As a tribute to the memory of the late veteran dinghy racer Louis Smyth, his family have announced that they will support a young team who are interested in trying a high-performance Fireball dinghy. While full details of the scheme for the next summer season are being finalised, as an initial gesture the family – supported by the Irish Fireball Association – will make available a highly competitive top spec modern Fireball to a suitable young team who wish to race in the upcoming DMYC Winter Frostbite Series in Dun Laoghaire. In addition to providing the boat, the entry fee and dinghy parking for the event will be looked after by Louis’ family.
The offer may be of particular interest to young teams who are considering a campaign for the Fireball Worlds 2020 which take place in Howth in August 2020. The qualifying age range for the team is from 13-26 and obviously they would need to have good sailing ability and racing experience. Realistically the team would need to be of suitable weight (ideally between 120kg-170kg) and strength/fitness to take up the offer. A Fireball is a high performance yet stable centreboard dinghy with trapeze and spinnaker. Every year a healthy number participate in the Frostbite series, so good racing is guaranteed with hot competition on the water and friendly support off the water. The successful team will write a short CV or pitch for the boat for the Frostbite series and the final choice of team will be made by the Irish Fireball Association executive in conjunction with Louis’ family.
Expressions of interest should be sent to Frank Miller, Honorary Secretary, Irish Fireball Association at [email protected]. Frank can also be reached via telephone at 087 2584016.