Japan Fireball National Championship at Enoshima

Japan Fireball National Championship © Japan Fireball Class Association

The Fireball Japan National Championship was held in Enoshima on November 16th and 17th. Last year, Ishii and Ito won 6 consecutive championships using P&B's Radial sail, while Nakano/Ando, Kato/Hara, and Ishibashi/Tsurumoto, who introduced North Sails' Radial sail, which has been increasingly used in the world in recent years, watched closely to see if they could stop Ishii and Ito from winning.

The 2024 Fireball Japan National Championship was held in front of Kamakura with six races were held over two days. On the first day, there was a steady northerly wind with a wind direction of 30 degrees and a gusty 12-20 knots. On the second day, three races were held under conditions with a wind direction of 50 ~ 70 degrees and a wind speed which gradually decreased from 10 to 6 knots.

Race 1: Defending champions Ishii/Ito ran through the spinnaker run in the first mark to the gybe mark while other boats were struggling with tight reaches, and then extended their lead slightly to the leeward mark. However, Kato/Hara took the lead in the second upwing leg, using the right side of the sea, as they were buffeted by the fluttering north wind.

After that, in the third upwind leg, the three boats, including Ishibashi/Tsurumoto, were in a mixed, Ishibashi/Tsurumoto took the lead in the downwind leg from the final leg to finish line, and Kato/Hara came in second, and Ishii/Ito came in third.

Race 2: In the second race, Ishii/Ito, like in the first race, ran steadily through the tight first racing led and took the lead for a while, but Kato/Hara passed Ishii/Ito from gybe mark to leeward mark leg and took the lead.

However, Kato/Hara's crew fell from the water at this point, and Kato/Hara retired. Helmsman Kato tried his best to rescue the boat by controlling the boat alone in the wind of nearly 20knot. The crew Hara returned to the boat after swimming a long time, and was exhausted, so he decided to retire for the third race.

At this point, Ishii/Ito took the lead again, and it was thought that they might win the race. However, as the wind picked up, the crew was forced to go to the bow to work due to a problem involving the jib sail in the forestay.

During this process, they unexpectedly capsized. Ishibashi/Tsurumoto and Nakano/Ando were ahead of him. As a result, Ishibashi/Tsurumoto, who finished the race without any trouble, took first place again from the first race. Legend from 20th century Nakano/Ando took second place. Ishii/Ito finished third in the first race and third in the second race.

Race 3: Immediately after the start of the third race, the crew of Ishii/Ito lost the cleat of the trapeze and fell into the water. They chased the fleet from the tail end. In this situation, Furukawa/Ushiku caught the wind that shift to the right and gained a lot. They took the top course at the top of the first mark. Four boats then took the top course one after another, but Ishii/Ito, who was late at the start of the race, showed his skill in the reaching and took the top at the gybe mark. He then kept the comfortable lead and won the third race. Ishibashi/Tsurumoto firmly placed in second place, while Kato/Hara, who retired and prepared for the event, came in a disappointing third.

Japan Fireball National Championship - photo © Japan Fireball Class Association

The second day of racing, Ishibashi/Tsurumoto had been tense since the morning, but Kato/Hara gave in to pressure, saying, "I think you're starting to be a champion." The sailing club has mild weather, with an unseasonably warm temperature of over 20 degrees. The forecast is for winds to gradually fall with a large change from north to east-northeast. The second day started with a feeling of something happening.

Race 4: Ishii and Ito, who started from the leeward side of the start line, stretched out on the starboard, tacked in line with the shifts, and took the lead at windward mark. After that, they kept the lead and finished in first place.

Meanwhile, Kato and Hara took second place, and Ishibashi and Tsurumoto came in third. It was a tough race for Ishibashi and Tsurumoto, who were unable to take advantage of the wind shift due to Kato and Hara's pressure.

Race 5: In the fifth race, Ishii and Ito were slightly oversail on the right side of race course, but Ishibashi and Tsurumoto, who read the lay line of the starboard, took the lead at the top of the first mark.

It was a difficult for many boats to make the final tack on the lay line, as the terrain shift to the left around the top mark, but they made the right tack on the lay line.

However, the weak point for Ishibashi and Tsurumoto, who were both lighter weight, was the sailing angle of the tight reach. Ishibashi suffered from a tight reaching leg, they allowed Ishii sail in windward side and lost 1st position, Ishii and Ito take the lead, Ishii and Ito manage the small lead finish top, Ishibashi/Tsurumoto came in second by small gap, and Kato/Hara came in third.

The fate of the national champion was going to be decided in the final battle.

Race 6: As predicted, the wind gradually dropped, and the key to victory was how to catch the shift and gust. Immediately after the start, Ishibashi and Tsurumoto returned the tack to the port, to use the right area, and then returned to the starboard to catch the shift and round the first mark in top position. However, Ishii and Ito caught up by the gybe mark.

An endless luffing match brought both boats to the far windward side of the leeward mark. Kato/Hara sailed through to the top, but it no longer mattered to these two boats.

In the second half of the side to bottom leg, the wind shift significantly and Ishii/Ito, who was in the wind blanket, moved forward. As a result, in the bottom mark, Kato/Hara came in first, Ishii/Ito in second, Nakano/Ando in third and Ishibashi/Tsurumoto in fourth.

At this point, Kato/Hara and Ishii/Ito presumed that the wind would shift to right and gustcoming from the east, so deployed go to right side. Meanwhile, Nakano/Ando and Ishibashi/Tsurumoto chose the left, where the wind was still in. The fleet split into two groups.

Nakano/Ando and Ishibashi/Tsurumoto caught the gust first. On the right area, there is not enough gust from the east and completely different winds are blowing between the right and left area.

Kato/Hara and Ishii/Ito get on the lay line in with over sailed, accompanied by a right shift in the last minute.

Ishibashi/Tsurumoto took the lead in the windward mark, while Ishii/Ito third and Kato/Hara fourth. Ishibashi/Tsurumoto took the lead with a big margin over Ishii/Ito, who were in contention for the championship.

The final leg was the downwind leg from top to bottom. Ishii/Ito caught a blow and started to catch up, but fell short. Ishibashi/Tsurumoto finished at the top for the third time in this race. Ishii/Ito came in second.

At this point the scores were Ishibashi/Tsurumoto 1-1-2-(3)-2-1 for a total of 7 points, while Ishii/Ito had 3-(3)-1-1-1-2 for a total of 8 points.

With Ishibashi/Tsurumoto leading by one point, the seventh and final race seemed like it would be taking place, but the management boat hoisted AP over A, so the new Fireball champions were Ishibashi Takumi/Tsurumoto Koichi.

Despite the difficult conditions, Ishibashi/Tsurumoto sail steadily without any major setbacks and won their first championship in six years since the team was formed. Crew member Tsurumoto won his first championship in his 17th attempt at the Japan national Championship, including his previous skipper.

After the race, Tsurumoto said, "I don't really feel it yet, but my wife told me that she was happy."

The victory celebration will be held again so that not only the participants of this race but also many people, including race committee chairperson Kosaka and former pair Shimotsuma, can participate.

I am looking forward to the presentation of the Legends Memorial Trophy, the Fireball Association's All Japan Championship trophy, and the photo of Ishibashi/Tsurumoto holding their cups and drinking vigorously.