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

Hi Fireballers,

It has been a great Fireballing season so far with good winds at several of our regattas. I’ve just returned from the Prairie Winds where 5 Alberta Fireballs traded leads back and forth all weekend in 10 races with moderate winds and 30°C temps. It was very close with the father/son Tichkowsky team taking first, Debbie Kirkby and Chris Gerard second and the father/son Lemke team in third, then Crawford/Hider and Quinlan/Brocke.

Next is the big one – The North American Fireball Championships at Cascade Locks, Oregon on July 27-28 – less than two weeks! ‘The Gorge’ usually delivers, particularly on these hot mid-summer days, with thermal winds generally above 10 knots and often in the teens by afternoon. Come and join us in some friendly competition and good camaraderie for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sail in Fireballs at one of the best dinghy-sailing destinations in the world! Information on registration and accommodations can be found at https://www.regattanetwork.com/event/27586#_registration. Camping is adjacent to the grounds of the Columbia Gorge Racing Association and I have one extra campsite pre-booked in my name that’s available for the asking.

Some of us will also be sailing in the Alberta Heritage Classic July 20-21, and the Wabamun Sail Week July 22-28. Looking further ahead, a push is on to get the biggest western Fireball fleet of the year at the BC Champs on Sept 14-15 at Jericho Sailing Centre. There’s a rumour afoot this might be a trial run for 2025 Fireball Canadians…

Come on out to one of these fun Fireball events!

Fair Winds

Richard Quinlan

CAN 14481