Fireballs Nationals

Most people will only take one week for championships and if the worlds is local that will get the support.

Going to be a big fleet in Carnac.

For international classes it is the worlds that matter ...

The event was switched from Looe SC as the association felt the club's minimum entry number stipulation would not be met.  Penzance SC stepped in with a workable offer and were, as always, excellent and hospitable hosts.  In the event the decision to relocate the championship was completely vindicated. 

It is known that one or two more entries would have been gained had the event been over four days rather than a week (allowing some teams to compete at Penzance and Carnac) but, on the other hand, it may have been a few would have been lost; we'll never know.

A 'normal' entry of 40-50 boats is expected next year for what is currently planned to be a four-day, eight-race event at Royal Torbay YC.  WPNSA will host the 2020 championship and an announcement in respect of the 2021 event is likely to be made in September.

Winder Boats converted a Fireball to asymmetric rig in the mid-1990s.  She was tested extensively in the UK by top crews and, from feedback from those who sailed her, appeared to perform well.  However, a decision was made not to seek a rule change.  Whether that was the correct decision is a moot point but what is clear is that in the intervening 20+ years Fireball has survived in numbers when many classes - both asymmetric and symmetric - have not.  Further the class is currently seeing many new entrants, greater youth participation and the association's membership  figure is presently the highest it has been for many years. 

The Penzance Nationals entry figure is regarded as an aberration for a known reason.  One Swallow doesn't make a summer -  the class is in good shape!

Chris Turner

FB 15149

A long weekend championship at a central venue with a home fleet is a near certain way to bump attendance up. In hindsight, this year maybe the Fireballs could have benefited from doing that. 

However, it is a short term  fix and if a class want to stay relevant nationally it must do its share of nationals further afield to keep the class national. I also think five-day events are worthier of ‘championship’ status and are worth preserving in the long run. 

With the focus on the worlds in carnac, perhaps this was a good time for the fireballs to ‘suck up’ a low turnout at a more distant venue?