The Fireball International is a high performance two-person sailing dinghy offering exciting sailing, intense competition and a great social life off the water. It has a wide appeal as it is reasonably priced and not to demanding to sail. Hull and sail plans are of strictly one design, yet class rules allow you to adapt the position of the gear to suit your own weight and sailing style.
Anyone can sail a Fireball. Age or sex does not determine ones ability to be competitive. Some country's leading Fireball sailors are women. The class also has a strong contingent of sailors over fifty. Winning Fireball races comes down to mastering the art of tuning, and sailing better than your competition.
The key distinguishing aspect of the Fireball is its ability to sail in a wide spectrum of wind conditions. Due to its hard chine hull design, the Fireball is exceptionally stable in strong winds. When it howls, and some fleets are forced to stay on shore, the Fireballs go out and are a delight to sail. The thrills of trapezing on a three sail reach is hard to match in any type of sailboat. If capsized, the boat is 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. Sail handling skills rather than strength is key for making the boat sail fast.
Close to 15,000 Fireballs have been built to date and are actively sailed in fleets scattered in every region around the globe. National class associations conduct a series of yearly World, Continental, National and State Championships.
FIREBALL [the boat]
