Solitary Race confirms the 2022 Fireball World Champions.
Lough Derg Yacht Club in County Tipperary, Ireland is quiet this morning! The yacht club which played host to the 2022 GUL Fireball World Championships over the past seven days is a scene of tents being dismantled and trailers being prepped for road trips home.
For the fifth time, Tom Gillard of GBR is a World Champion Fireball Helm, crewed by Andy Thompson.
Heading into the final day of racing, Gilliard sat in first with Helen Macfarlane in 2nd and Mermod in 3rd. As predicted the wind was coming from the North West at about 8 -10 knots. Race Officer Con Murphy got the fleet away at 11:19 after having to alter the course due to wind shifts.
Results from the first race of the day (race 9), Mermod & Moser took their second race win, followed by Gillard & Thompson, Haerdi & Landerer, Marsh & Davenport and Porter & McDowell.
With a fading wind that moved around continuously, getting in a 10th race for the event did not seem possible and at 14:41 “N over A” was signalled and we had new Fireball World Champions. Tom and Andy won five of the nine races, they won by a margin of eight points. In second place was Claude Mermod & Ruedi Moser and in 3rd Heather Macfarlane and Chris Payne.
Ireland's Barry McCartin & Conor Kinsella came 4th in the event!
A majorily successful event in Lough Derg Yacht Club and one sure not to be forgotten!
To see a full breakdown of the event results see HERE.
Ireland sitting in third place
79 entries from nine countries at the Gul Fireball World Championship at Lough Derg Yacht Club this week - GBR, AUS, SUI, CZE, FRA, AUS, ITA, HKG, CAN
Light winds on day one meant no racing and after six races over 2 days of racing Barry McCartin and Conor Kinsella, (Royal St George Yacht Club), 2022 Fireball Leinster Champions, are sitting in 3rd place. Two days of racing to go, final day is Friday 26 Aug.
Leading the class in first place is currently Thomas Gillard and Shandy Thompson from GBR, with Heather MacFarlane and Chris Payne from Australia in 2nd place.
Race Officer Con Murphy providing excellent racing for the 79 strong fleet and the start lines are magnificent - see 1min 28 seconds in video below.
This is proving to be a world event with as much fun off the water as on, with evening entertainment of sup racing, live traditional music and dancing, as well as daily prizes courtesy of the sponsors ... the sailors are having a ball at Lough Derg Yacht Club this week.