The final Fireball regatta of the summer season was hosted by Blessington Sailing Club on 19 and 20 September, alongside racing for Mirrors and 420s.
Despite the lake level being lower than usual following the summer drought, competitors praised the event organisation, with the race team of Mairead Ní Cheallacháin, John Corkery and Joe Crilly managing challenging conditions.
Strong winds test Fireball fleet on opening day
Saturday delivered exactly what the forecast promised, with around 22 knots recorded on the committee boat and gusts reaching 29 knots.
Adrian Lee and Edmund Hynes immediately set the pace, winning the opening two races. Ewen and Thea Barry were close behind, recording podium finishes in both races, while Noel Butler and Ismail Inan also featured strongly.
Race three saw the breeze ease briefly before returning with renewed strength, catching out some sailors who had adjusted their rigs for lighter conditions. Ewen and Thea Barry took the race win, followed by Butler and Inan, with Lee and Hynes third.
The demanding conditions also exposed equipment issues, including a twelve-year-old mainsail belonging to Daniel and Harry Thompson that failed during the day's racing.
Light winds create final-day shake-up
Sunday brought a very different challenge, with light and shifting south-westerly breeze testing the fleet’s tactics.
Race four saw several lead changes, with Noel Butler and Ismail Inan, Ewen and Thea Barry, and Rachel Deasy and Matty Cotter among those fighting at the front. Ewen and Thea eventually won the race, ahead of Josh Porter and Cara McDowell, with Deasy and Cotter third.
The final race continued in similarly unpredictable conditions. Ewen and Thea led into the final gybe mark but slipped back to sixth, allowing other teams to gain ground.
Butler and Inan took advantage to win the race, with Porter and McDowell second and Pat McGoldrick and Paul ter Horst third after a strong downwind performance.
Fireball sailors look ahead to winter racing
After six races, Ewen and Thea Barry secured the overall Fireball Open Championship title. Alan Henry and Alan Stamp claimed silver, with Noel Butler and Ismail Inan second and Adrian Lee and Edmund Hynes third.
The Fireball fleet now turns towards the winter season, with sailors preparing for the Dún Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club Frostbites and racing at Monkstown Bay Sailing Club. The DMYC Frostbites begin on Sunday 1 November and continue through to late March.
