For the Fireball Class, whose logo is a large red sun, enjoying the spectacular sunshine of the weekend just past for their 2026 National Championships seemed a happy coincidence. However, the competitors were more focussed on the vagaries of the wind as isobars and thermal effects struggled for dominance.

The 18-boat fleet gathered for their three-day Nationals at Howth Yacht Club on Friday with rain and a sturdy south-easterly breeze belying the newspaper headlines of an imminent heatwave and the detailed weather forecasts offering gloom about the potential wind conditions for the weekend. The entries spanned all parts of Ireland with strong representation from Monkstown Bay SC in Cork and Dun Laoghaire while Conor Twohig and Matthew Cotter were the solitary HYC entry.

By the time of the scheduled first gun on Friday afternoon, the postponement flag was hanging limp on North Star, shaken occasionally by the left-over swell rolling in from the southeast. With three races scheduled for each of the days and a Class minimum wind speed of 5Kn for a start, the prospects for the afternoon were looking poor but a westerly eventually arrived and the fleet got away for their first race. With a triangle/sausage/triangle course configuration in use and three legs completed, the breeze decided a change was appropriate, with a drop in wind speed and a flick to the southwest adding to the challenges for the close packed fleet approaching the leeward mark. It re-established as the fleet sailed the windward leg but the Race Committee decided that enough was enough and, with a further two races still to complete, the fleet was sent to the finish line from the bottom of the run. One of the pre-event favourites, Noel Butler - with crew Stephen Oram (National YC), took first with French visitors Yoann Fouassier and Jean Robillard (Circle de la Voile du Centre) in second and Ewen and Thea Barry (Monkstown Bay SC) taking third. A second race was attempted but a fading breeze and strengthening tide forced its abandonment and that was that for Day 1 – two races behind schedule already and a less than encouraging wind forecast for the remaining two days.

For Day 2, the Class agreed to increase the maximum number of daily races from four to five, in the expectation that Sunday would be for sun-bathing rather than sailing.  A 7Kn westerly greeted the fleet and two races were completed before it slowly faded away, fortunately just after the finish of the shortened second race of the day. The French visitors confirmed their intent to threaten for the title by winning race 2 with the Barrys second. Conor Twohig/ Matthew Cotter won the next one with Jack McNaughton/Kilian Matthieu (DMYC/GBSC) as runner-up. A long break with absolutely no wind ensued while hopes for a sea breeze kept the mark-layers busy chasing wisps around the possible course area.  An easterly sea-breeze that initially reached 19Kn suddenly materialised and race 4 was quickly got away, with races 5 and 6 following. The Barrys showed their mastery of the new conditions and won all three of the breezier races with mixed fortunes for the other title contenders. Fouassier/Robillard scored their first U Flag disqualification (UFD) for an overly enthusiastic start to race 4, Butler/Oram put in a steady 2, 4, 3 and Twohig/Cotter added a 6,3,2. The fresher conditions brought some new contenders to the front with Niall McGrotty / Neil Cramer (Skerries SC) taking 3^rd in race 4 and Rachel Deasy / Harry Thompson (MBSC / TBSC) finishing second in race 5. With five races completed on the day, a tired fleet returned ashore after a marathon seven-hour stint with the possibility, given the Sunday forecast, that the last race of the event had been sailed. The leading three were the Barrys, Butler/Oram and Twohig/Cotter.

The Sunday breeze defied expectations and a further three races were completed in a remarkably steady north-easterly breeze that, once established, hovered between 6 and 8kn. The Barrys had a set back in the first race when a coming together with a mark resulted in a 6^th while Twohig / Cotter took first ahead of Adrian Lee / Edmund Hynes (MBSC) with McGrotty / Miller in 3^rd. The Barrys got back into their stride for the last two races and were clear winners of both while Twohig/Cotter and Butler/Oram spent the two races apparently joined by bungee cord, never far apart. Fouassier/Robillard finished their event with a second place in the last race, some consolation for suffering another UFD in race 7.

At the prize giving Rear Commodore Jill Sommerville thanked both the Class for bringing their Championship to Howth YC and the Club members involved in its delivery for their commitment. Commodore Kevin Monks presented the prizes to the winners in both the Silver and Gold Fleets. In the Silver fleet Rachel Deasy / Harry Thompson (MBSC / TBSC) took first, Brian Jones / TJ O’Brien (MBSC) second and Pat McGoldrick / Paul ter Horst (DMYC) third. Ewen and Thea Barry (MBSC), counting five firsts, a second and a fourth, were crowned the 2026 Irish National Champions with Conor Twohig / Matthew Cotter (HYC) the runners-up and Noel Butler / Stephen Oram (NYC) in third place.

Full results are available at https://www.hyc.ie/results and photos can be viewed here

Race report by Neil Murphy

Photography by Karolina Kernan & Paddy Judge