UK Nationals 2013

6 August 2013

Day 1

47 well fettled boats made the trip to the beautiful village of Looe for the 2013 Fireball Nationals. The club provided a warm welcome and slickly organised berthing/drop off procedure that made the best of the tight local area.

With the recent summer sun well departed, day one dawned with a few spots of rain and a building southerly wind. After some deliberation the fleet got away off the sandy beach for 1 practice and 2 real races. 

With practice completed the race team attempted to get the 1st real race underway. On the 3rd attempt it was race on! With testing conditions and a building sea state, it was certainly not for the fainthearted. A 15 knot breeze and 2 meter swell was enough for most teams and too much for some. 

After an epic battle with a few place changes and some fruity reaches,  Christian Birrell & Richard Anderton battled through to come out on top, taking a great win in the 1st race from Tom Gillard and Simon Potts with Vince Horey and Rob Gardner in 3rd

In the second race the even bigger waves and incrementing breeze (up to 25 knots!) saw off quite a few competitors but those that stayed out were treated to some simply amazing action. The win looked nailed on for Birrell/Anderton as they rounded the windward mark with a healthy lead which they promptly lost as they capsized just after the mark. This let 5 or 6 boats through and Chips and Vyv went on to win with Birrell/Anderton recovering to 2nd and Dave Wade and Dan Ellis claiming a fine 3rd. 

Further down the fleet, the action was equally enthralling. The teams were treated to some evidence of it as the safety crews had made some fantastic footage of the action on the water. Veronica & Ben Falat made a starring appearance with their "wash off" in a massive wave which saw them briefly become an additional windward mark.

Tired but exhilarated, the battered crews made it back to shore and onto their trolleys with the able assistance from the excellent club team. 

The Commodores Reception, buffet and prize giving and idiot award are on the social calendar for tonight with the promise of more amazing conditions tomorrow.

Day 2

Following some dedicated social fun last night, day 2 of the Fireball Nationals dawned with some nice sunshine and a strong offshore wind.

After the heavens opened and a deluge of fresh water washed yesterdays salt off the waiting boats, the fleet got out to the east side of Looe bay for the days program of 2 championship races.

With a residual swell still running after yesterdays blow, there were some amazing surfing conditions. The wind was playing ball too, with a nice fresh South Westerly blowing in at about 17 knots, making for perfect Fireballing weather. 

Another line start greeted the competitors and after a general recall, the black flag was raised and the fleet got away. 

After a great battle it was Tom Gillard & Simon Potts who got the win in race one from overnight leaders Birrell & Anderton who came in second, with Chips & Vyv in 3rd. 

Following an on water break in freshening breeze, race 2 got away 1st time. A great race ensued in spectacular conditions with lots of place changes amongst the usual suspects. Birrell & Anderton lost second place after their rudder sheared, leaving the door open for Chips & Vyv to take their second win of the championships. Tom Gillard & Simon Potts came in 2nd with Dave Wade and Dan Ellis getting 3rd. 

The view from the back of the fleet was equally exciting, with some close racing throughout meaning everyone had someone to try and beat. The conditions tested the boats and the crews thoroughly, with some massive speed on the reaches and some awesome swell to carve a course through upwind. 

The Grand Nationals has attracted many sailors from all over the globe. Guy & Barbara Newson came all the way from Caithness, Melanie Lederer & Michael Schaefer travelled from Switzerland but Joe Jospe & Tom Egli win the long distance award having arrived all the way from Canada.

With the entries now up to 49, the class, who held their well attended AGM this evening feels in good health prior to the lay day tomorrow. More sailing Wednesday!

Day 3

After a sunny lay-day the sailors gathered in Looe Sailing Club for a fun packed evening in the bar, with a game show along the lines of "I'm sorry, I haven't a clue", culminating in a hilarious game of 'hats on - hats off' which saw Geoff Edwards crowned "Mr Fireball 2013". 

Wednesday morning conditions were drizzly and overcast for day 3 of the Fireball Nationals at Looe SC.

The fleet were well rested after a lay day on Tuesday and keen to get going. With less wind than forecast it was due to be an easier ride on both the competitors and the safety crew.

Race 1 got away 1st time and Christian Birrell and Richard Anderton rounded the windward mark 1st, after digging their way out of a bad start. Tom Gillard & Simon Potts were keeping them honest, with Chips Howarth and Vyv Townend right up behind. 

At the line Matt Burge and Richard Wagstaff posted their best result of the series so far, finishing the race 3rd, behind Chips & Vyv in second, with Birrell & Anderton claiming their 2nd win of the series although a protest meeting for Thursday morning may well change the result.

Richard Anderton said; "After a bad start we were pleased to be able to round 1st . There are so many great sailors here, and both Chips and Gilly are tough to beat, so we are always happy to be ahead of them on the water. This was the 3rd day of perfect conditions and were really enjoying the chance to sail on some fantastic waves"

In race 2 a general recall led to the fleet getting away 2nd time. Birrell & Anderton habitually rounded 1st, with Chips & Vyv hot on their heels and Gillard & Potts in 3rd. With all the usual suspects at the front of the pack, it was a hotly contested affair for places further down the pecking order. Birrell & Anderton were in top form again and their lead remained untouchable, seeing them take a second bullet on the day.

Last years winning boat, 15080 the Class Association Fireball is at the event, being sailed by Matt Rainback and Simon Foskett. They are having a solid event and have been described by the Gold Fleet as "damn quick". The boat is handed over to talented youth sailors each year, giving them a chance to compete at the highest level in a properly sorted, fully sponsored boat. The Ellis brothers won the nationals in her last year and Dan has stayed on, crewing for Dave Wade in this years event.

After sailing the teams headed back to the club for the prize giving, the feckwit award and a team quiz. Beach games, pasties and a disco are on the social agenda for this evening.

Day 4

Day 4 dawned with little wind and some summer sunshine. An early postponement was inevitable and was followed by 2 more until the decision was made to call it a day due to lack of wind.

With 3 races planned for tomorrow the fleet spent the day bimbling with boats, enjoying the charms of Looe and preparing for some evening fun at the club and on the beach.

The consensus amongst the sailors is that this has been a great event so far. The conditions have been excellent until today, the social has been fun and the club super friendly. 

Despite the lack of sailing today, the fleets spirits were buoyant. There were beach games this afternoon with a good turnout for barefoot football, badminton, frisbee and water pistol fights. With pasties back at the club tonight, the daily feckwit award and a disco, the evening will set the teams up for a good final day with a possible 4 races and an early start planned. 

Day 5

The final day of the Fireball Nationals brought some sunshine to Looe bay for the first time this week. With results tight at the top and the previous day lost to light winds, there was all to play for and nerves in the boat park were tense.

The series leaders, Christian Birrell and Richard Anderton knew it was as easy to win it as lose it, with lighter winds than in previous days. Before the race Richard said "I knew we needed to focus. A 2 point lead is nothing with 3 races to come, I knew it was going to be tight. Light airs are ultra tough and require precise concentration."

After a general recall and under black flag, race 1 got away in about 8 knots of breeze from the south. Birrell & Anderton, like a lot of the fleet, were set up more for the forecasted 15 knots of breeze and on 22.6" rake, were underpowered for the conditions. It was Matt Burge and Richard Wagstaff, current European Champions, who made the most of the marginal trapezing conditions and they took the bullet from Dave Wade, sailing with current National Champion Dan Ellis. Tom Gillard and Simon Potts took 3rd, closing the gap on leaders Birrell & Anderton who finished 4th.

With pressure mounting, the second race of the day got underway with the gold fleet regulars out in front on lap 1. On the 2nd beat Gillard & Potts spotted a shift, banged hard left, got 1st to the mark and went on to lead the next lap and half. On the penultimate reach Burge & Wagstaff rolled Gillard & Potts, pulling them high of the mark, allowing Birrell & Anderton to get water on Gillard & Potts and take second at the gybe mark. Birrell & Anderton then managed to roll Burge & Wagstaff on the final reach and take the bullet. "Boom" said Richard after the race, knowing that made their lead unassailable.

Race 3 was a formality with Birrell & Anderton already champions. Regardless, they sailed to the end in the lovely summer sunshine to finish second and complete their net series score of 10, discarding a DNF and a 4th place to score 1's and 2's across the board. The final race was won by the fleet boat, sailed by Matt Rainback and Simon Foskett who finished 6th overall. 2nd place went to Gillard & Potts and 3rd to Chips Howarth & Vyv Anderton.

After the racing the teams gathered at Looe SC for the final prize giving followed by some live music. There were some generous prizes donated by the sponsors Typhoon and Harkenand winners in various categories including; Individual race winners, over 50 helm and crew, 1st lady helm and crew, Brixham trophy for the highest place helm and crew to never win an open or place in the top 10 at a nationals, novice helm and crew, youth helm and crew, perseverance trophy for the lowest place boat to finish all races, classic boat trophy, 1st, 2nd, 3rd in Bronze and Silver fleets and also the top 10 finishers overall.

After being awarded their deserved title Richard Anderton said; "It's been an awesome week, great conditions and great social. Really looking forward to coming back to such an amazingly well organised event next year". With a set of results like that it's no surprised he enjoyed it.

A big thanks to the team at Looe SC for putting on such a spectacular event.

A full list of all winners is available on www.fireballsailing.org.uk