Irish sailors are making an impact at the 2025 Fireball World Championship on Lake Garda, Italy. Four races have been completed in a fleet of 136 boats, where British boats are dominating.
Daniel and Henry Thompson lead the Irish challenge in ninth place on 73 points. Their best result so far is fourth in Race 3.
Conor Twohig and Matthew Cotter sit 13th overall with 91 points. Their opening race score of 13 keeps them close to the top ten.
Chris Bateman and Lucy Loughton hold 19th on 112 points and are top in the Mixed category. Ed Butler and Iso Inan follow in 23rd after posting a ninth in Race 3.
Josh Porter and Cara McDowell are 32nd with 159 points. Further down, Irish crews include Ewen and Thea Barry (70th), Adrian Lee and Edmund Hynes (75th), and Frank Miller with Ed Butler (80th).
After a spectacular and unpredictable opening day, Monday delivered classic Garda conditions: sunshine, steady Ora breeze between 14 and 16 knots, and a racecourse that rewarded the right side under the cliffs of Ponale—an iconic tactical feature of Alto Garda. At the top of the leaderboard, DJ Edwards – Vyv Townend (GBR) extended their lead with a 3-1, followed by Australians Brendan Garner – Ben O’Brien in second and fellow Brits Graham Cook – William Cook in third.
Courses are slightly unusual - a very long beat and triangle followed by a sausage with an offset finish. So courses are somewhat deeper on the offwind legs than usual. Target times for races are 50 minutes and that is being achieved.
The British are currently dominating the standings, with six teams in the top ten, proving once again their depth and experience in the Fireball class. Strong performances also came from Czech sailors Jiri Paruzek – Jakub Kosvica, currently sixth overall, and French duo Xavier Broise – Robin Trystan, in eighth with two top-eight finishes as their best scores so far. Ireland’s Daniel and Herry Thompson continue to lead the U25 ranking, while the British team of David Hall – Paul Constable deserve special mention as the first OVER125 (combined age) team, just outside the top ten.
Among the Italians, twelve-time national champion Paolo Brescia had a much stronger day after tuning his new boat and adjusting to unfamiliar sails. With a 7-5 scoreline, he moves up the standings and remains in contention. “It was a classic Garda day, and we finally found the right setup,” Brescia commented. “The level is extremely high, and any small mistake costs a lot of positions.” Also sailing consistently is the mixed crew of Giovanni Dagnino and Paola Capizzi, currently 22nd overall and second in the mixed category, behind Ireland’s Chris Bateman and Lucy Loughton.
Racing continues tomorrow with more action expected in stable Garda conditions.
Download the results below.
