Fireball Barbados
World’s 2010
The Barbados Sailing Association has the honour of being awarded the hosting of the Fireball International World Championships from April 24th through to May 7th, 2010.
THE SCHEDULE & BACKGROUND TO THE FIREBALL
BARBADOS WORLDS 2010
International Championship
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| April 24th - April 25th | Measurement & registration |
| April 25th | Opening Ceremony 19.30 hrs. |
| April 26th - April 27th | Races 12.00 noon – 16.00 hrs. |
| April 28th | Lay day |
| April 29th - April 30th | Races 12.00 noon – 16.00 hrs. |
| April 30th | Prize Giving 19.30 hrs. |
| April 24th - April 25th | Measurement & registration |
| April 26th - April 27th | Races 12.00 noon – 16.00 hrs. |
| April 28th | Lay day |
| April 29th - April 30th | Races 12.00 noon – 16.00 hrs. |
| April 30th | Prize Giving 19.30 hrs. |
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World Championship
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| May 2nd - May 4th | Races 12.00 noon – 16.00 hrs. |
| May 5th | Lay day |
| May 6th - May 7th | Races 12.00 noon |
| May 7th | Prize Giving 19.30 hrs. |
The Barbados Tourism Authority is the title sponsor. Other sponsors include Digicel, Virgin Atlantic, Mount Gay Distilleries and Banks Breweries. The event will be sailed under the auspices of the Barbados Sailing Association the governing body for sailing in Barbados. The Barbados Yacht Club will play a significant role as the host venue.
The Fireball is a high performance two-person 16 ft sailing dinghy offering exciting sailing, intense competition and a great social life off the water. The sailing conditions in Barbados are ideally suited to Fireball sailing. The Fireball class is highly competitive, with large fleets worldwide. State, national, continental and world championships are held annually.
Fireball are a delight to sail in strong winds. The thrills of trapeze and spinnakers are hard to match in any type of sailboat or board. If capsized, the boats are easily righted, and can be sailed without bailing. The weight and strength of the crew is not as important as the tuning of the boat. The trapeze and sail handling requires skill rather than strength. Anyone can sail a Fireball Age or sex does not determine one’s ability to be competitive. Some countries' leading fireball sailors are women. The class also has a strong contingent of sailors over forty.
As the title sponsor of the event the BTA’s offices in the United Kingdom hosted Barbados nights in La Rochelle France at the 2009 World Championship and in the United Kingdom at a major regatta .The Canadian office also hosted a night in Montreal. These events helped to get the word out that Barbados was the place to be in April / May 2010. Every one enjoyed the steel pan music the Mount Gay Rum punches, great food, the”Follow me to Barbados Polo Shirts” and the pictorial presentation on Barbados. Minister Richard Sealy attended the event in France and H.E Mr. Evelyn Greaves Barbados’s High Commissioner to Canada and Mr. Stephen Alleyne a BTA board member attended the event in Montreal, Senator Peter Gilkes a BTA board member attended both events.
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We expect upwards of 76 Fireball dinghies will compete in this prestigious event. The dinghies will be arriving in Barbados by containers (nine Fireball dinghies fit into a 40 foot container). These containers will be arriving from Canada, the U.S., Europe and Australia.The containers will be accommodated at the Barbados Yacht Club.
One hundred and fifty sailors from the following countries will compete in the two regattas Namibia, South Africa, Shetland Islands, Canada, Ireland, Scotland, England, Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Switzerland, Australia, France, St. Lucia, Germany
Barbados will be represented by four teams, the boats were imported from the UK and the crews are hard at practice.
In total we expect well over two hundred sailors families and friends will come to Barbados for the championship.
Although the sailors from the Czech Republic have travelled before, their total group of people is the largest we have ever seen at a World Championship outside of Europe. This is the first time that South Africa will be represented at a Fireball World Championship for 5 years. It is also the first time that the USA has competed away from mainland North America for eleven years
A number of social events will be staged during the regatta the majority of these will take place at The Barbados Yacht Club. Prime Minister David Thompson will host a cocktail reception at Illaro Court on April 29th 2010
The Barbados Postal Authority will be producing a stamp to mark the occasion.
The Barbados Tourism Authority is the major sponsor of the event other sponsors are DIGICEL, Mount Gay Distilleries, Banks Breweries and Virgin Atlantic Airways.
For more information and for notice
of race please visit the official