Rumball & Moran Win Fireball Nationals

21st July 2013

#fireball – Kenny Rumball & David Moran representing the Irish National Sailing Club and the Royal St George Yacht Club respectively have won the 2013 Irish Fireball Nationals sailed at Skerries Sailing Club this past three days writes Cormac Bradley.

Today we saw the strongest wind of the Championship and a further two Olympic course races were sailed to complete the 9 race series.

Rumball/Moran scored a 1, 2 today as opposed to the defending Champions, Noel Butler & Stephen Oram who scored a 2, 4. This closed the overnight 3pt gap and forced the title to be decided by countback. That resolved the title in favour of Rumball & Moran.

Third place went to the home club's Simon McGrotty & Darach Dineen. Their first race was a 5th, but they closed out the regatta with a win. They were 6pts off the lead pair and ousted the overnight third place combination - Simon's father Niall and Neil Cramer who dropped to fifth overall. Conor Clancy & Jim Devlin were sandwiched between the McGrottys in 4th overall.

Outside the top five the best performance of the day was that of Alan Henry & Simon Reville (14645) who led the fleet around the first weather mark of the day and held on to register a 3. In the second race they got a five to jump to 8th overall. Michael Ennis and Marie Barry consolidated their 7th place overall with another consistent performance - 8th & 6th.

The Silver fleet prize went to Jon Evans & Aidan Caulfield who had a positive day with a 9, 7 relative to their closest rivals who had two retirals.

The Classic Prize went to Joseph Murphy & Cian Manley (14663) of Howth for whom this was their debut Fireball regatta.

Race management today by Kieran Brannigan was excellent and the legendary Skerries hospitality was in ample evidence.

Great weather, great racing and a new champion!

1. Rumball & Moran 14pts
2. Butler & Oram 14pts
3. McGrotty(S) & Dineen 20pts
4. Clancy & Devlin 23pts
5. McGrotty (N) & Cramer 25pts
6. Doyle & Sweeney 33pts
7. Ennis & Barry 50pts
8. Henry & Reville 51pts
9. Smyth & Bradley 55pts
10. McKenna & O'Keefe 65pts
11. Evans & Caulfield 68pts
12. Colin & Casey 68pts
13. O'Neill & Inan 78pts
14. Fisher & O'Gorman 92pts
15. Murphy & Manley 107pts

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