18 September 2024
Fireballs enjoyed fantastic conditions at Maccagno for day three of their European Championship. The fleet again faced an early alarm call for an 8.30am start but racing was postponed for a short while as the breeze was perpendicular to the narrow lake. Once the southerly wind was established boats were sent afloat and downwind to the favoured area where the committee set up for three races. Race two of the championship was sailed in medium airs and the right hand side of the course appeared to pay off, though many leading boats also found a route up the left shore. Weirdly there remains a moderate north-south current caused by extreme winds a week ago so sailors have the unusual task of factoring in lake current into their considerations. The first race of the day (race 2 of the event) saw a right hand shift but other than that the breeze was fairly consistent. Event leaders DJ Edwards and Vyv Townend took that race, their second bullet of the series. For race three the breeze was up a notch and for a while the better breeze appeared to be on the left side of the course. For those who went too far left however it was a disaster as the wind clocked further right by at least 30 degrees during the first beat. That race was won by Czech pair Milan Cap & Filip Prochazka with event leaders DJ & Vyv suffering a 31st place as a result of the shift. Just before the start of race four the wind increased further, probably hitting close to twenty knots in some gusts. The short sharp gusts came with a sting in the tail, namely heading lulls leading to some teabagging of crews. Some top teams worked their way up the middle using shifts but definitely the best pressure was coming from the right side of the course. The reaches and the run for race four were absolutely spectacular. That final race of the day was won by Czech team Jiri Paruzek & Jakub Kosvica.
When the results were collated a new event leader emerged in the shape of father & son team of Martyn & Daniel Lewis whose very consistent scores lifted them to the top of the leaderboard. DJ & Vyv are now 2nd overall and another father & son team Graham & William Cook are 3rd overall, just one point adrift. Vince Horey & Dave Wade are now 4th overall with other top teams not far behind on points , including current world champions Tom Gillard & Andy Thompson. Tomorrow Wednesday is a lay day and with a possibility of four races on Thursday this Fireball European Championship is still all to play for....
