Brand new Rondar GRP Firefly at the RYA Suzuki Dinghy Show

Firefly racing © Firefly class

Firefly racing © Firefly class

First built for the 1948 Olympics as a single-hander, and presently raced by a crew of two, the Firefly is an incredibly popular dinghy in schools, universities and fleets around the UK as the enduring one design dinghy of choice, where your race skills matter more than your wallet!

At the RYA Suzuki Dinghy Show 2015, the National Firefly Association (Stand C68) will be displaying a brand new Rondar, GRP Firefly, with its great new interior layout offering more space and classic lines, alongside a 1970 built wood Fairey hull with a recent Mk IV deck conversion, showing that older hulls can still be race ready and competitive.

"With three annual Championship events, the South Westerns in Falmouth, the National Championships at a sea venue, and the Inland Championships on a lake / reservoir you are spoilt for fleet racing events and epic socials with the Firefly class", commented Guy Davison, National Firefly Technical Secretary.

Fireflys are the class for BUSA (university team race championships), the Schools Team Race Champs, the world famous Wilson Trophy at West Kirby and usually any ISAAF Team Race worlds, offering plenty of team racing thrills. If you are a school age fleet racer, there is also the School Championships held at Itchenor each year. In 2014 some 42 school Fireflys competed in the competition and the battle for medals was fierce.

In the last Firefly Championships held on the Olympic waters of Weymouth, students, school leavers and slightly older (but not necessarily maturer) sailors competed for the Sir Richard Fairey Cup during the annual week long regatta. In the Sir Ralph Gore Trophy race, a 12 mile minimum race, and by definition an extreme sport, some crews were as young as eight and some a good deal older with nearly as many decades!

Paul Kameen, the current Firefly National Champion, a past BUSA Team race winner and twice National champion, rates the Firefly class No 1 in competitive racing and the friendliest fleet he's competed in. He should know coming from West Kirby the UK's Team Racing mecca famed for its excellent socials! His Firefly is a 20 year old wood one recently converted by his dad to a Mk IV. His crew wife Laura proving that mixed couples too can enjoy racing, and be winners.

"So, if you have racing ambitions to follow in the steps of Rodney Patterson, Stewart Morris, Mimie Currey, Mark Rushall, Dave Derby, Steve Tylecote or Stuart Hudson, all past winners in the Firefly National Championships, with some also achieving Olympic success; or fancy yourself as Team Racing winners at BUSA, UK Team at the Worlds and or the Wilson Trophy then make sure you come and see us at the show to find out more about this fantastic dinghy", added Guy.

Today the new GRP hulls and race ready Fireflys from Rondars are the most popular option and cost around £5500 for a new complete boat, proving to be great value for money for any sailing budget. There are also good deals to be had on second-hand Fireflys with race ready boats going for as little as £600.

For details of 2015 events, answers to technical questions or just a chat about your sailing ideas come and visit our stand (C68) or for more information about the National Firefly Association contact the Class Officials at www.fireflyclass.co.uk

For more information about the RYA Suzuki Dinghy Show 2015 and to buy your tickets visit www.dinghyshow.org.uk

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