2023 Gul Fireball Inland Championship Preview
by Mike Deane 3 Oct 2023 15:22 BST
7-8 October 2023
2022 Gul Fireball Inlands at Draycote © Malcolm Lewin / malcolmlewinphotography.zenfolio.com/watersports
Following a very successful National Championship at Torbay on the English Riviera in July, the UK Fireball fleet will reconvene at Draycote Water (aka the Midlands Riviera) this weekend for the 2023 Inland Championship.
Once again Gul is kindly sponsoring the event, and we are pleased to see that at least one past World Champion will be turning up, plus a host of other big names from the national fleet. On top of this we have a good turnout of local boats, some of whom can get round a course without capsizing up to 80% of the time.
Draycote Water, ideally situated in the middle of the country for easy access, has always been a class racing club, and with 650 acres of water is just perfect for Fireballs. The club has been running Fireball events for decades and is well practised in putting on some excellent racing over the course of a weekend event.
It's been a good year for the Fireball, and for boats fresh back from the European Championships in September this is probably the last major event before the World Championships in February of next year. Thus we expect some top notch racing across the fleet. We are also very fortunate to have our sponsors, Gul, provide us with a range of gift vouchers as part of the prizes!
The Gul Inlands will be a 6-race series with the first race signal on 7th October 12:25, and races 2 & 3 following swiftly after.
The clubhouse will be open from 08:30 each day with food available until 15:00 with the bar open from 12:00 until at least 18:00. There is a wide range of local accommodation for you to stay in, with a Travelodge or two not far away. See draycotewater.co.uk/sailing-events/visitor-information
Online entry is now available, the weather looks positively Mediterranean, so why not come along for a weekend of great racing and socialising! Don't forget you need to be a full member of the UKFA to compete in the Inlands. See the UKFA website for details and please don't leave it to the last minute to join!
We look forward to seeing everyone there. Online Entry, the Sailing Instructions, Notice of Race and more information is available at ddraycotewater.co.uk/events/fireball-open-3