Competition starts in the Gul Fireball Nationals/Pre Worlds at Plas Heli
by Dougal Henshall 18 Aug 2015 14:09 BST
17-28 August 2015
For the first time in a decade the Fireball Worlds are 'coming home' to the UK. The date is even more significant as 50 years ago, the early sailors in the class were planning their first ever Worlds, which would be held down at Hayling in 1966, World Cup Year.
Back then the entry was just 45 boats, but for Plas Heli, more than 100 boats have entered, with many of those already on site for the UK Nationals/pre-Worlds. Doing a 'compare and contrast' is both easy and difficult; the Fireball is still very much that clever fusion of lean dinghy and scow hull that Peter Milne first envisaged, yet the boats of today are highly sophisticated in their layout. Back in the mid-1960s, most boats were home built using stitch and glue, today the majority of the entries have high tech hulls from the likes of Winder and WaterMark boats. It is also a measure of the profile of the class, that they have been able to attract top class sponsors, with Gul very much in evidence as lead sponsor.
At the relaxed opening ceremony the previous evening, UK Chairman Jez White could be seen enjoying himself and well he might. Three years earlier it had been his call to not only bid for the event, but to bring it to North Wales. Both those calls now seem to be well aimed at delivering a 'classic' championship that will provide not just a new champion but a last legacy of greater participation in the class.
The focus now shifts from planning ashore to the competition afloat. PRO Peter Saxton has briefed the competitors, with all the forecasts (including those from the locals) predicting winds from about 240 degrees at 8 to 10 knots.
YachtsandYachting.com will be present at both the Nationals/pre-worlds and at the main event, embedded as part of both the Event Team ashore and Race team afloat. The intention is to post regular updates from the race course, along with interviews on those making the news and when possible, real time updates on results.
Update at 1110: The tallies will be released, the boats assembled on the shore are now ready for the 'off'!
www.fireballworlds2015.com