Zhik Fireball National Championships at Penzance Sailing Club - Days 1 & 2

Fireball nationals in Penzance © Lee Whitehead / www.photolounge.co.uk

Fireball nationals in Penzance © Lee Whitehead / www.photolounge.co.uk

Penzance Sailing Club warmly welcomed the return of the Fireball fleet for their 50th anniversary National Championships. It's the fourth time the nationals have been hosted by the club and the competitors, although mostly too young to have remembered the first nationals held in Penzance in 1975, were excited at the prospect of some great sailing in the picturesque Mount's Bay.

With a strong entry of 57 boats, despite the event following just after the European Championships in Rome, the fleet arrived in good spirits, ready for the usual close competition and high standard the class always provides.

On the Saturday evening, after the requisite scrutineering, the Race Officer welcomed the competitors to the club house and gave a detailed briefing of the racing plan for the week ahead, including proposed gate starts without a guard boat. Unsurprisingly there were no volunteers for pathfinder on day 1.

Sunday dawned with the expected forecast of steady 10knt SW winds and the fleet launched easily with the clubs able slipway assistance. Following a brief practice race, the 1st of the days 2 series races got underway without any major drama. The Ellis Brothers sailing the brand new fleet boat, came fast out of the gate early, and led at the windward mark, closely followed by Tim Rush and Sam Pascoe with Vince Horey and Vyv Townend in 3rd. Place changes were difficult in the constant and steady breeze and the 3 boats maintained order throughout to cross the finish line with the Ellis brothers taking the 1st bullet.

In race 2, Andy and Lesley Foskett used the pathfinders ticket to the favoured right hand side of the course. They led at the windward mark with Sam Mettam and Richard Anderton hot on their heels. Half way down the 1st reach there was a large increase in pressure, leaving the lightweight Fosketts unable to hold their lane and Mettam and Anderton duly took advantage to take the lead, a position they went on to win from. Rush and Pascoe also came through and took second, with the Ellis brothers taking 3rd, cementing them as overnight leaders.

The evening was celebrated at the club with the commodore's reception, the prize giving for the race winners and some quality prizes distributed randomly throughout the fleet. The Fireballs split their fleet results into Gold, Silver and Bronze and someone from each level left the club left with something sexy for the kit bag. There was also one lucky winner of a new daily fleet prize. Vince Horey was the very 1st recipient of the prize awarded for gross underachievement – known here as the Feckwit of the fleet, but perhaps better known as the "duckhams" award. Vince bagged his prize having managed to capsize to windward after dropping his main sheet at the windward mark. His boat briefly becoming the windward mark, before his crew, Vyv, dizzy from the subsequent turns, decided he no longer wanted to sail with such an obvious feckwit and bailed out briefly, before changing his mind, grabbing the gunwale and hauling himself back onboard. Vince was happy enough to wear the new yellow "feckwit of the fleet" jersey and sailed day 2 proudly wearing his special shirt.

On day 2 the wind had freshened to around 15 knots and brought an interesting rolling swell in with it. After a postponement mid sequence, race 1 got underway in great fireball conditions and Alan Krailing – 3 times Lark national champion - and his crew Tim Linsell, led to the windward mark, followed by the consistent Ellis brothers, with Vince and Viv rounding 3rd. Krailing held the lead until the final reach when the on form Ellis brothers were able to drive over the top to take their second bullet of the week and consolidate their position as overall leaders.

In race 2, the pathfinders Derian and Andy Scott used their ticket to the right side of the course to lead round the 1st mark, closely followed by current world champion Tom Gillard and crew Bernie Gammon. With the winds dying away but big seas remaining, Derian and Andy managed to hold off the charging Gillard & Gammon for half the race but were eventually overcome. The leading Ellis brothers had their worst result so far, finishing 6th, but maintain their overall lead on 5 points from Rush/Pascoe and Horey/Townend, both on 9 points and tied for second.

In the evening everyone gathered for the lively class AGM and the chairman of the past 2 years Tim Saunders who has done a sterling job, resigned his post and handed over to newly elected Chairman Jez White. The class were pleased to announce that the UK has been chosen by Fireball International, to host the worlds in 2015 and a heated debate on the venue was followed with a new feckwit of the fleet being appointed. Phil Popple from Shoreham sailing club was the worthy winner for being such a bad pathfinder so as to cause a postponement. He will proudly wear the yellow jersey until a new winner is chosen following tomorrow's racing.

Results after Day 2: