Irish Fireball Ulster Champs on Carlingford Lough Yacht Club

Neil Spain & Mathew Threadwell won the Irish Fireball Ulster Championship hosted by Carlingford Lough Yacht Club on 23/24 May 2004. In a 25 boat fleet Spain & Threadwell counted their first Fireball Championship win since teaming up at the start of last season. Threadwell no stranger to the Fireball podium having won 5 National Fireball Championships as a helm moved to the front of the boat last year to crew for Spain a multiable 420 National Champion. Second overall went to Clontarf based Damien Bracken and Brian O'Hara who was separated on count back from Laser 2 World Champion Noel Butler crewed by Hugh Butler who finished third. The results leave the Fireball Traveller Series wide open with the podium finishers of the previous Championship being displaced to 4th, 5th & 6th respectively.

CLYC based at Killowen Point on the north side of the Lough made full use of its southerly aspect providing blazing sunshine for the Fireballers on their third visit to the club. Racing got of to a bumpy start as an early land breeze switch to a sea breeze after the 1 minute gun for a Windward Leeward course. The Race officer opted not to abandon leaving the fleet to host spinnakers to cross the start line for a drag race down the course. Spain & Threadwell quick to react to the changing conditions took the bullet leading home the Clontarf based Clarke brothers who return to Fireball circuit after some matrimonial diversions. Meanwhile Justin Maguire and Francis Rowan held off the Butlers to finish third.

With a steady F3/4 sea breeze now established the race officer was able to set a perfect Olympic Course with extra long reaches which the fleet thoroughly enjoyed. Smyth & O'Reilly showing good pace on the reaches exchanged positions on each lap with Bracken and Moody to lead at the final leeward mark only to loose the lead on the short beat to the finish as Bracken's bad air allowed Moody to grab second on the line. Meanwhile Noel Butler was forced to retire after taking on water after a start line incident with none other than his World Championship winning crew Steven Campion who was helming with Sarah Donaghy. Butlers dash ashore to bail and apply duck tape paid dividends as he slipped through to take the bullet in Race 3 ahead of Maguire and Spain. Meanwhile Will Moody sailing with Stephen Gill where first ashore having retired with a damaged spinnaker pole have shown well in Race 3. As the rest of the fleet returned ashore to the hospitality of the club Spain held the overnight lead ahead of Maguire and Bracken with at least 7 boats in contention when the first discard would kick in.

Sunday say another day of blazing sunshine but this time the fleet had to launch in glass like conditions and drift on the incoming tide to the starting area. The OOD set a course for an expectant sea breeze which did arrive but this time more flickle than previously. As racing started most boats headed straight to the shore to get out of the tide. It was Spain who rounded first at the windward mark. As the wind disappear on the run and the fleet closed together the ODD was forced to shorting at the leeward mark. Neil Colin sailing with Margaret Casey found enough breeze to nipped in at the last minute to take the bullet ahead of Moody & Spain. With the wind refusing to return lunch was served as the clock ticked towards the 2:30 deadline for starting races on the final day. With minutes to spare the OOD wait seemed justified as a much stronger sea breeze established in time to get the fleet off on an Olympic course. This time the wind again refused to play ball continually shifting, dropping and rising with some legs sailed with spinnakers in both directions. It was Spain again who made the best of the conditions to take first and seal the overall championship ahead of Bracken with Campion in third. Meanwhile Butler stage a dramatic fight back having been buried on the first beat by a big shift to fight back to 5th at the finish to take third overall just missing out on second to Bracken by a point.

The Gold 2 fleet was won by Brian Nolan & Tim Leonard from Clontarf who held a comfortable lead over fellow club mates John Walsh and Niamh O'Rourke. In the Silver fleet Murphy and Keaney justified the longest journey in the fleet from Killaloe when they took first in the fleet ahead of Dunlaoghaire based Glen Fisher & Peter Houlihan.

Thanks to all at Carlingford Lough Yacht Club for hosting a great event in some of the best senary in the country.

Overall Results: