Fireball Open at Chew Valley Lake Sailing Club

Fireballs at Chew Valley Lake © Errol Edwards

Fireballs at Chew Valley Lake © Errol Edwards

Sunny Times!

Ee by gum the sun shone! Chew Valley Sailing Club welcomed 17 Fireballs for the third event in the Golden Dolphin series on 12th and 13th May. It was quite warm too and the balconies of Chew Valley Sailing Club were bursting with people enjoying the fantastic value beer on Saturday night after racing. The weekend was shared with the Scorpion and Flying Fifteen classes.

Three races were scheduled for the first day. The first two were sailed in an extremely light and fickle winds.

The first race saw Alex Piggot and Andy Stewart romp away to a comfortable victory leading from the first mark, Alex proving some time out of Fireballs to be no handicap. Dave Wade and Rob Gardner came in second in Dave's new boat, so new you could smell it.

Race 2 saw Sam Mettam and Richard Anderton, another team with a fairlly new Winder Fireball and sporting the latest North 3DL mainsail, take the bullet with Wade and Gardner second again. Racing was close and positions changed frequently in the light winds. The Race Officer abandoned the last race of the day, to the relief of most competitors. That balcony was calling!

Sunday morning dawned with the promise of fair winds. A moderate shifting breeze ensured some very close racing with differing crews taking the spoils. and the race officer a bit of a headache, where to put that windward mark?

The first race was taken by Becky Priest and Tim Saunders who led from start to finish. The second race of the day was won by James Ellis and Dan Ellis using new Fireball Association boat 15080* which they have use of for the 2012 Season. Kevin Hope and Russell Thorne were having a steady day with two seconds.

Sam "student" Mettam and Dave Wade went into the last race on equal points. They rounded the windward mark in first and second. Close, intense racing saw Wade just pip Mettam to the finish to win the meeting, this weekend they decided not to play dodgems with each other so left with boats intact. Further back Sarah Everitt and James Wallace took the bronze fleet prize, from amongst others club mates Jeremy and Robin who were sailing their first open meeting in the Fireball.

Thanks to all at Chew Valley, and to the Race Officer Peter Sherwin, for some excellent racing in very difficult conditions. All left with suntans, a prized asset in these austere times!

* The Class owned Fireball is sponsored by Sponsored by Harken, FSE Robline, Selden, Pinnell and Bax, Contender Sailcloth, North Sails, Noble Marine and Winder Boats

Overall Results: