Royal St. George Fireball Dinghy Pair Win Shetland National Champs

27th July 2014

Afloat.ie Team

#fireball – One of Ireland's Fireball top medal hopes, Barry McCartin and Conor Kinsella, have this week had the chance to tune their new boat even further while winning the Shetland Nationals event, a warm-up for the Europeans in which all visiting sailors who were there for the Europeans were invited to participate.

The guys are fresh from winning the Irish Fireball Munsters at Wexford Harbour Boat and Tennis Club last weekend, which gave them a clean sweep of the three Fireball major events to have taken place so far this season, the Ulsters and the Open Championship having gone their way as well.

With no racing on Thursday due to fog, Friday was the only race day available, Saturday being measurement day for the big one, so only four races were able to be sailed in total. McCartin and Kinsella dominated the fleet, posting results of 2,1,1,1 to take the title in style – and win a beautiful trophy as shown in the pic above!

As for the Europeans, the first race was due on Sunday, though again there were wind problems, but they're hoping for better conditions tue-fri this coming week. Here's hoping all the Irish crews who have travelled all that distance contribute to a great Irish result overall!

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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).