Fireball Worlds Underway With Black Flag Start

24th August 2015

#fireballworlds – The Fireball Worlds opened yesterday under grey skies and surprisingly rain! With 106 entries, IRO Peter Saxton promised a line that would be of the order of 0.4 of a mile long. Again wind was promised but what was promised didn't quite materialise but there was enough to warrant a 22' 6" rig setting.

As usual it took a black flag start to get the fleet away but the most surprising aspect of this start was that new UK Nationals Champions, Tom Gillard and Richard Anderton were the first boat on the "naughty step". In all four boats lost the opportunity to race the opening race.

This allowed Christian Birrell and Sam Brearey to take the first race of the series and with a second place in the second race this gives them the overall lead,

In second place are Ian Dobson & Ben Ainsworth, who finished fourth in the UK Nationals last week – they scored two thirds. In third place are the very potent combination of DJ Edwards & Vyv Townend with a score of 2, 10.

Eight Irish boats are also entered and their results are as follows;

GUL FIREBALL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – PWLLHELI, WALES, 23 – 28^THAUGSUT.		R1	R2	TOTAL
18	Barry McCartin & Conor Kinsella	27	8	35
21	Kenny Rumball & Brian Byrne	12	31	43
34	Noel Butler & Stephen Oram	44	28	72
48	Conor & James Clancy	52	44	96
57	Niall McGrotty & Neil Cramer	65	54	119
74	Jon Evans & Aidan Caulfield	82	67	149
79	Frank Miller & Ed Butler	77	78	155
91	Louise McKenna & Hermine O’Keeffe	88	89	177

Cormac Bradley, sailing with Chris Thorne scored a 68 & 84th to lie in 76th overall.

Another two races are scheduled for today – Monday.

Published in Fireball

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