#fireball – The Irish Fireball Association's Open Day on Saturday 30th November was a great success with strong interest in both the morning and afternoon sessions. We were very fortunate with the weather – sunshine and good breeze – enough to allow the boat to be shown off to best effect without putting anyone off the idea of sailing them.
Four Fireballs were used in the morning session with rotation of helms and crews accommodated by having two ribs on the water. In the afternoon, a further two Fireballs were required and while the wind dropped for the latter session there was still enough of it in place to make the afternoon session viable.
The majority of the people who came to sample the boat were Dublin based and the majority of these had racing experience – Laser Vagos, Cadets, 420s, 470s, big boats. However, special mention must be made of the young man who persuaded his mother to take him to Dun Laoghaire for the afternoon – all the way from Youghal! Edward is a 15 year old who blew Noel Butler away with his enthusiasm and knowledge of all things Fireball, so much so that after a short stint on the helm, Noel took up crewing for the remainder of the afternoon to accommodate Edward's enthusiasm.
As a measure of the addiction" we all have for the Class, at least a dozen current Fireballers came out to lend their support to the initiative. Thanks too are due to those people who lent their boats for the day.
Special mention must also be made of the hospitality of the Irish National Sailing School who lent us their premises and two fully fuelled and equipped ribs for the day. Kenny and Mrs. Rumball, (Kenny's "mammy") went out of their way to make sure that we were all properly looked after with tea/coffee and biscuits and made sure that hot water was available for showers afterwards.
If you are interested in sailing a Fireball, be it on a Frostbite Sunday over the winter months, or during summer 2014, in Dublin Bay Sailing Club racing (Tuesday evenings and Saturday afternoons) or in our own regattas, get in touch with the class via its Facebook page or approach any of the Fireballers who congregate in the DMYC after Frostbite racing on a Sunday.
