14th to 20th September 2024 - Maccagno, Lago Maggiore (ITA)
The 2024 Europeans will be held in Maccagno/Lago Maggiore (ITA) from September 14 to 20.
The Sailing Club Unione Velica Maccagno (UVM) is a very experiencced club to organise Fireball events.
The narrow stretch of the lake just north of Maccagno, flanked by steep mountains, suits well for sailing. Thermal winds from the north (morning) and south (afternoon) are the norm.
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Report by Frank Miller (IRL):
Sunday, Day 1, Race 1
Champagne sailing conditions greeted the 75 boat Fireball fleet for the opening of the European Championship at Maccagno today. Earlier in the morning there was a steady twenty knot Northerly breeze up the lake. By the time the fleet were afloat that had dropped to about ten knots but with some decent gusts. After one postponed start the boats got away off the the line with a majority of the fleet bunched towards the pin as the better pressure appeared to be along the left hand shoreline. With a course of Triangle/Sausage there was a little overtaking on the reaches and on the run but those who went hard or middle left seemed to come out ahead. Ultimately the race was won by DJ Edwards & Viv Townend with Vince Horey & Dave Wade second. DJ went middle left up the beat and found clear lanes to get through to the front. Third were Charles Lecalvex & Ludovic Collin. Fourth place were Ed Og Butler & Iso Inan. There were a sprinkling of UFD disqualifications under the U flag, the most tragic being Claude Mermod & Ruedi Moser who would have finished in the top three. After race one the wind lightened and went slightly north west and the race committee waited for a reasonable and steady breeze to settle but after an hour or more waiting the postponed flag went up and the fleet headed ashore. The forecast for the rest of the event looks quite light and with that in mind an 8.30am start has been posted for first race tomorrow Monday to use the morning breeze.
Monday, Day 2, no races
The fleet rose early for an 8.30 am start but the morning breeze failed to materialise, leading to a four hour postponement. At the afternoon regrouping there was a further short postponement before a 4/5 knot southerly breeze filled in and sailors were sent out to a race area about 3km downwind where better wind was expected. Unfortunately the breeze went from light and patchy to non-existent and Fireballers started to paddle for home before being picked up on long tows and taken ashore. There followed a further postponement ashore as there was a prospect of wind associated with severe weather systems in middle Europe coming to Maccagno but it was not to be. So places remain the same and DJ Edwards and Vyv Townend remain the leading boat in the series.
Tuesday, Day 3, 3 races
Fireballs enjoyed fantastic conditions at Maccagno for day three of their European Championship. The fleet again faced an early alarm call for an 8.30am start but racing was postponed for a short while as the breeze was perpendicular to the narrow lake. Once the southerly wind was established boats were sent afloat and downwind to the favoured area where the committee set up for three races. Race two of the championship was sailed in medium airs and the right hand side of the course appeared to pay off, though many leading boats also found a route up the left shore. Weirdly there remains a moderate north-south current caused by extreme winds a week ago so sailors have the unusual task of factoring in lake current into their considerations. The first race of the day (race 2 of the event) saw a right hand shift but other than that the breeze was fairly consistent. Event leaders DJ Edwards and Vyv Townend took that race, their second bullet of the series. For race three the breeze was up a notch and for a while the better breeze appeared to be on the left side of the course. For those who went too far left however it was a disaster as the wind clocked further right by at least 30 degrees during the first beat. That race was won by Czech pair Milan Cap & Filip Prochazka with event leaders DJ & Vyv suffering a 31st place as a result of the shift. Just before the start of race four the wind increased further, probably hitting close to twenty knots in some gusts. The short sharp gusts came with a sting in the tail, namely heading lulls leading to some teabagging of crews. Some top teams worked their way up the middle using shifts but definitely the best pressure was coming from the right side of the course. The reaches and the run for race four were absolutely spectacular. That final race of the day was won by Czech team Jiri Paruzek & Jakub Kosvica.
When the results were collated a new event leader emerged in the shape of father & son team of Martyn & Daniel Lewis whose very consistent scores lifted them to the top of the leaderboard. DJ & Vyv are now 2nd overall and another father & son team Graham & William Cook are 3rd overall, just one point adrift. Vince Horey & Dave Wade are now 4th overall with other top teams not far behind on points , including current world champions Tom Gillard & Andy Thompson. Tomorrow Wednesday is a lay day and with a possibility of four races on Thursday this Fireball European Championship is still all to play for....
Wednesday, Lay Day
Thursday, Day 4, 2 racses
The fleet had an early rise again on Thursday with racing slated for an 8.30am start and four races scheduled. Race five got away around 9am in a very decent Northerly breeze of around 16 knots. With the best breeze along the left hand shoreline the pin end was crowded and that side favoured with pressure and a wind bend. Claude and Ruedi won race 5 but more significantly DJ & Vyv scored a 2nd consolidating their position at the top of the leaderboard.
Before race 6 got underway the breeze swung right requiring a slight course reset. The start got underway in good breeze but there were already signs of the pressure lessening up the course. And so it transpired that the wind eased steadily to medium/light across the course with the best remaining breeze on the left shoreline. As the race progressed the wind became less and less and those on the right side of the course suffered most. The race was won by Xavier Broise & Trystan Robin and again DJ Edwards and Vyv Townend were 2nd. This gave the UK team a very clear lead overall on 11 points nett versus Martyn and Daniel Lewis on 31 points and Jiri Paruzik & Jakub Kosvika lying 3rd overall on 37 points. By the finish of race 6 the wind had almost completely died and the fleet returned ashore for a long postponement to wait for the direction to shift to the anticipated afternoon breeze. While sailors enjoyed good afternoon sunshine the wind refused to play ball and at about 16.20 the flags went up calling a halt to the days racing. Tomorrow is the final day of racing and with a 3pm cutoff an early start is anticipated.
Friday, Day 5, 3 races
Claude Mermod & Ruedi Moser have won the Fireball European Championship at Maccagno after three races on the final day of the event. The overnight leaders and until today the dominant team at the event, DJ Edwards & Vyv Townend, finished up second overall, two points adrift of the Swiss winners. Third overall were father and son team Martyn and Daniel Lewis .
Racing on Friday started very early, at 8am to be precise, with the intention of capturing the most of the morning breeze before it was due to fade close to lunchtime. Conditions for races seven and eight were decent enough medium/light airs. Again the left side appeared favoured but a number of shifts confounded that direction. Claude & Reudi won race seven with overnight leaders DJ and Vyv scoring an 11th. Claude and Ruedi scored a 2nd in race eight while DJ and Vyv carried a 26th in shifting breezes. Race 9 the final race of the event saw the wind soften during the race and then fade to absolutely nothing leaving several boats timed out, unable to reach the shortened finish line. Claude & Reudi scored a 24th (their 2nd discard) while DJ & Vyv retired when they found themselves near the back in almost no air. Thus the final day of racing saw a big reversal of fortune and the veteran Swiss team of Claude Mermod & Reudi Moser energe victorious.
Full Results | Ladies | U25 | Classics
