Please select your home edition
Edition
April May June Leaderboard 2023
Product Feature
Sailwave - Free Sailing Scoring Software
Sailwave - Free Sailing Scoring Software

Royal Geelong Yacht Club to host 2024 Fireball World Championships

by Royal Geelong Yacht Club 5 Apr 10:03 BST 9-16 February 2024
Gul Fireball World Championship at Lough Derg © Oisín Higgins

The Royal Geelong Yacht Club (RGYC), in cooperation with the International Fireball Association (FI), is pleased to announce Geelong as the host venue for the Fireball World Championship to be held in February of 2024.

Combining the perfect sailing conditions of Corio Bay with the proximity to some of Australia's greatest tourist destinations, such as the Great Ocean Road, the 12 Apostles and The Bellarine, this will be the first time Australia has hosted the event since 2012.

Event Chair, Fireball sailor and RGYC Board Member Brendan Garner is delighted to welcome international regattas back to Geelong after two years of uncertainty caused by the pandemic. "Geelong is perfectly positioned to host the upcoming Fireball World Championships. With easy access to Melbourne for travel and logistics, world-class sailing and as a tourist destination, our visiting sailors and families are in for a treat".

2024's Summer of Sailing will see Geelong returning to pre-Covid levels of sailing activity with the keelboats at Festival of Sails in January, International Fireball World Championships in February followed by the Wooden Boat Festival of Geelong in March.

These World Championships mark the first time since Covid that the Royal Geelong Yacht Club and the Geelong community will welcome back a truly international sailing event.

The Fireball is a high-performance, two-person dinghy offering exciting sailing, intense competition, and a great social atmosphere off the water. With 18 National associations in Australia, Europe, North America, and Asia, the 2024 Worlds are expected to be hotly contested by a strong international fleet.

Fireball Victoria President, Glenn Peverell said "We are looking forward to racing in Geelong. It's a great opportunity for new sailors to join the class and compete in a nationals and a worlds. We invite new sailors to join and old sailors to dust off their boats and come for the fun"

In addition to the 2024 World Championships, RGYC is hosting several lead-in events and coaching opportunities. The 2023 Victorian State Titles attracted interstate and out of town visitors to the region just 12 months out from the Championships and more are expected at events next spring.

Tracy Carter, Executive Director of Tourism Greater Geelong and The Bellarine said, "The Fireballs Worlds add to Geelong's growing portfolio of major international events. We welcome back international participants and visitors to Geelong and the Bellarine. This is an ideal location with many visitor drawcards including award-winning wineries, boutique food producers and outdoor adventures for family fun."

City of Greater Geelong Mayor, Trent Sullivan said, "Corio Bay is synonymous with sailing and it will be fantastic to see world-class action return for the first time since the pandemic. Geelong is a destination of choice for major events, and our co-hosting of the 2026 Commonwealth Games is a signal to the world that we're ready and capable of supporting any level of activity."

For competitors the Notice of Race (NoR) will be issued in April 2023 keep an eye on our website 2024.fireballworlds.com.

Related Articles

2024 Fireball Worlds - Act fast!
The excitement for the event at Royal Geelong Yacht Club is growing The excitement for the upcoming 2024 Fireball Worlds, hosted at the prestigious Royal Geelong Yacht Club (RGYC) in February 2024, is steadily growing. Posted on 21 Sep
'Smuggler' ready to race and signed up
As the first official entry for the 2024 Festival of Sails The impressive Sydney to Hobart contender 'Smuggler' has become the first yacht to sign on for the 2024 Festival of Sails being held in Geelong on January 26 to 28, 2024. Posted on 5 Sep
2024 Fireball Worlds Early Bird Entry
Calling all sailors, seize the opportunity! Are you ready to embark on an international sailing journey like no other? The 2024 Fireball Worlds is beckoning, and it's your chance to join a league of extraordinary sailors from across the globe. Posted on 11 Aug
RGYC launches the Sailing Development Program
With its new fleet of RS21 Boats Royal Geelong Yacht Club (RGYC) is delighted to announce the purchase of a fleet of identical RS21's to spearhead its newly developed Sailing Development Program (SDP). Posted on 5 Aug
Royal Geelong YC announces new General Manager
Mr Harper's appointment follows the retirement of former General Manager Phil Clohesy The Royal Geelong Yacht Club (RGYC) has announced the appointment of Steve Harper as its new General Manager. Posted on 16 Jul
ORCV awards long time member Paul Buchholz
Royal Geelong Yacht Club Vice Commodore wins Ocean Racer of The Year 2023 Royal Geelong Yacht Club (RGYC) Vice Commodore and Honorary life member Paul Buchholz has been awarded the 2023 Ocean Racing Club of Victoria's (ORCV) Ocean Racer of the Year award. Posted on 3 Jul
2024 Fireball Worlds Notice of Race released
The event has been a while coming! It has been a while coming with a two year postponement due to a Global Pandemic, but finally the Notice of Race for the 2024 Fireball Worlds has been released. Posted on 2 May
Fireball Victorian State Titles at Geelong
Racing at the home of the 2024 world championship A small but competitive fleet contested the Fireball State Titles at Royal Geelong Yacht Club, home of the 2024 world championship. Brendan Garner and Ben O'Brien teamed up for the first time since winning the Nationals in 2005-6. Posted on 13 Feb
Australian Flying Dutchman Championship 2023
Henger and Bismark defend their title In early February, Metung Yacht Club sailor, Mark Henger, and his New Zealand crewman, Matt Bismark, successfully defended their national title in the Australian International Flying Dutchman 2023 championship race series at Geelong. Posted on 7 Feb
DSS crowned 2023 VIC Sailing League champions
Derwent Sailing Squadron secure a spot in the SAILING Champions League - Asia Pacific Final Derwent Sailing Squadron were crowned VIC Sailing League Champions last weekend after some heated racing at the VIC Sailing League Final during Festival of Sails at Royal Geelong Yacht Club. Posted on 31 Jan