Fireball (dinghy)

Fireball

Class symbol
Boat
Crew	2 (single trapeze)
Hull
Hull weight	175 lb (79 kg)
LOA	16 ft 2 in (4.93 m)
Beam	4 ft 6 in (1.37 m)
Rig
Mast Length	22.3 ft (6.8 m)
Sails
Mainsail area	108 sq ft (10.0 m2).
Jib / Genoa area	35 sq ft (3.3 m2).
Spinnaker area	140 sq ft (13 m2).
Misc
D-PN	85.6
RYA PN	980
PHRF	184
Class is a member of World Sailing

Fireball dinghy under spinnaker

Originally designed by Peter Milne in 1962, the Fireball is a one-design high-performance sailing dinghy. The Fireball is sailed by a crew of two, and sports a single trapeze, symmetric spinnaker and chined hull. The class is strictly controlled, but has adapted to advances in building techniques. The hulls (plywood, FRP or composite) have a strict minimum weight limit of 175 lb (79 kg) (with correctors).

The Fireball is a highly competitive dinghy, with large fleets worldwide and state, national, continental and world championships held annually. Competitors of all ages help make this class enjoyable for everyone. The performance of the boat is very dependent on tuning as the Fireball's rig can be adjusted in numerous ways.

The 2010 Fireball World Championships were held in Barbados in May 2010. The 2011 Worlds were held in Sligo Yacht Club, Sligo, Ireland. The 2012 World Championships were held in Mandurah, Western Australia. The 2012 European Championships were held at Lake Bracciano in July. The Fireball celebrated its 50th year in 2012 and the 50th UK National Championships was held at Penzance in August.

The Fireball can also be sailed in a mixed fleet using the Portsmouth Yardstick handicap scheme. Its Portsmouth number is 980 in the UK^[1] and its D-PN (in the USA) is 85.6.^[2]

Events

World Championships

Year	Gold	Silver	Bronze
1966 Hayling Island	Great Britain Bob Fisher Richard Beales
1967 Ile de Bendor	Great Britain Peter Bateman Julian Brooke-Houghton
1968 Brunnen	Great Britain Peter Bateman Julian Brooke-Houghton
1970 Fenit	Great Britain J. Caig J. Davis
1971 Beirut	Great Britain J. Caig J. Davis
1972 Wrightsville Beach	West Germany J. Deisch S. Warfvinge
1973 Torbay	Great Britain K. Brackwell R. Butcher
1974 Glenelg	Australia J. Cassidy W. Crisp
1975 La Rochelle	United States A. Ellis Joan Ellis	Rhodesia Morgenrood Latham	United States Davis Davis
1976 Hubbard	United States S. Benjamin T. Edmunson
1977 Kinsale	United States S. Benjamin T. Edmunson
1978 Pattaya	Great Britain Lawrie Smith Andy Barker
1979 Monnickendam	Great Britain Crispin Read-Wilson Paul Withers	Great Britain Paul McNamara Nigel Vivian	Great Britain Davies
1980 Durban	Great Britain Kim Slater Richard Parslow	RSA JJ Provoyeur T Twentyman-Jones RSA D Hudson T Reynolds
1981 Weymouth	Great Britain Phil Morrison Jon Turner
1982 Melbourne	Australia Chris Tillet Mike Rogers
1983 Estavayer-le-Lac	Australia Stuart Hamilton D. Conner
1984 Point Richmond	Australia Gary Smith Nigel Conner
1985 Diano Marina	Australia Tony Weatherill Martin Penty
1986 Montréal	Australia Nigel Abbott Craig Smith
1987 Val-André	Great Britain Ian Pinnell Daniel Cripps
1988 Glenelg	Australia John Clifton Paul Martin
1989 Paignton	Australia John Dransfield Andrew Perry
1990 Enoshima	Australia John Dransfield Andrew Perry
1991 Skadergarten	Australia Jon Dransfield Gregor Baird
1992 Wrightsville Beach	South Africa Martin Lambrecht Alec Lanham-Love
1993 Nieuwpoort	Great Britain Tim Rush John Ward
1994 Durban	Great Britain Ian Pinnell Daniel Cripps	Switzerland Schärer Moser	Australia Cook Batty
1995 Dun Loaghaire	Ireland John Lavery David O'Brien
1996 Kingston	Great Britain Colin Goodman Jim Turner	Switzerland Erich Moser Rüdi Moser	Canada Nicoll-Griffith Kelly
1997 Weymouth	Great Britain David Edwards Adam Bowers	Great Britain Ian Pinnell John Ward	Great Britain Malcolm Davies Ian Cadwallader
1998 Melbourne	Great Britain Colin Goodman Jim Turner	Great Britain Ian Pinnell John Ward	Great Britain Malcolm Davies Russell Thorne
1999 Brest	France Bénoît Petit Jean-François Cuzon
2000 Pattaya	Great Britain David Edwards Vyv Townend
2001 Trevignano Romano	Great Britain Steve Morrison Liam Murray	Great Britain Ian Pinnell David Scott	Czech Republic Tomas Musil Milan Kolacek
2002 Tampa	Great Britain Ian Pinnell David Scott	Great Britain Richard Estaugh Simon Potts	Switzerland Erich Moser Rüdi Moser
2003 Kilifi	Great Britain Chips Howarth Vyv Townend	Great Britain Dave Wade Richard Wagstaff	Great Britain Vincent Horey Jim Turner
2004 Adelaide	Great Britain Andy Smith James Meldrum	Czech Republic Tomas Musil Jan Danek	Great Britain Dave Wade Richard Wagstaff
2005 Teighmouth	Great Britain Chips Howarth Vyv Townend	Great Britain Andy Smith Jonny Mildred	Great Britain Guy Tipton Chriss Tattersall
2006 Victoria	Switzerland Erich Moser Rüdi Moser	Canada Grant Lamont Tom Egli	Australia Heather MacFarlane Chris Payne
2007 St. Moritz	Great Britain Richard Estaugh Rob Gardener	Great Britain Vince Horey Andy Thompson	Great Britain Tom Jeffcoate Mark Hogan
2008 Pattaya	Great Britain Matt Mee Richard Wagstaff	Great Britain David Wade Ben McGraine	Australia Nathan Stockley Sam Muirhead
2009 La Rochelle	Great Britain Chips Howarth Vyv Townend	Great Britain Matt Burge Richard Wagstaff	Great Britain David Edwards Simon Potts
2010 Bridgetown	Great Britain Chips Howarth Vyv Townend	Great Britain Matt Burge Richard Wagstaff	Great Britain David Edwards Simon Potts
2011	Kevlar Footprint (GBR) Matt Burge Richard Wagstaff
2012	Great Britain Thomas Gillard Sam Brearey
2013	Great Britain Thomas Gillard Simon Potts
2014	Great Britain Christian Birrell Sam Brearey

European Championships

Notes

1. ↑ "Portsmouth Number List 2012". Royal Yachting Association. Retrieved 31 July 2012. 
2. ↑ "Centerboard Classes". US Sailing. Retrieved 31 July 2012. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fireball (dinghy).

• International Fireball Class website
• 2011 Fireball World Championships
• UK Fireball Association website
• Fireball France website
• Swiss Fireball website
• Irish Fireball website
• Czech Fireball website
• Fireball North America website
• Fireball Australia website
• Fireball Italy website
• Fireball South Africa website
• Fireball Japan website
• Fireball Slovenia website
• Fireball Belgium website
• 50th Anniversary UK National Championships website
• International Class Rules 2011 revision