course as another wind change prompted another rotation of the course towards Howth. The first beat had less of the bunching that characterised the previous two races but that phenomenon would return for the first three boats on the 2nd beat. At Mk1 the rounding order was Clancy, Byrne, McKenna, Doyle, Colin and at Mk4 only McKenna & Byrne had swapped places.

These three broke away on the 2nd beat and spent the leg eyeing each other. But the convergence of the Fireball fleet and the Flying Fifteens made Mk2 a very busy location.

McKenna rounded first followed by Clancy, Byrne and Doyle. McKenna temporarily dropped the spinnaker but rehoisted to emerge, initially, with her lead intact. What followed was a great divergence of thought on the best way to get to the gate at Mk3. Clancy went right. McKenna, Byrne and Doyle played the middle.

By the time they reached the gate, Byrne had taken the lead when at one stage he had been third. He went on to take his third bullet of the day and by this correspondent's calculations, the overall lead. McKenna finished second and Doyle third. Clancy finished fifth.

By my reckoning, assuming a single discard, the overall situation is;

Byrne/Campion - 15pts
Team Clancy - 16pts
McKenna/Rowan - 23pts
Miller/Donnelly - 27pts
Colin/Casey - 28pts.

Published in Fireball

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Fireball

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Fireball: 60 years of history

Designed in 1962 by British naval architect Peter Milne, the Fireball is a two-person dinghy with spinnaker and trapeze, combining simplicity of construction, high performance and accessibility. Over the years, it has been a training ground for generations of sailors, developing skills in tactics and technique, and producing champions who later moved on to Olympic and offshore challenges. More than half a century later, it remains one of the most vibrant and passionate classes, also thanks to initiatives such as the Under 25 category, designed to engage new generations and keep the tradition alive.

At A Glance – Fireball Dinghy Specs

Crew 2 (single trapeze)
LOA 16 ft 2 in (4.93 m)
Beam 4 ft 6 in (1.37 m)
Hull weight 175 lb (79 kg)
Mast height 22.3 ft (6.8 m)
Mainsail area 108 sq ft (10.0 m2).
Jib / Genoa area 35 sq ft (3.3 m2).
Spinnaker area 140 sq ft (13 m2).