Lough Derg Yacht Club Hosts Biggest Fireball Fleet of the Season

12th September 2015

Afloat.ie Team

The penultimate regatta of the Irish Fireball regatta season has seen the best turnout of boats this year–16 writes Cormac Bradley.

Sailing with the 420s (15 boats) on Lough Derg and hosted by Lough Derg Yacht Club, the fleet took advantage of favourable conditions to have four races today. The first race was an abnormally short trapezoid – abnormal because Race Officer John Leech, Vice–Commodore of LDYC, doesn't normally make mistakes like that.

Niall McGrotty & Neil Cramer (Skerries/ 14938) were the beneficiaries with Jon Evans & Aidan Caulfield (National YC/14748) second and Noel Butler & Stephen Oram (National YC/15061) third.

Thereafter normal service was resumed with Butler/Oram taking three wins over a second trapezoid and two Windward/Leeward courses. 2nd places were shared between McGrotty/Cramer, Mick Creighton & Joe O'Reilly (RStGYC/1506) and Mike Murphy & Alex Voye (National YC/14908).

Conor & James Clancy (RStGYC/14807) claimed two thirds in these races with the other third going to Frank Miller & Grattan Donnelly (DMYC/14713).

The nett effect is to give Butler/Oram a five point cushion on McGrotty/Cramer who have two points on Evans/Caulfield.

Competition for the Classic Trophy is much tighter with this correspondent of the view that this is being led by Owen Sinnott & Cormac Bradley (31pts) followed by John Bolger & Jay Dalton (32pts) and Adrian Lee & Edward Coyne (32pts). These three occupy 10th, 11th and 12th.

Leading ladies are Class Chairman Marie Barry crewing for Cariosa Power.

Two races are scheduled for tomorrow

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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).