Barry McCartin and Conor Kinsella are Fireball National Champions after an eight-race series at RCYC Crosshaven over Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
As Afloat reported earlier, this was a hotly contested championship with 22 boats competing for the title. Racing on the Friday took place inside Cork Harbour with shifty offshore winds and variations in pressure giving sailors plenty to think about. Racing was around a modified trapezoid course designed to accommodate Fireballs, 420s and 29ers, all sailing their National Championships within a Tri National Championships event.
A bumper 22-boat Irish Fireball National Championship fleet starts a race in Cork Harbour Photo: Bob Bateman
The 29ers sailed a windward-leeward course on the inner loop while Fireballs and 420s had their "sausage" legs on the outer loop with a single leeward mark. All classes finished on a downwind leg. Keeping the course square in these winds was a significant challenge to the race committee who managed the task admirably with exemplary turnarounds of particular note.
For the first day of racing the best wind tended to be on the right side of the beat leading to a hard fought start-line with sailors seeking an early chance to head over to that pressure. It was more complicated than just that however with some massive shifts across the course. The first race was won by multiple Fireball National champions Noel Butler and Stephen Oram with French visitors Xavier Broise and Jean Robillard second and McCartin & Kinsella third. That latter team settled in after that and won race two from Chris Bateman sailing with Lucy Loughton (SYC Devon) and just behind were the Thompson brothers Daniel and Harry.
The third race was taken Bateman & Loughton with current Ulster Champions Ewen Barry and Sandy Rimmington second and McCartin & Kinsella third. This gave McCartin & Kinsella the overnight lead as the fleet headed ashore following three efficient races.
(Aobve and below) Downwind at the Irish Fireball National Championship and Youth Championship 2024 at Royal Cork Yacht Club Photo: Bob Bateman
Downwind at the Irish Fireball National Championship and Youth Championship 2024 at Royal Cork Yacht Club Photo: Bob Bateman
The forecast on Saturday was for decent south-westerly breezes and the decision was made to use the race area beyond Cobh for clearer winds. Four excellent races were held in a variety of conditions in a more stable breeze. The challenge for Saturday’s racing was to find the best breeze and get into phase with the shifts but also deal with a variable ebbing tide which added a layer of complexity as the day went on. Locals Barry & Rimmington made best sense of the conditions to take race four with McCartin & Kinsella in a solid second and the ever-consistent Thompsons in third. McCartin & Kinsella took races five and six, effectively stamping their authority on the event. At this point, the fight was still intense for second and third overall, with Barry & Rimmington, Butler & Oram, the Thompsons, Ed Og Butler & Fionn Conway, Broise & Robillard, and Bateman & Loughton all in the mix.
Ewen Barry and Sandy Rimmington (second gold fleet) at the Irish Fireball Nationals Photo: Bob Bateman
The final race of the day was won by Bateman & Loughton with Butler Og & Conway second and the French visitors third. Ashore sailors were treated to an excellent sailing supper by the club but Noel Butler found himself facing the protest committee chaired by international judge Robert Owens, over a finish line incident in race seven with McCartin & Kinsella. Ultimately Butler & Oram were disqualified leading them with result that to discard.
With a light westerly wind forecast for Sunday and two more races to be held before packing up the race committee wisely decided to keep racing nearby so the fleets returned to the same location as Friday. To keep things simpler and more manageable in shifty conditions the course for Fireballs and 420s was changed to the more welcome Olympic Triangle format. After a postponement of about 40 minutes the wind settled into something usable and a tricky and challenging race ensued in about eight knots of breeze with zones of pressure, shifts and lighter holes. That game of snakes and ladders was won by Adrian Lee and Ossian Geraghty with Bateman & Loughton second and McCartin & Kinsella third. By now there were eight races in the can allowing for two discards and after more than an hour of light airs shifting continuously race officer Ciaran McSweeney raised the chequered flag to general acclaim and the massed fleet raced for shore to start packing up.
At the prize-giving Irish Fireball Association chairman Neil Cramer thanked main event organiser Dominic Daly, Ciaran McSweeney and his race committee and especially the fifty plus volunteers at RCYC who made this Tri Nationals possible. This was a very successful event hosted by RCYC and the additional support of main sponsors Waterman Kelly Consulting Engineers helped make the entire event viable. This ranged from snacks for competitors returning ashore to the presence of the international judge to oversee on-the-water rule observance and protests.
The shifty winds and mixed fleets made the entire event challenging for competitors and race committee alike but there can be no doubt that as ever the best teams rose to the top. With competitors ranging in age from 11 to the over 70s there was a vast range of youthful energy and cunning experience on display around the course. When discards were applied the overall winners were McCartin & Kinsella leading by 9 points over Barry & Rimmington with Bateman & Loughton third. Silver fleet winners were Jack McNaughten sailing with Hugo Micka in the latter’s boat with that team also winning the new Youth trophy for best boat under 22, based on the helm’s age. Second silver were Colin Barry & Olin Bateman and third Tiarnan Brown with Cormac Doolan.
Ronan Kenneally crewing for his son Oliver on Sunday at the Fireball National Championships in Cork Harbour Photo: Bob Bateman
A special prize went to 11-year-old Oliver Kenneally helming for his father Ronan on the final day of racing. That boat also won the classic prize, and as a bonus, Ronan took away a voucher for a new Irish-designed wetsuit from Covy Watersport.
Fireball National Championships prizewinners 2024
Overall winners Conor Kinsella crew, left, and Barry McCartin of the Fireball National Championships at Royal Cork Yacht Club Photo: Frank Miller
Ewen Barry and Sandy Rimmington second gold at the at the Fireball National Championships at Royal Cork Yacht Club Photo: Frank Miller
Chris Bateman and Lucy Loughton, third gold fleet at the Fireball National Championships at Royal Cork Yacht Club Photo: Frank Miller
Youth prize-winners and Silver fleet winners Jack McNaughten (right) and crew Hugo Micka at the Fireball National Championships at Royal Cork Yacht Club Photo: Frank Miller
The Nationals concludes the main summer regatta season for Fireballs as several boats are heading to Italy for the Europeans but one last event before winter is not out of the question.
After that the class action will take place mainly at the DMYC Frostbite Series and a winter racing and coaching series at Monkstown Bay SC. As always, the class warmly welcomes new sailors, young and old, seeking affordable, fun and friendly high-performance racing without tears.
