Fireball Inland Championship at Draycote Water Sailing Club

Sponsored by Hyde Sails, Pinnell & Bax

28 boats made the trip to the Midlands for the last event in the Fireball 2018 Calendar. The forecast may well have put off a few travellers with predicted winds of 22-26 knots with gusts of 48. It was great to see 9 local boats on the start line, some of them new to UKFA sailing.

All seemed quite calm standing on the lee shore outside the club house for the briefing; however on the water it was a different story. Race Officer John Rhodes had the task of managing the event and the fleet was relieved to be given the opportunity to launch and race. Conditions were challenging with the southerly wind direction, huge gusts and lulls keeping the crews well rinsed. Talk of a three month wait for a new mast made some apprehensive while others were glad they hadn't used their best sails.

Fireball Inlands at Draycote Water - photo © Nathalie Moreau

Twenty of the original twenty eight boats made the start line, discretion being the better part of valour for some. The racing was epic, with many place changes, spills, thrills and screams. An small early lead from Penny and Russ Clark was short lived with a dramatic capsize on the 1st reach. By the leeward mark it was Dobson /Wagstaff who took charge, and then pushed on to take the bullet. Behind there were many casualties but Cullen/Edwards stayed upright to take second.

There were four retirements from the first race but as the wind built during the second race only seven competitors managed to cross the finish line. Another win for Dobson/Wagstaff (despite notable capsizes) with Marsh/Davenport adopting the tortoise [white sails only] approach and earning second. Noticeable speed and ability being displayed by Peter and Tom Kyne gave the pair two consistent results. Suffice to say that was enough racing for both the competitors and the Race Officer.

Fireball Inlands at Draycote Water - photo © Nathalie Moreau

The fleet retreated to the bar to recall tales of what shall go on record as 'One of the best ever days out in a Fireball', 'Brutal' and 'Epic'. Veteran fireballer Pete Badam and Richard Botting clocked an impressive 33 kph on a GPS tracker. Iain Christie commented "the gusts were so vicious in race 2 that you could see them coming down the course, main and jib both eased in readiness, boat feathered into wind and they were still flicking you over the instant they hit."

Ashore the club had fish n chips followed by a quiz. Hyde Sails very generously donated a jib which was raffled between all the entrants present.

Fireball Inlands at Draycote Water - photo © Nathalie Moreau

Sunday morning brought more settled conditions, 10-12 knot wind and lots of rain. The start line was slightly port biased but a late wind shift saw many over the pin end. There followed a general recall and the appearance of the black flag. Dobson took charge of the First race although a tight race in the top five places, eventually saw Cullen/Edwards lead from Hope/Stewart, Willcox Twins and Wade/York. Another bunch start from the pin end saw yet again Dobson/Wagstaff lead round the first only to be pulled out with a BFD along with most of the other top 5. Kevin Hope and Andy Stewart seized the opportunity by winning the race, and then followed up with a second win on the bounce. The breeze built and the rain stopped for the final race ending an exciting and challenging weekend of racing. Dobson/Wagstaff claimed the 2018 Inland Championship Title ahead of the ever consistent Hope/Stewart.

Fireball Inlands at Draycote Water - photo © Nathalie Moreau

Hats off to John Rhodes for running four races in quick succession giving the full 6 races for the weekend. Back in the Club House the Fleet enjoyed a large supply of Draycote cakes before prize giving.

Numerous Prizes donated by Hyde Sails and Pinnell & Bax. A big thank you to all who helped on and off the water from our winning helm Ian Dobson.

With some notable new fleet members, we can now look forward to a short break before the exciting UKFA racing returns in 2019.

Overall Results: