A group of people in Dun Laoghaire who were leaving the Fireball Class in the 1970s seriously considered adopting one of two classes of small affordable keelboats. The options were the E boat of which there may already have been one in Clontarf and the Ruffian 23 of which there was already one in Dun Laoghaire called Ruffino. Many argued that the E Boat would offer some of the excitement of the Fireball, while others argued that the Ruffian (which was built in Ireland) would offer the ability for safer offshore racing in the Irish Sea. At the end of the day the decision was made in favour of the Ruffian- to support the guy who had already bought one. Over time the fleet grew to over 20 boats. I suspect that if the decision had gone in the E Boat direction, that the fleet could have grown to 30 boats.
julian everitt 
A group of people in Dun Laoghaire who were leaving the Fireball Class in the 1970s seriously considered adopting one of two classes of small affordable keelboats. The options were the E boat of which there may already have been one in Clontarf and the Ruffian 23 of which there was already one in Dun Laoghaire called Ruffino. Many argued that the E Boat would offer some of the excitement of the Fireball, while others argued that the Ruffian (which was built in Ireland) would offer the ability for safer offshore racing in the Irish Sea. At the end of the day the decision was made in favour of the Ruffian- to support the guy who had already bought one. Over time the fleet grew to over 20 boats. I suspect that if the decision had gone in the E Boat direction, that the fleet could have grown to 30 boats.
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