Shetland 2014

Homecoming Scotland Fireball European Championships 2014

The Fireball European Championships was hosted by Lerwick Boating Club. The European Championships, run over a week, was planned to be made up of ten races over five days. In the event we got nine races over three days (due to fog and wind issues). The event was great fun and the Shetlanders organised lots of activities outwith the sailing; a sail in a Viking longship, clay pigeon shooting, lots of live music, etc, which made it a good family event. As far as results go, we were near the back of the fleet most of the time but sail handling and performance improved greatly through the event. The weather conditions were mixed, some light and some quite fresh wind. The standard of sailing was very high at the front of the fleet.

I was surprised at the ages of some of the more senior racers competing. The age range of competitors at the Europeans must have been from 16 up to 75, at a guess. So I can expect to get a few more years out of the boat. The championships ran from the 24th July to the 2nd August and included the Shetland Dinghy Championships (24th/25th July) which we missed due to my work schedule. We also missed the closing ceremony, prize giving and regatta party due to the ferry home, to get back home for the 125th Kirkwall Regatta on 2nd August.

For the European Championships Shetland got lots of local sponsorship, including a big discount on trailer costs on the ferry. The headline sponsor was Homecoming Scotland.

Time on the water is very important for good performance, but the opportunity to do class racing is also vital, we learned a lot in Shetland and I would jump at the chance to compete at this type of event again. The chance to race at a European Championships in Shetland doesn't happen so often though.