Blessington Sailing Club hosted the final Fireball regatta of the summer last weekend. Fourteen Fireballs were entered for the event, run in tandem with a good fleet of Mirrors and 420s.
While the lake was noticeably lower than usual due to the summer drought this was a very well run event in beautiful surroundings. The race management team of Mairead Ni Cheallacha with John Corkery and Joe Crilly did a terrific job in sometimes challenging conditions.
The forecast had promised plenty of breeze on the Saturday, and it certainly delivered. A steady 22 knots was recorded on the committee boat, with gusts reaching as high as 29 knots. It was going to be a proper day of Fireball sailing. The first race got under way in a solid breeze, with the fleet quickly spread across the lake. Adrian Lee and Edmund Hynes got off to the perfect start, taking the race win. Ewen Barry and daughter Thea followed in second, with Noel Butler and Ismail Inan taking third.
The breeze remained strong for the second race, and Adrian and Edmund continued their good form, taking another win. Noel Butler and Ismail Inan moved into second, with Ewen Barry and Thea Barry rounding out the podium in third.
Between the second and third races, the breeze eased slightly. Naturally, this gave some sailors the confidence to power up their rigs. As it turned out, this was perhaps a little premature.By the time Race 3 got under way, the breeze had filled back in and the lake was once again throwing around some serious wind. Those who had straightened their masts may have been wishing they had waited a little longer. This time it was Ewen Barry and Thea Barry who came out on top, with Noel Butler and Ismail Inan finishing second. Adrian Lee and Edmund Hynes completed the podium in third.
Three races in strong and gusty conditions made for a proper opening day at Blessington. A couple of boats found the typical maintenance issues uncovered by these kind of conditions, in particular the Thompson brothers Daniel and Harry whose twelve year old mainsail handpicked for the days winds decided to fall apart. With the fleet showing plenty of pace and some close racing throughout, there was still everything to play for heading into the next day's racing.
The forecast for Day 2 was always looking light and tricky, with little promise for the morning. The race committer got the fleet out on the water on schedule, with a light south-westerly breeze filling in.
Race 4 got under way in light and shifty conditions. The lead changed several times throughout the race, with Noel/Ismal leading at the top mark, followed by Ewen/Thea and Rachel Deasy & Matty Cotter.The tricky conditions continued to shuffle the fleet, with plenty of changes in the top five. Ewen/Thea eventually took the win, with Josh Porter & Cara McDowell second and Rachel /Matty third.
Race 5 brought more of the same light and shifty conditions. Ewen/Thea led going into the final gybe mark, but a frustrating final leg saw them drop back to sixth. The changing breeze gave Pat McGoldrick and Paul ter Horst an opportunity to move through the fleet, using their strong downwind speed to finish third. Noel/Ismal made a late gain at the final leeward mark, closing the gap on Josh/Cara and Adrian/Edmund to take the race win, with Josh/Cara finishing second.
When the scores were totted up Ewen & Thea were the deserving winners of the Fireball Open with Noel & Ismail second and Adrian & Edmond third. Alan Henry & Alan Stamp took home the silver prize.
While the Open wraps up this summer season for Fireballs sailors will be taking just a brief rest before the winter adventures in the DMYC Frostbites in Dun Laoghaire and at Monkstown Bay SC. The DMYC Frostbites will run from Sunday November 1st through to late March with the entry system going live on the DMYC website in the coming days.
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