The 2024 North American Fireball Championships was, in the words of the race officer,
‘a sporty affair’. The famous winds of the Columbia River Gorge delivered knock-down
punches in the early rounds sending teams ashore with torn mainsails, severed
halyards and snapped rudders. Thirty-knot gusts stripped crews from gunnels and
slapped skippers off side decks. Mark & Evelyn showed their mettle keeping capsizes
down to single-digits and dominating their opponents to become undisputed Fireball
Champions of North America. Behind them it was a Columbia River logjam. Richard &
Liam returned from an early setback to seal second, Clay & Adam treaded water to
third, Grant & Averill used a bullet to finish fourth, and Ryan & Robert tied Kelly & Eric
for fifth. Many thanks to family members for their support and to Mianne and Rebecca
for bravely bouncing about boats on race committee duty.

We awarded the newly-discovered North American Fireball trophy, as well as CFA-
sponsored Fireball mugs to 1 st , 2 nd , and 3 rd placers. The 4 th , 5 th and 5 th place teams
received Fireball ditty bags donated by Fireball Alberta. The final competitive event was
a comparison of scrapes, bruises, and associated stories amongst survivors.

This was the first Fireball North Americans in several years. Let’s keep this rolling! We
should have the 2025 Fireball North Americans north of the border and somewhere east
of Winnipeg. The 2025 Canadian Championships will be coming to BC, and the 2025
USA Championships will presumably be a western regatta. Let’s start thinking of
suitable locations and dates!

Richard Quinlan
President, Canadian Fireball Association