US Juniors Win Snipe Worlds - United States Snipe Sailing
US Juniors Win Snipe Worlds - United States Snipe Sailing
US Juniors Win Snipe Worlds - United States Snipe Sailing
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<strong>Win</strong>ter 2007<br />
<strong>US</strong> SNIPE SAILOR<br />
The Official Magazine of the <strong>Snipe</strong> Class International Racing Association, <strong>US</strong>A<br />
<strong>US</strong> <strong>Juniors</strong> <strong>Win</strong><br />
<strong>Snipe</strong> <strong>Worlds</strong><br />
an interview with Tomas Hornos<br />
and Enrique Quintero<br />
Beginner’s Guide<br />
to the<br />
<strong>Win</strong>ter Circuit<br />
A View<br />
from the<br />
Crew
2008 <strong>Snipe</strong> <strong>Win</strong>ter Circuit<br />
Midwinters, Clearwater «» March 30 - April 1 «» Dick Boblenz : boblenzrb@aol.com<br />
Don Q Rum Keg, Miami «» April 4 - April 6 «» Gonzalo Diaz Sr. : gcdiaz@accesspro.net<br />
Bacardi/Gamblin, Nassau «» April 9 - April 12 «» Lori/Jimmie Lowe : lorijim@coralwave.com<br />
3 Ways to Get<br />
to the Podium<br />
the NeW BW-2 maiNsaiL<br />
Years ago we introduced the successful FB-3 mainsail.<br />
The FB-3 is an excellent weapon for heavy teams in<br />
light to medium conditions. The BW design followed to<br />
allow lighter teams to go faster in medium winds and<br />
choppy water. This spring, we introduced the new BW-<br />
2 mainsail. The BW-2 combines the fuller foot section<br />
of the FB-3 with the choppy water design of the BW<br />
to create an open water shape combination that can<br />
be powered up and depowered with rig tension. With<br />
only a few regattas under the BW-2’s belt, the results<br />
speak for themselves.<br />
FB-3<br />
1st 2003 World Championship<br />
BW<br />
1st 2005 World Championship<br />
BW-2<br />
1st 2007 North Americans<br />
1st 2007 <strong>US</strong> Pan Am Qualifier<br />
1st 2007 Don Q<br />
Fried Elliott photo<br />
www.quantumsails.com/snipe +619-226-2422 gszabo@quantumsails.com bjanney@quantumsails.com<br />
INt <strong>Snipe</strong> ad june 2007 -6.indd 1 6/11/07 9:00:15 PM<br />
2 www.snipeus.org
<strong>US</strong> SNIPE SAILOR <br />
Volume 2, Number 4<br />
<strong>Win</strong>ter, 2007<br />
Published by SCIRA <strong>US</strong>A<br />
P.O. Box 83866 Lincoln, NE 68501<br />
Editor/Publisher:<br />
John Buckley<br />
(402) 796-2510; buckley@inebraska.com<br />
Editorial Board:<br />
Aimee Graham<br />
aimeegraham@msn.com<br />
Susan Odell<br />
seodell@yahoo.com<br />
Merrill Varn<br />
orts77@gmail.com<br />
Advertising:<br />
Mary Buckley<br />
(402) 796-2505; direx@inebraska.com<br />
SCIRA <strong>US</strong>A<br />
Board of Directors:<br />
David Odell (National Secretary)<br />
david.wanderer@gmail.com<br />
Bob Ewoldt (Chief Measurer)<br />
rewoldt@neb.rr.com<br />
Bob Panza (District 1 Governor)<br />
woodburian@aol.com<br />
Doug Swenson (District 2 Governor)<br />
kswenson@interfold.com<br />
Chad Coberly (District 3 Governor)<br />
ccoberly@yahoo.com<br />
Tom Henderson (District 4 Governor)<br />
thenderson@princeminerals.com<br />
Adrienne Korkosz (District 5 Governor)<br />
korkosz@hotmail.com<br />
Steve Stewart (District 6 Governor)<br />
stewcon@san.rr.com<br />
Kirk Smith (District 7 Governor)<br />
kirksmith01@msn.com<br />
Mike Blackwood (Member At Large)<br />
firewood@wi.rr.com<br />
Hal Gilreath (Member At Large)<br />
hgilreat@cisco.com<br />
Lee Griffith (Member At Large)<br />
lee.griffith@contextgroup.com<br />
Non-Voting Board Members:<br />
Mary Buckley (Executive Administrator)<br />
(402) 796-2505; direx@inebraska.com<br />
Ken Culver (Director of Finance)<br />
kculver@mo2inc.com<br />
Andrew Pontious (Legal Counsel)<br />
apontious@collette.com<br />
The <strong>US</strong> SNIPE SAILOR is published<br />
quarterly on March 1, June 1, September 1,<br />
and December 1. The deadline for material<br />
submission is the 10th of the preceding month.<br />
The <strong>Snipe</strong> Silhouette, the International <strong>Snipe</strong><br />
Class Crest, and the slogan Serious <strong>Sailing</strong>,<br />
Serious Fun are trademarks of the <strong>Snipe</strong> Class<br />
International Racing Association, and are<br />
registered in the <strong>US</strong> Patent and Trademark<br />
Office.<br />
On the cover: Sheehan Commette and Megan<br />
Place at the 2008 Junior Nationals in Dillon<br />
Photo: Fried Elliott<br />
www.friedbits.com/PhotoBits/<strong>Sailing</strong>/<strong>Snipe</strong>/index.php<br />
<strong>US</strong> SNIPE SAILOR <strong>Win</strong>ter 2007<br />
From Our<br />
National<br />
Secretary(s)<br />
As you mAy hAve reAd on the ClAss<br />
web site, I have resigned as National Secretary of SCIRA <strong>US</strong>A. The reason<br />
was simply time needed to responsibly execute the duties of the National<br />
Secretary position. I recently started a new job as Director of Development<br />
with the Telfair Museum of Art in Savannah, Georgia. Unfortunately, the time<br />
commitment needed to be successful at this job will not allow me the spare<br />
time needed to be National Secretary. There is so much great momentum right<br />
now that needs to continue, and I would have only been standing in the way.<br />
This was a difficult, but obvious choice for me. I love the Class and am excited<br />
by all that has been accomplished over the last few years. Have no doubt that<br />
I will continue to remain involved, as I plan on continuing to work on Mike<br />
Blackwood’s Major Regatta Quality Committee.<br />
Fortunately, David Odell has agreed to step up to the plate and is now your<br />
new National Secretary. David has already made significant contributions to our<br />
Class, both nationally and internationally. He is a rare combination of someone<br />
who has excellent leadership skills, maintains a sense of humor, and can keep<br />
things practical. He was an outstanding Vice National Secretary and will be a<br />
great National Secretary.<br />
I appreciate all the support I received while being the Vice National and National<br />
Secretary. It was a pleasure working with everybody, and I look forward to seeing<br />
you at the <strong>Win</strong>ter Circuit!<br />
Barb Evans<br />
Past SCIRA <strong>US</strong>A National Secretary<br />
As Barb mentioned in her article<br />
above, we had a great time working<br />
together developing the <strong>US</strong> <strong>Snipe</strong> Class<br />
strategy for growth and running the Class<br />
this year. I look forward to serving as the<br />
National Secretary and continuing the<br />
momentum.<br />
As 2008 is just around the corner, I thought<br />
it might be useful to provide an overview<br />
of what we will be focusing on in the next<br />
year:<br />
Growing the Class. This is the number one priority of the Board of Directors,<br />
and the area in which I will spend the majority of my time. Our focus will be<br />
on developing tools and resources that can be leveraged by all of the District<br />
Governors and Fleet Captains to bring more people into the <strong>Snipe</strong> family.<br />
See National Secretary, page
National Secretary, from page<br />
First and foremost are the 21 fleet development activities<br />
that have been funded for 2008. You can read more about<br />
them elsewhere in this issue. In addition, we will continue to<br />
enhance www.snipeus.org, our new Class website that serves<br />
as the primary means of communicating with members. We<br />
currently have a Web Site Committee working to identify<br />
enhancements to the site that will be implemented and rolled<br />
out in 2008.<br />
We also will continue to invest in the <strong>US</strong> <strong>Snipe</strong> Sailor magazine.<br />
This is a tremendous publication and I am constantly hearing<br />
complimentary feedback from both within and beyond the<br />
<strong>Snipe</strong> membership. This is the best marketing collateral that<br />
we have, so we will be increasing its distribution to yacht<br />
clubs, high school and college sailing teams, and prospective<br />
members. We are printing 1,000 tri-fold brochures for local<br />
fleet promotional purposes, and they will be distributed to<br />
District Governors and Fleet Captains. A single page poster<br />
and updated bumper stickers are currently being developed.<br />
These are just a few examples of growth initiatives that the<br />
National Leadership Team has developed to assist local <strong>Snipe</strong><br />
sailors with growing their fleets. There are more exciting<br />
programs to come in the months ahead!<br />
Operational Excellence. When the Class motto begins<br />
with Serious <strong>Sailing</strong>, it’s clear that operational excellence<br />
regarding race management and administration must always<br />
be a focus of the Leadership Team. Mike Blackwood is our<br />
Major Regatta Resource Officer and he is working closely<br />
with all of the folks who are putting on a major <strong>Snipe</strong><br />
regatta in 2008 to ensure that events are run in a consistent<br />
and high quality manner. Lee Griffith is our International<br />
Qualifications Officer, and he manages the entire process<br />
around qualifying <strong>US</strong> sailors for international regattas. There<br />
are many more people who contribute a significant amount<br />
of time and energy into ensuring our regattas are top quality,<br />
from regatta organizers to PRO’s to SCIRA Reps to the many<br />
volunteers needed for every event. With a continuous focus<br />
on operational excellence, we will be able to sustain the <strong>Snipe</strong><br />
Class reputation for Serious <strong>Sailing</strong>.<br />
Having Fun while Growing the Class and Pursuing<br />
Operational Excellence. When the Class motto ends with<br />
Serious Fun, it’s clear that (most) everybody has their priorities<br />
aligned. At the end of the day we’re just a bunch of friends in a<br />
sailing club who really get a kick out of racing our dinghies. We<br />
like to travel to different places, make new friends, compete<br />
for a few hours each day, and then drink a few beers and tell<br />
a bunch of lies. Nothing more and nothing less. This is one<br />
of our chosen recreational activities, and we want to keep it in<br />
perspective for what it is – a really well balanced combination<br />
of Serious <strong>Sailing</strong> AND Serious Fun!<br />
So there you have it – the big plan for 2008: grow the Class,<br />
run quality races, and have fun doing it.<br />
As 2007 winds down, my primary focus is to work with Mike<br />
Blackwood and Lee Griffith on the Nominating Committee<br />
to find volunteers who want to join in the fun and be a part of<br />
the Board of Directors. There are several positions available,<br />
with terms of either one or two years. For more information,<br />
see the October 27, 2007 posting on the News section of the<br />
Class web site at www.snipeus.org.<br />
Our next big event is the <strong>Win</strong>ter Circuit in Clearwater,<br />
Miami, and Nassau, Bahamas. If ever there was an event that<br />
embodied Serious <strong>Sailing</strong>, Serious Fun, the <strong>Win</strong>ter Circuit would<br />
be it. Read more about it in this issue of the magazine, get<br />
together with some friends in your fleet, and make the trip<br />
– you’ll have a blast.<br />
See you in Clearwater!<br />
NORTH COVERS<br />
Making the Fun Last Longer<br />
David Odell<br />
SCIRA <strong>US</strong>A National Secretary<br />
“Amateurs practice until they get it right;<br />
professionals practice until they can’t get it wrong.”<br />
Cover up<br />
High Quality <strong>Snipe</strong> Covers<br />
Daggerboard Cover w Deck Cover w Hull Cover<br />
Mast Cover w Rudder Cover<br />
To order:<br />
www.OneDesign.com/covers<br />
www.snipeus.org
As we head into 2008, three districts will have newly elected<br />
District Governors. With the new responsibilities and<br />
authorities recently bestowed upon these elected officials,<br />
we thought it would be helpful to list the description of<br />
their role as determined by the 2007 SCIRA <strong>US</strong>A Board at<br />
the semi-annual meeting in July.<br />
The role of the District Governor is one of the most<br />
important positions within SCIRA <strong>US</strong>A, as these seven<br />
individuals are critical to the growth and sustainability<br />
of the fleets in each district. The SCIRA <strong>US</strong>A Board of<br />
Directors is in the process of shifting more decision making<br />
authority to the district and allocating a greater portion of<br />
the annual budget to them for discretionary spending on<br />
fleet building and growth. This will increase the profile and<br />
influence of the District Governor, and will enable them<br />
to drive more results on both the Serious <strong>Sailing</strong> and the<br />
Serious Fun fronts.<br />
Responsibilities of each District Governor:<br />
• Active, voting member of SCIRA <strong>US</strong>A Board of<br />
Directors, attending the semi-annual board meetings.<br />
• Organize, promote and participate in the annual District<br />
Championship regatta.<br />
• Promote <strong>Snipe</strong> sailing in their respective districts,<br />
focusing on growing existing fleets, reinvigorating<br />
dormant fleets, and identifying opportunities to seed<br />
new fleets.<br />
• Foster communications between Fleet Captains and<br />
local <strong>Snipe</strong> sailors and SCIRA <strong>US</strong>A, ensuring that the<br />
programs and activities of the national organization are<br />
consistent with the needs and desires of the local <strong>Snipe</strong><br />
sailor, who is the backbone of the Class.<br />
2008 SCIRA Dues are Due<br />
Dues statements for 2008 are being prepared; you should<br />
receive your statement around the first of the year. Please<br />
return it with your dues payment. Dues are due January 1.<br />
Remember, even though the racing season in your area<br />
might only run from June through September, SCIRA <strong>US</strong>A<br />
is a full-time operation. There are regattas – which you are<br />
eligible to attend – every month of the year; you receive<br />
a quarterly magazine; the website is always available; and<br />
administrative operations are ongoing. Your prompt dues<br />
payment will ensure that we continue to provide these<br />
services in a timely manner, and will help maintain SCIRA<br />
<strong>US</strong>A’s cash flow throughout the year.<br />
<strong>US</strong> SNIPE SAILOR <strong>Win</strong>ter 2007<br />
Responsibilities and Authority<br />
of the SCIRA District Governor<br />
•<br />
•<br />
•<br />
•<br />
•<br />
•<br />
Promote membership in SCIRA International and<br />
SCIRA <strong>US</strong>A among district members, highlighting the<br />
many benefits.<br />
Maintain the district page within www.snipeus.org.<br />
Work closely with the <strong>US</strong> <strong>Snipe</strong> Class Executive<br />
Administrator to identify and agree upon the role she/he<br />
plays in the process of managing the district.<br />
Review the Deed of Gift for the District Championship,<br />
and ensure that its provisions are being followed for<br />
each District Championship regatta. Propose and make<br />
changes as appropriate.<br />
Work closely with the Class Development Officer and<br />
Marketing Committee chair to create materials that<br />
support your area’s unique growth initiatives.<br />
Work closely with the Class Development Officer to<br />
ensure the activities undertaken at the national level<br />
are fulfilling the needs and requirements of the local<br />
sailors.<br />
Authority granted to each District Governor:<br />
• Autonomy over all aspects of the annual District<br />
Championship regatta, within the guidelines established<br />
by the Major Regatta QA Officer.<br />
• Identification and selection of members of the district<br />
to serve on national working committees, task forces,<br />
etc.<br />
• Allocation of fleet development funds.<br />
• Identification and prioritization of needs for marketing<br />
materials to be created by the national organization (as<br />
led and coordinated by the Board Member at Large<br />
responsible for Class Development).
SCIRA <strong>US</strong>A - REALITY/RISK GAPS<br />
by Ken Culver, Dallas Fleet #1<br />
SCIRA <strong>US</strong>A Director of Finance<br />
sinCe joining the sCirA usA BoArd this pAst summer As<br />
Director of Finance, I’ve had the opportunity to gain a better<br />
understanding of the amazing amount of work that goes into our<br />
Class as well as the amount of money it takes to do all the things<br />
we do. Being new to the Class and to the Board presents me with<br />
a unique opportunity to see things from an outsider’s point of<br />
view, so to speak. I am blissfully unencumbered with any internal<br />
affiliations or historical perspective of the Class. Having said that,<br />
you may be inclined to move on to the next article, but I hope you<br />
stick with me so I can share some impressions with you, and leave<br />
you with some information to think about:<br />
Impression: I write a check for fifty bucks once a year and get<br />
immediate access to a pretty deep pool of resources for my little<br />
hobby, unlike a lot of other hobbies I’ve been involved in. Here’s<br />
a list of the sort of resources I’ve taken advantage of:<br />
• I’ve purchased and sold <strong>Snipe</strong>s from the classified pages on<br />
the Class website – there’s a ready market for <strong>Snipe</strong>s, which I<br />
believe supports the value of my <strong>Snipe</strong>.<br />
• I’ve poked around fleet links from the Class website to get ideas<br />
that have helped our local fleet grow.<br />
• I’ve easily found <strong>Snipe</strong> equipment from the vendors listed on<br />
the Class web site.<br />
• I’ve spent hours looking at Fried Elliott’s photos, at least seeing<br />
what great <strong>Snipe</strong> sailing is suppose to look like.<br />
• I’ve easily obtained tuning guides and contact information for a<br />
number of people who seem to drop what they are doing and<br />
provide all sorts of tips simply by calling and saying “Hey, I’m<br />
a <strong>Snipe</strong> sailor, can you help me with …….”.<br />
• I’ve listed our Fleet 001 regattas on the Class web site, which I<br />
know has increased attendance.<br />
• I’ve attended away regattas simply because I found out about<br />
them through the Class Web site and newsletter.<br />
• I’ve referred new prospects at our club to the Class web site<br />
which tells them we are for real and have really invested in our<br />
Class.<br />
• I get the full color <strong>US</strong> <strong>Snipe</strong> Sailor each quarter filled with<br />
information.<br />
• I get the <strong>Snipe</strong> Bulletin each quarter which keeps me informed of<br />
what’s going on around the <strong>Snipe</strong> world.<br />
• I can ask our Executive Administrator for information, lists,<br />
mailing labels, etc., to support our regattas and fleet growth,<br />
and it all shows up in the mail.<br />
• I can read a ton of articles on fleet building, tuning tips, how<br />
to’s, etc. all right there on the Class web site.<br />
• I can attend a National regatta for $180 – seems like a pretty<br />
good deal but I don’t really know because I’ve never been to<br />
one before – again, the beauty of being unencumbered with<br />
any historical perspective.<br />
Impression: I get a lot of bang for my fifty bucks. You get my<br />
point – for an association of 700+ members and 500+ <strong>Snipe</strong>s we<br />
have a pretty darn good infrastructure in place.<br />
Impression: This group really has its act together! Not only do<br />
I get all of these resources and tools to support my hobby, these<br />
folks have money in the bank and take a look at that Perpetual<br />
Fund with it’s almost $150,000 balance – that’s fantastic.<br />
OK, I hope you’re still with me because I’m done with my set up.<br />
The reality is this: In my view, we have access to and are getting<br />
a lot more benefit than what we are paying for, which is fantastic<br />
– good for us! The issue is: Is our current level of infrastructure<br />
and support sustainable, given what we pay for it?<br />
Reality: Of the $50 basic dues and boat decal paid each year,<br />
$15 dollars from each $20 membership and $5 from each $30<br />
boat decal goes to SCIRA International. That means: for each<br />
regular membership with a boat, we keep $30; for each regular<br />
membership without a boat, we keep $5.<br />
Reality: We do have a fantastic infrastructure in place, but<br />
important activities are heavily subsidized in one way or another.<br />
Some examples are:<br />
• We are highly dependent on the 30% or so of our members who<br />
generously pay their annual dues at the premium level. Premium<br />
level dues represent about 50% of the total membership dues<br />
that we keep and about 25% of our total revenue. Our total<br />
membership dues represents about 50% of our total revenue<br />
with other sources of revenues being advertising, sail royalty,<br />
Nationals and other events, merchandise sales, etc.<br />
• Our Executive Administrator came on board in January<br />
2004 and provided much needed services at a deep discount<br />
at a time when the <strong>US</strong> Class was insolvent. Since then, our<br />
Executive Administrator’s compensation has increased, but it<br />
is still believed to be significantly below “market rate” based<br />
on some information we have about other comparable sailing<br />
classes. (This is simply a statement, not my personal appeal for<br />
a compensation adjustment one way or the other).<br />
• Our <strong>US</strong> Nationals dues are significantly below comparable<br />
Classes. The 2007 Dillon Nationals was heavily subsidized from<br />
sources other than entry fees and sponsor support. Of the $180<br />
we pay, $40 goes to the Class leaving $140 per participant for<br />
the regatta organizers to make it all happen.<br />
•<br />
All of our <strong>US</strong> <strong>Snipe</strong> Sailor production staff, and most of our<br />
web site staff, is volunteer.<br />
Reality: Our Perpetual Fund does have roughly $150,000 due<br />
to very generous donations; but, only the income earned each<br />
year is available, and can only be spent on supporting our juniors<br />
attending international events and for Class promotion. This has<br />
totalled a few thousand dollars per year in recent years. We do not<br />
have access to the corpus of the fund under any circumstances.<br />
The bottom line is that yes, we have enjoyed a stable year with Class<br />
membership growth; yes, we have a very good administration; yes,<br />
we have achieved our target of banking a year’s operating cash<br />
as a reserve; yes, we are enjoying low cost National regattas; and<br />
yes, we have a lot of momentum and excitement in the Class.<br />
However, I think it’s important to the Class for you to be aware<br />
of the potential impact of critical gaps between impressions and<br />
reality-some of which I’ve tried to point out above-and that we<br />
still have challenges which could have a material adverse affect<br />
on the Class if not overcome. Your educated and continuing<br />
enthusiastic involvement is critical to the future success of the<br />
Class as we work to close reality/risk gaps, and your awareness<br />
of these issues is important as your Board continues to make the<br />
<strong>Snipe</strong> Class successful and sustainable.<br />
I encourage you to contact me and let me know what your<br />
thoughts are along these lines. Please send me a note at kculver@<br />
mo2inc.com. I will summarize what I hear from you and report<br />
to the Board and will report back in a future <strong>US</strong> <strong>Snipe</strong> Sailor.<br />
www.snipeus.org
One of the best ways to grow your local fleet is to<br />
put together an event that introduces prospective new<br />
members to all of the Serious <strong>Sailing</strong> and Serious Fun<br />
elements of <strong>Snipe</strong> sailing. What kind of event, you say?<br />
Well, how about something like this:<br />
•<br />
•<br />
•<br />
Fleet Development Activities Coming Soon!<br />
by David Odell<br />
A KidFest where you invite current and prospective<br />
members out for casual racing with kids as skipper and/<br />
or crew. Bring games for those on shore, and organize a<br />
cookout afterward.<br />
An alumni reunion for the graduates of your yacht<br />
club’s junior sailing program. They’re probably off<br />
to college or beyond, and would love to get together<br />
to race with all of their old friends. Host the one day<br />
regatta in <strong>Snipe</strong>s, then have a party afterwards. This will<br />
expose many people to <strong>Snipe</strong>s who are likely candidates<br />
to join the Class.<br />
Host a tuning clinic, where you encourage all of those<br />
inactive fleet members who you haven’t seen in quite a<br />
while to come out and get ramped up by the local hot<br />
shot or sail maker.<br />
Nice ideas, but how do we pay for all of this? Great<br />
news – the <strong>US</strong> <strong>Snipe</strong> Class is able to fund 21 of these fleet<br />
development activities (3 in each of the 7 districts) thanks<br />
to the generosity of Gene Soltero and Soltero Resources,<br />
Inc. of Dallas Fleet #1.<br />
Gene understands the importance of growing the<br />
Class and bringing new people into the <strong>Snipe</strong> Family, so<br />
he recently donated $15,000 to the Class! This incredible<br />
donation will enable the Class to hold 21 fleet development<br />
activities each year for the next three years. Each fleet<br />
development activity will be allocated $250, and each<br />
district gets to have three in 2008. Your District Governor<br />
will decide where these funds are spent, so as you start<br />
planning your schedule for next year, give some thought to<br />
creative programs you can put in place to grow your fleet<br />
and then call your District Governor for funding.<br />
After your event, tell us what you did and how it worked<br />
out. And don’t forget to drop Gene a note and thank him<br />
for his generosity!<br />
2008 <strong>US</strong> <strong>Snipe</strong> Women’s Nationals<br />
Seattle, Washington<br />
May 9-11, 2008<br />
Join us in the beautiful Pacific Northwest for<br />
some fabulous sailing and fun. The 2008 <strong>US</strong><br />
<strong>Snipe</strong> Women’s Nationals are being held on Puget<br />
Sound in Seattle, Washington, May 9 – 11. The<br />
venue will offer good wind, lots of current and<br />
spectacular scenery. The floating clubhouse has<br />
been remodeled, and the launching facilities are<br />
brand new this year.<br />
For additional information, contact regatta chair<br />
Kirk Smith, kirksmith01@msn.com.<br />
<strong>US</strong> SNIPE SAILOR <strong>Win</strong>ter 2007 7
MASTERS MAGIC<br />
…at Mystic Lake<br />
by Don Hackbarth<br />
photos by Orlando Claffey and Eric Tsetsi, <strong>Win</strong>chester Star<br />
Nestled in the suburbs of<br />
Boston is a very small lake<br />
known as Mystic Lake. It is<br />
a very humbling and mystic<br />
place to sail. The 2007 <strong>US</strong>A Masters<br />
National Championship was held there<br />
this past September at the <strong>Win</strong>chester<br />
Boat Club (WBC), which appears<br />
to have a history going back to the<br />
beginning of Colonial America.<br />
Despite the size of the lake, the<br />
contribution of this small pond and<br />
the sailing organizations located on its<br />
shores to the sport of sailing and the<br />
<strong>Snipe</strong> Class is HUGE. Why else would<br />
you label one section the Upper Mystic<br />
Lake and the other the Lower? On this<br />
lake you have three sailing organizations<br />
Dave Lence and Rachel Orben, Grand<br />
Master champs.<br />
with two <strong>Snipe</strong> Fleets: <strong>Win</strong>chester<br />
Boat Club, Medford Boat Club, and<br />
the Tufts University sailing facility and<br />
team. There are so many marks and one<br />
design boats on this lake it seems like<br />
rush hour in New York.<br />
WBC has the second largest <strong>Snipe</strong><br />
Fleet in the <strong>US</strong>A. Led by the late<br />
Ralph Swanson and his wife Berta,<br />
the Swanson family, members of<br />
WBC, have dedicated their lives to<br />
organizing and managing <strong>Snipe</strong> sailing<br />
on Mystic Lake. Their contribution to<br />
the management of SCIRA <strong>US</strong>A and<br />
the International <strong>Snipe</strong> Class has been<br />
significant. With the able management<br />
of the RC duties at the Masters, Berta<br />
announced her ‘retirement’ from the<br />
responsibilities she has so long been a<br />
part of. Few have contributed as much<br />
of their time to club racing as Berta<br />
(she is the ‘butterfly’ course expert).<br />
At the time of the Masters on<br />
Mystic, the <strong>Snipe</strong> World Championship<br />
was also being sailed in Oporto,<br />
Portugal. The winning skipper of that<br />
event, Tomas Hornos, is a member<br />
of WBC, as well as the Tufts sailing<br />
team. Peggy Tautz, a <strong>Snipe</strong> sailor from<br />
Denver who is also attending Tufts and<br />
sailing on the team, teamed with Gene<br />
Soltero in the Masters. You could sense<br />
in Peggy all the energy and excitement<br />
that was being generated from activities<br />
revolving around this little lake, even<br />
as she shuttled back and forth between<br />
classes, sailing practice, and the Masters<br />
races.<br />
The Masters is an event that<br />
is reflective of the passion for one<br />
design racing in <strong>Snipe</strong>s. This event and<br />
the people participating in it (sailors,<br />
organizers, and hospitality hosts) is all<br />
about tradition, dedication and just<br />
plain enjoyment in sailing. The winners<br />
in each age category have been sailing<br />
<strong>Snipe</strong>s most of their lives: Harry and<br />
Sarah Levinson, overall Champions and<br />
top Apprentice; John Lally and Kerry<br />
O’Brien, top Master; and Dave Lence<br />
and Rachel Orben, top Grand Master.<br />
Congratulations to all of them.<br />
The <strong>US</strong>A <strong>Snipe</strong> Class is now<br />
accepting bids for hosting the Masters<br />
for 2008. Planning and executing this<br />
regatta can be a unifying event for a<br />
<strong>Snipe</strong> Fleet. It brings the Fleet members<br />
together with a common goal, and<br />
revives the <strong>Snipe</strong> sailing passion of all<br />
those involved.<br />
Editor’s Note: Don Hackbarth has been<br />
sailing <strong>Snipe</strong>s for over 25 years, the last 15 as<br />
a Master.<br />
www.snipeus.org
Classic <strong>Snipe</strong>s<br />
By John Rose<br />
District 1 <strong>Snipe</strong> Sailor Rodney Long<br />
and <strong>Snipe</strong> #10214<br />
Rodney Long, 73, has been active in <strong>Snipe</strong> sailing at<br />
<strong>Win</strong>chester, MA since the mid 1940s. As a youth<br />
sailor, he remembers the 1947 <strong>Snipe</strong> Nationals at<br />
Marblehead, MA that was won by Ted Wells–the first<br />
of many championships won by Wells. In the 1950s, Long<br />
raced a Varalyay <strong>Snipe</strong> #6627 “Rebel” in the <strong>Win</strong>chester Fleet,<br />
winning the Fleet Championship there in 1960.<br />
As time progressed, Long became involved in other activities<br />
and drifted away from <strong>Snipe</strong> sailing. However, in the 1990s,<br />
he found a wooden 1955 Emmons <strong>Snipe</strong>, #10214, abandoned<br />
in a corner of a warehouse on a pier on the Boston Harbor<br />
waterfront, and acquired it for recreational sailing. This <strong>Snipe</strong><br />
was owned originally by Linda Lowe (now Mrs. Dick Tillman),<br />
a member of the former large <strong>Snipe</strong> fleet at Diamond Lake in<br />
southwest MI; how it got to Boston is unknown at this time.<br />
Long and Jack Gannon, also a member of the <strong>Win</strong>chester, MA<br />
<strong>Snipe</strong> fleet on Mystic Lake, replaced the deck and reinforced<br />
some of the fittings, refinished the boat, and made it ready for<br />
daily use.<br />
Long uses the <strong>Snipe</strong> regularly for day sailing in the Boston<br />
Harbor area, hanging alongside his lobster fishing boat Sea<br />
Witch (below) for easy launching and rigged ready for use.<br />
Long reports that one day he followed the <strong>US</strong>S Constitution<br />
(“Old Ironsides”) on an open sea voyage with this <strong>Snipe</strong>, from<br />
Boston to Marblehead, but had to turn back after confused seas<br />
from the ocean and spectator boats were too rough, causing<br />
the <strong>Snipe</strong>’s auxiliary outboard motor to stall.<br />
<strong>US</strong> SNIPE SAILOR <strong>Win</strong>ter 2007<br />
Jack Gannon, with Rodney Long’s modified and restored<br />
<strong>Snipe</strong> #9440 Red <strong>Win</strong>g.<br />
In 2006, John Rose coordinated with Jack Gannon, who<br />
arranged for Long to take possession of wooden <strong>Snipe</strong> #9440<br />
Red <strong>Win</strong>g. Gannon and Long subsequently embarked on a<br />
major restoration/modification program with this boat, in<br />
order to adapt it for regular day sailing by a “classic” <strong>Snipe</strong><br />
sailor. This story will be published on the Classic <strong>Snipe</strong> page in<br />
the Spring 2008 <strong>US</strong> <strong>Snipe</strong> Sailor.<br />
John Rose is a long-time <strong>Snipe</strong> Sailor fromTacoma, WA, and is<br />
editor of the Classic <strong>Snipe</strong> page on the SCIRA <strong>US</strong>A website. He<br />
currently owns <strong>Snipe</strong> #6715.<br />
2008 <strong>US</strong> <strong>Snipe</strong> MaSterS<br />
SCIRA <strong>US</strong>A is currently accepting<br />
bids for hosting the 2008 <strong>US</strong> Masters<br />
Championship. This is always a fun event,<br />
and draws some of the best sailors in<br />
the country. In recent years the event has<br />
been held at <strong>Win</strong>chester MA, Atlanta GA,<br />
Omaha NE, and Dallas TX.<br />
If you think this may be a good idea for<br />
your Fleet or Yacht Club, then please talk<br />
it up and give National Secretary David<br />
Odell a call, or email him at<br />
david.wanderer@gmail.com
<strong>Snipe</strong> <strong>Sailing</strong> 101:<br />
Basic Two-Stroke Tacking<br />
In an article in the Fall 2007 issue of <strong>US</strong> <strong>Snipe</strong> Sailor, Gene<br />
Soltero mentioned a device he set up for his crew Mallory<br />
McGroarty to practice basic “two-stroke” tacking. Several<br />
readers have inquired about it, and we thought some other<br />
less experienced or out-of-practice crews might find it useful<br />
as well. Here is a diagram of the set-up, and a description of<br />
the basic manuever, courtesy of Gene Soltero:<br />
24” - 36”<br />
28” - 30”<br />
“Top” block; must be securely<br />
fastened<br />
Couch or chair Couch or chair<br />
Stop knot - 30” from block on<br />
each side<br />
Additional 60” of line on each<br />
side<br />
• Set up according to diagram (measurements are important<br />
to get the correct feel of distances). The top of the diagram<br />
is the front of the boat.<br />
• Start by sitting on the port side of the “boat” just forward of<br />
the port block, with the port sheet running under your legs.<br />
• Trim the starboard sheet until the port knot hits the port<br />
block. This simulates going upwind on port tack with the jib<br />
set.<br />
• Clear your sheets by placing the tail of the starboard sheet<br />
in a bunch on the floor just aft of the starboard block while<br />
you continue to hold the sheet to control the sail. Pull the<br />
slack out of the port sheet and loosely bunch its tail on the<br />
floor just aft of the port block.<br />
• Prepare to tack:<br />
With your forward (left) hand, grab the starboard sheet and<br />
get ready to pop it out of the starboard cleat.<br />
With your aft (right) hand, grab the port sheet aft of the<br />
port block and take out the slack in the sheet.<br />
• To tack:<br />
Pop and drop the starboard sheet.<br />
Step across the centerboard trunk with your forward (left)<br />
foot and stand, so you’re facing aft. At the same time, pull<br />
the port sheet as far as you can across your body with your<br />
aft (right) hand while staying balanced in the center of the<br />
boat (this is the “first stroke”).<br />
Reach your left hand across your body and grab the port<br />
sheet as close to the block as you can.<br />
Step over the centerboard trunk with your right foot,<br />
so you are facing the port side. As you sit down on the<br />
starboard side, pull the port sheet straight back with your<br />
left hand in a long “second stroke”, until stopped by the<br />
starboard knot. Make sure to finish the stroke low, so that<br />
the port cleat would automatically engage the sheet.<br />
• Clear the sheets on the new side right away so you are<br />
ready for the next tack.<br />
• Repeat lots of times.<br />
Submitted by Merrill Varn<br />
10 www.snipeus.org
2007 Florida State<br />
<strong>Snipe</strong> JUnior ChaMpionShip<br />
by Gonzalo “Old Man” Diaz<br />
photos by Margie Kozich<br />
Enrique Quintero Jr. and Alex Sachs, from the Coral<br />
Reef Yacht Club, won the 2007 (50 th Annual) Florida<br />
State <strong>Snipe</strong> Junior Championship. This is the third<br />
time for Enrique to win this championship, and just<br />
after winning the <strong>Snipe</strong> World Championship in Portugal<br />
crewing for Tomas Hornos.<br />
Twelve teams competed in the 2007 Florida State <strong>Juniors</strong>.<br />
We had representatives from Ft Lauderdale, Palm Beach and<br />
Miami. The event was hosted by the Coconut Grove <strong>Sailing</strong><br />
Club and Miami <strong>Snipe</strong> Fleet #7.<br />
On Saturday, September 22, the winds were from about<br />
120 degrees, but with oscillations, and at around six knots. Our<br />
expert Race Committee ran three beautiful races and changed<br />
marks several times and did it perfectly. Enrique Quintero won<br />
the first two races and David Harrison won the last race of the<br />
day. There were some threatening clouds, and our RC smartly<br />
sent us in.<br />
On Sunday, it was blowing nice, about twelve knots from<br />
90 to 100 degrees, but there were also threatening clouds. A<br />
race was started and finished, with David Harrison doing an<br />
Competitors in the 2007 Florida State <strong>Snipe</strong> Championships:<br />
back row, left to right: Dominique Wright, Megan Place, Collen<br />
Hartman, Eric Fields, Andrew Britton, Brandon Cairnes, Trevor Frow,<br />
Edgar Diminich, Alex Swerdloff and Alex Sachs.<br />
front row, left to right: Mac Agnese, Wade Waddell, Enrique<br />
Quintero Jr., David Harrison and Greg Schreiber<br />
excellent job and winning the race. Our RC was determined<br />
to get 2 more races in to get a drop race, but was only able to<br />
get one race in. A pretty strong storm (20 to 23 knots) came<br />
through and sent all in and then killed the wind.<br />
Many thanks to the Coconut Grove <strong>Sailing</strong> Club, and to<br />
the volunteer Race Committee that did an excellent job running<br />
the races. Thanks also to: Charles Branning for donating the<br />
use of his boat and for his work on the Race Committee;<br />
Jaime Ramon (PRO and line sighter); Susan Sanders and Art<br />
Auwaerter (timekeepers); Margie Kozich and Charles Branning<br />
(flags); Jo Ann Mathiew and Jeanne Bunten (scribes/scorers);<br />
Hector Figallo, Jim Waldron and Geoff Sutcliffe (pin boat);<br />
and Susan Walcutt and Carolyn Rahn (mark boat).<br />
Results<br />
1 Enrique Quintero/ Alex Sachs 1-1-3-3 7.5<br />
2 David Harrison/Greg Schreiber 5-5-1-1 11.5<br />
3 Dominique Wright 3-3-8-4 18<br />
4 Wade Waddell 2-7-6-7 22<br />
5 Carolina Palacios 4-6-4-9 23<br />
6 Edgar Diminich/Alex Swerdloff ocs-4-7-2 27<br />
7 Megan Place 8-8-5-6 27<br />
8 Brandon Cairnes/Andrew Britton 6-9-10-5 30<br />
9 Trevor Frow ocs-2-2-ocs 31<br />
10 Mac Agnese 7-10-9-ocs 39<br />
11 Colleen Hartman/Eric Fields 9-11-11-8 39<br />
12 Nicole Jarauta 10-dns-dns-dns 49<br />
Note: Brandon/Andrew and Colleen/Eric sailed as co-skippers<br />
and shared the helm. Where no crew is listed, the owner of the<br />
boat or an adult crewed for that skipper. That is in the rules<br />
of this Championship, and we have used this system for more<br />
than 20 years for our Florida State <strong>Snipe</strong> Junior Championship<br />
with total success I would say. It is an excellent way to level 17,<br />
18, 19, etc. year old with 10, 12, 13, 14 and 15 year old.<br />
It also allows us to make it easy for juniors to borrow a boat<br />
when the owner or an expert adult is on board. As you can see<br />
two junior/junior crews got first and second and Dominique<br />
sailing with Carr Moody on Carr’s boat got third.<br />
<strong>US</strong> SNIPE SAILOR <strong>Win</strong>ter 2007 11
A View From the Crew<br />
by Barb Evans<br />
Barb shares some of the lessons she’s learned during her considerable<br />
experience as a crew on <strong>Snipe</strong>s and other boats. This is the first of a<br />
two-part article.<br />
At the 2006 Nationals in Erie,<br />
Pennsylvania, Art Rousmaniere<br />
(<strong>Win</strong>chester, MA Fleet #777)<br />
suggested that I write an article<br />
on what I’ve learned from all the<br />
skippers that I’ve crewed for. I found<br />
writing this article very interesting<br />
because I learned so much from each<br />
person. However, there does seem to<br />
be one or two overriding takeaways<br />
that stick in my mind as I look back on<br />
those experiences. Some are technical,<br />
some tactical, some psychological, and<br />
some just funny. The notes below are<br />
my perspective-my skippers may have<br />
something else to say!<br />
Barb and Mike Blackwood at the 2006 Nationals in Erie.<br />
The experiences are in chronological<br />
order, as best I can remember,<br />
beginning in 1972:<br />
Nancy Evans: My mother was my<br />
sailing inspiration. She grew up sailing<br />
Thistles on the Chesapeake in Shady<br />
Side, MD (her father started the first<br />
fleet on the Chesapeake.) I owe the fact<br />
that I race competitively to her. She was<br />
also a bit of a pioneer because not too<br />
many women were at the helm in the<br />
early 70’s. She was one of two women<br />
skippers on Cowan Lake for many years.<br />
John Hartney: I owe my interest<br />
in <strong>Snipe</strong> sailing to a boy. I remember<br />
learning the basics of crewing, dealing<br />
with the manual whisker pole, jib trim,<br />
centerboard, sail trim, and tactics on a<br />
small shifty lake.<br />
Jenny O’Flaherty: Learned that<br />
girls could be competitive, even at 220<br />
lbs. combined weight. We were always<br />
looking for ways to de-power the boat.<br />
John Irvine: First time crewing for<br />
someone who was and still is a naturally<br />
gifted sailor. He taught me how much<br />
fun it is to win. After crewing with<br />
Jenny, I also learned how nice is was to<br />
have some weight in<br />
Fried Elliott<br />
the back of the boat!<br />
Mark<br />
Schoenberger: Old<br />
age and treachery win<br />
over youth and vigor<br />
every time! Mark<br />
was a crafty sailor on<br />
Cowan.<br />
Peter Keen: He<br />
bought a McLaughlin<br />
when they first came<br />
out. Having good,<br />
up-to-date equipment<br />
will improve your<br />
performance.<br />
Jerry Ficks (in<br />
a Thistle): Began<br />
learning about pulling<br />
the strings on the<br />
boat, and the need for making constant<br />
adjustments for the wind conditions.<br />
This improved my learning curve about<br />
understanding the “feel” of the boat<br />
and boat speed.<br />
Champ Glover (in a Thistle):<br />
Teamwork, both technical execution<br />
and communication keeps the boat<br />
moving fast in the right direction.<br />
Thistles are awesome in the breeze,<br />
especially on a screaming reach with the<br />
chute up on Flathead Lake in Montana.<br />
Greg Fisher: <strong>Sailing</strong> angles will<br />
widen when the breeze lightens up.<br />
Don’t forget to make that adjustment to<br />
your numbers when using the compass;<br />
otherwise you’ll think you’re always<br />
sailing on a header.<br />
Craig Leweck: If you’re going<br />
to roll jibe really hard, make sure the<br />
whisker pole retracts. It’s embarrassing<br />
to capsize in 8 knots of breeze!<br />
Steve Bloemeke: Learned the finer<br />
points of ooching.<br />
Dave Lence: Determination can<br />
help you reach your goals. Dave’s goal<br />
was to qualify for the Heinzerling<br />
for the first time in his life. We<br />
accomplished that goal at the 1990<br />
Nationals in Annapolis (15 th in the<br />
Crosby).<br />
Martin Keen: Positioning with the<br />
fleet and how that can give you an edge,<br />
especially in an oscillating breeze. Your<br />
position is best if you’re ahead and<br />
slightly to leeward. When you get the<br />
oscillation and tack, you’ll be farther<br />
ahead and able to cover the boats<br />
behind.<br />
Jim Bowers, Sr.: Make sure you<br />
check the plug in the back of a McGo<br />
before you go sailing.<br />
Jim Bowers, Jr.: patience, patience,<br />
and patience, especially in shifty<br />
conditions. Jim will claim he’s really<br />
lucky, but he makes his luck happen.<br />
Donna T. Hobbs (in a Thistle): It’s<br />
fun to help improve someone else’s skill<br />
level.<br />
Roselyn Rea: First experience<br />
competing in the finals of the Adams<br />
Cup. Make sure you keep looking<br />
around before the start, especially when<br />
everyone is trying to set their watches<br />
at the warning signal. We ended up in<br />
an embarrassing collision because both<br />
crews were focused on their watches<br />
and the committee boat.<br />
Dave Valla (in a Thistle): another<br />
reminder how important teamwork and<br />
communication are in the boat. Get<br />
your teamwork down so you can keep<br />
your heads out of the boat and looking<br />
around the course.<br />
Jennifer Rousmaniere: On mark<br />
roundings, especially the weather mark<br />
in breeze, just keep the boat moving<br />
and get it planing as fast as you can.<br />
You’ll zip away from those around you<br />
who usually have their heads inside the<br />
boat. Also in big breeze, don’t try to<br />
force the boat to jibe. If the boat’s not<br />
jibing, stop trying to do so, recover, and<br />
12 www.snipeus.org
try again. A forced jibe usually ends<br />
up in a capsize. We made this mistake<br />
in the 1997 Women’s Nationals in NJ,<br />
but it was fun coming back the next<br />
year and winning the 1998 Women’s<br />
Nationals on Gull Lake.<br />
Art Rousmaniere: Art and I were<br />
chasing Jim Bowers around the course<br />
on Mystic Lake. At one point Jim<br />
has just rounded the leeward mark<br />
and we were coming toward him<br />
downwind. Art’s comment… “I’ll get<br />
you my pretty.” A little humor amongst<br />
competitors can be fun.<br />
John MacRae: I could write a book<br />
about crewing with John because we<br />
learned so much together. However,<br />
the overriding take away is the power<br />
of positive thinking. We worked very<br />
hard as a team to improve technically<br />
and tactically, but we also worked very<br />
hard on our psychology. It got us to the<br />
2003 <strong>Worlds</strong> in Sweden, which was our<br />
first time attending a <strong>Worlds</strong>. We also<br />
learned a lot about mast control. We<br />
were using a sidewinder junior mast,<br />
which is a bendy mast. Our spreaders<br />
were too narrow, so in any kind of<br />
breeze, we would lose control of the<br />
top of the mast. This meant we lost<br />
leach control, which meant we couldn’t<br />
point. We ended up widening the<br />
spreaders to control the top part of the<br />
mast. We saw a dramatic improvement<br />
in speed and pointing.<br />
Alex Pline: Never trust a skipper<br />
who has said they’ve never capsized…<br />
especially when you’re sailing with<br />
them in April in an Interclub. Famous<br />
last words as we went swimming in<br />
Annapolis Harbor. Alex also told me his<br />
infamous story when he was crewing<br />
for Lisa in their “dating” years. In a<br />
nut shell, Alex kept telling Lisa that he<br />
thought they should tack. After several<br />
attempts he realized that she wasn’t<br />
going to tack. He looked back at her<br />
and asked if he should shut up. Lisa’s<br />
reply was “No, I want you to give me<br />
your opinion - then shut up.” Takeaway<br />
for a crew - it’s good to express<br />
your opinion, but know that that is just<br />
more information for the skipper to use<br />
or discard.<br />
Lisa Pline: Get the boat tuned<br />
to match your crew size, weight, and<br />
strength. Work the main hard upwind<br />
so the boat doesn’t heal up on its ear. In<br />
other words in the puffs, ease, hike, and<br />
trim.<br />
Alex Stout: Another reminder of<br />
skipper/crew communication. If you’re<br />
new to sailing together, you won’t<br />
have the non-verbal communication<br />
capabilities right away. As a crew, it’s<br />
difficult to anticipate a skipper’s action<br />
when you’re sailing together for the<br />
first time. Alex and I were coming into<br />
the finish line. We were both full out<br />
hiked trying to make the boat go fast<br />
during the last 200 yards. We were neck<br />
and neck with another boat that was to<br />
leeward with clear air. Alex did the right<br />
thing by throwing in a tack at the finish<br />
line. The only problem was that there<br />
was no warning for the crew. I flubbed<br />
up the tack big time! Alex also taught<br />
me the finer skills of crewing. After a<br />
few Tuesday night races together, I was<br />
able to tack and trim the jib without<br />
spilling my beer.<br />
Rowena Carlson: Teamwork is<br />
important…again. Don’t override your<br />
skipper’s instincts. It causes too much<br />
hesitation at critical moments.<br />
Dave VanCleef: Going upwind;<br />
when boats are to weather off your<br />
hip and they’re bow down to you, that<br />
offers you a chance to tack to either<br />
catch up some distance if you’re behind,<br />
or to take a step up so that you can tack<br />
back and stay ahead.<br />
Gonzo Diaz: Mast bend in big<br />
breeze (20+ knots). If you don’t keep<br />
the mast aft puller on in big breeze the<br />
mast just moves forward when you<br />
trim the main and over bends the mast.<br />
The main will turn inside out because<br />
the bend in the mast is more than the<br />
design of the luff curve that is cut into<br />
the sail. The main becomes so flat that<br />
you have no power, which you’ll need<br />
in the chop that usually accompanies<br />
big breeze. Pulling on the cunningham<br />
will help because it moves the draft<br />
forward, but you still won’t have control<br />
over the leach. You need your leach<br />
control for height. Also when the mast<br />
moves forward you move the sail plan<br />
forward, which will increase lee helm.<br />
You’ve also loosened the jib halyard,<br />
so you get too much luff sag. Now<br />
you’ve got a double whammy – lee<br />
helm and no height because of the<br />
head stay sag and no leach control. If<br />
you’re going to over bend the mast,<br />
you have to trim the main super hard<br />
to reduce the jib sag and give you leach<br />
control. You’ll also have to yank hard<br />
on the cunningham. There are people<br />
who will let the mast go forward to<br />
the partner, but they’re trimming super<br />
hard and they’ve pulled on some jib<br />
halyard. The other option in big breeze<br />
is to restrict the mast bend somewhat.<br />
This will give you leach control, and by<br />
trimming hard you can control the luff<br />
sag. With Gonzo, I also started realizing<br />
just how different skippers are in their<br />
requirements for information around<br />
the course. Some want only information<br />
on the immediate surroundings. Others<br />
want entire course info. It takes a few<br />
legs and even races to figure out what<br />
works best. Don’t be shy about asking<br />
a skipper their preferences. Or as a<br />
skipper, tell your crew what info you<br />
want.<br />
Eric Reinke: Well executed roll jibes<br />
are awesome. Hike hard and keep the<br />
bow down in big breeze and big chop.<br />
Aimee Graham: Another reminder<br />
to get the boat set up for your crew<br />
size. Aimee also taught me about<br />
determination. We had an unfortunate<br />
incident at the Women’s Nationals in<br />
SD when the traveler bridle got caught<br />
in the aft boom block. When we tacked,<br />
the main didn’t release. It was windy,<br />
so over we went on the new tack. Once<br />
Aimee yanked the line free, I’ve never<br />
seen such fierce determination to catch<br />
back up and beat boats. We flew! I<br />
learned to look around the boat while<br />
we’re sailing out to the course to try to<br />
identify the places where the lines may<br />
get caught (all boats have their different<br />
quirks). If you see some problem areas,<br />
make the proper adjustments to avoid<br />
negative consequences.<br />
Barb has sailed not only with a lot of<br />
skippers, but in a lot of places. She grew up<br />
sailing on Cowan Lake in Ohio; her open<br />
water experience was mostly on Lake Erie<br />
during her youth. Eventually she made it to<br />
San Diego during a few summers between<br />
college years. She moved to Boston after college<br />
in 1987, Chicago in 199 , back to Boston in<br />
1996, and then worked her way down the coast<br />
to Annapolis, MD in 2000; Charleston, SC<br />
in 200 , and Savannah in 2006.<br />
Watch for the Spring 2008 issue of <strong>US</strong><br />
<strong>Snipe</strong> Sailor to read the second part of Barb’s<br />
article.<br />
<strong>US</strong> SNIPE SAILOR <strong>Win</strong>ter 2007 1
Michele Postinghel<br />
On September 15, the <strong>US</strong> team<br />
of skipperTomas Hornos (l) and<br />
crew Enrique Quintero (r) were<br />
crowned the 2007 <strong>Snipe</strong> World<br />
Champions in Leixoes, Portugal.<br />
The regatta was a difficult one,<br />
with only three races sailed and a<br />
lot of downtime on shore. These<br />
young men excelled in the tough<br />
conditions, while maintaining<br />
their focus and having a good<br />
time. They recently agreed to share<br />
their experience in an interview<br />
with <strong>US</strong> <strong>Snipe</strong> Sailor. While they<br />
are both humble, you can bet they<br />
have a very bright future ahead,<br />
both on and off the racecourse.<br />
How did you prepare technically for this event?<br />
Enrique: Tomas and I prepared technically by spending most<br />
of what was our practice time doing boat work. Due to the<br />
fog we weren’t really able to sail so we spent that time getting<br />
the boat ready to go.<br />
Tomas: Enrique and I only practiced twice before going to<br />
the <strong>Worlds</strong>. Since I live in Boston and he lives in Miami, it<br />
was difficult to sail together. Nonetheless, the times we did<br />
meet, we made sure to maximize the hours on the water and to<br />
minimize our boat handling errors. We each sail a lot in other<br />
things, so we knew that our main focus would be on boat speed<br />
Tomas and Enrique nail a start...<br />
<strong>Snipe</strong> World Champions<br />
An Interview with <strong>US</strong> <strong>Juniors</strong> Tomas Hornos<br />
and Enrique Quintero<br />
by Aimee Graham<br />
and boat handling. Between Enrique’s 420 and 470 racing and<br />
my Star, Laser and College racing, we had had plenty of racing<br />
experience throughout the year.<br />
What was your practice schedule, and what did you<br />
“tweak” in your racing technique (if anything) this year?<br />
Enrique: Our practice schedule was pretty much the first day<br />
when we arrived that we got to sail for only 30 to 40 minutes.<br />
After that, we had no sailing time due to the weird weather that<br />
we had with no wind and intense fog. With having four days of<br />
no sailing and sitting on land, we basically worked on the boat<br />
from top to bottom. We recently got a new mast and spent<br />
almost a day just working and tweaking the mast with settings,<br />
then we worked on the hull making some adjustments to all of<br />
our lines, markings, etc.<br />
Tomas: We tried to simplify everything. We have a good idea of<br />
what is typically used and what is fast. With Enrique and the<br />
help of Leandro Spina, we were able to get three solid settings<br />
for different conditions. Ultimately, we knew that a good race<br />
result would not be the product of a minute measurement,<br />
but rather doing the right things during the race. We definitely<br />
focused on big fleet tactics and strategy and tried not to get<br />
our head stuck in the boat.<br />
What rigging and/or tuning techniques did you use?<br />
Enrique: For our tuning techniques we used Leandro’s<br />
1 www.snipeus.org<br />
David Odell
Michele Postinghel<br />
Tweaking in the parking lot.<br />
experience on tuning the boat. He gave us a huge explanation<br />
on how we should tune our boat and he gave us a hand with<br />
the tuning. For the rigging techniques we were always the first<br />
to arrive there. Every morning we would flip the boat over<br />
check our spreader settings, put teflon on the boat, and then<br />
just flipped it back over and relaxed until there was the breeze<br />
to go sailing.<br />
Did you have a punch list, or specific things that you<br />
addressed in the charter boat before you went sailing?<br />
Enrique: Luckily, we didn’t have to worry about a charter boat<br />
because we had Tomas’s boat, which was better than what we<br />
could have asked for.<br />
Tomas: Luckily, the <strong>US</strong> team decided to bring our own boats<br />
to the <strong>Worlds</strong>. It was a huge advantage having my boat there.<br />
We were assured of having an excellent boat that would not<br />
give us any problems. However, many small replacements and<br />
changes were made on the boat to satisfy both our styles.<br />
The <strong>Snipe</strong> <strong>Worlds</strong> is known as one of the most difficult<br />
in the world. How did you mentally prepare prior to the<br />
event?<br />
Enrique: Tomas and I had no time to train at all coming into<br />
this event. We basically came into this event with a very relaxed<br />
state of mind, with no pressure on us whatsoever. Being known<br />
sailing in an event as big as the <strong>Worlds</strong> and with so many days<br />
of not sailing, we basically just stayed focused and took every<br />
start as a new one and forgot about whatever place we were<br />
in. I think that another big part of our win was our mentality<br />
for the race.<br />
Tomas: It was simple for us, we were total underdogs, we knew<br />
that we weren’t the best <strong>Snipe</strong> sailors in the world. But we were<br />
confident that we could get a great result if we raced to our<br />
full potential and were given the right situation. I felt like I had<br />
no pressure and had nothing to prove to anyone, it was a good<br />
feeling knowing that. I didn’t really care who was there or how<br />
good many of the competitors were, that didn’t change how<br />
I raced.<br />
This regatta produced some very challenging conditions<br />
with light, shifty breeze and multiple weather delays.<br />
How did you stay focused during the event? What coping<br />
techniques did you use?<br />
Enrique: All Tomas and I did was stay cool, relaxed, and in the<br />
game. We were never out of phase, we were always ready for<br />
what ever was going to happen, and we were always psyched<br />
to go out and just sail because of the fact that we rarely sailed<br />
together. This was our fourth regatta we ever sailed together.<br />
Tomas: It was easy for us because of the fact that we are such<br />
good friends. We think alike and we know what the other is<br />
thinking. Since there were so many delays, it was important not<br />
to get frustrated and to do other things. We were able to make<br />
many friends from different countries and that allowed us to<br />
think about something other than the race or weather.<br />
How will this experience translate to your other sailing,<br />
both on the collegiate level and in other Ssnipe events?<br />
Enrique: This is an event that I will never forget. Being a young<br />
sailor with a young career, I cannot let this get to me. I will<br />
take every regatta and every race the way I took this one, both<br />
mentally and physically, and in my prep for a regatta. But once<br />
again this is an experience that will live with me forever.<br />
Tomas: Although this is an incredible accomplishment, this<br />
regatta does not change that much for me. I still have to race<br />
well to win regattas, and I still have to take every event one race<br />
at a time. However, winning the <strong>Worlds</strong> does give me a lot of<br />
confidence and lets me know that I can do well on a very high<br />
racing platform.<br />
Special thanks to Michele Postinghel of Italy, who sent us many photos<br />
of the World Championships, and has allowed us to use them in our<br />
publications.<br />
...and get a bullet.<br />
<strong>US</strong> SNIPE SAILOR <strong>Win</strong>ter 2007 1<br />
Michele Postinghel
A Beginner’s guide To The <strong>Win</strong>Ter CirCuiT<br />
The <strong>Snipe</strong> <strong>Win</strong>ter Circuit is<br />
legendary in dinghy racing<br />
circles. The venues, the level of<br />
competition, the international<br />
flavor and the quality of the parties all<br />
conspire to make this a must-experience<br />
annual event. It is two solid weeks of<br />
Serious <strong>Sailing</strong> and Serious Fun. You go<br />
home with 21 races under your belt<br />
before most <strong>Snipe</strong> sailors have taken<br />
their boats out of winter hibernation.<br />
This is more racing than many <strong>Snipe</strong><br />
sailors get in a year. If you are trying to<br />
improve your sailing there is no better<br />
way than to hang out with some of<br />
the best <strong>Snipe</strong> sailors in the country<br />
(or should I say in the world?) for two<br />
weeks. Sailors come from Norway,<br />
Finland, Bermuda, Argentina, Puerto<br />
Rico, Brazil, the Bahamas, Mexico; the<br />
international appeal is undeniable. The<br />
Circuit is where you begin to appreciate<br />
the history of <strong>Snipe</strong> sailing (you can<br />
read it on the walls of the Royal Nassau<br />
<strong>Sailing</strong> Club) and where you begin to<br />
understand why people continue to sail<br />
these boats around buoys for decades<br />
without tiring of the game.<br />
It all started in 1967 when sCirA<br />
sanctioned the <strong>Snipe</strong> South Eastern<br />
<strong>Win</strong>ter Circuit, and established the<br />
Zimmerman Trophy (donated by Past<br />
Commodore Carl D. Zimmerman),<br />
which was to be awarded to the skipper<br />
with the best total score for all races in<br />
four participating regattas. The regattas<br />
were to be raced in the following order:<br />
The Bacardi Cup in Nassau, the Dudley<br />
Gamblin Memorial Regatta in Nassau,<br />
the Don Q in Miami, and the <strong>Snipe</strong><br />
Mid-<strong>Win</strong>ters in Clearwater. Let’s not<br />
forget that 1967 was a confusing year<br />
in the <strong>United</strong> <strong>States</strong>, with the Vietnam<br />
War, the Summer of Love, race riots,<br />
drugs and rock and roll taking most<br />
people’s attention. It wasn’t until 1972<br />
that the fog lifted and common sense<br />
prevailed: the order of venues was<br />
reversed.<br />
The Mid <strong>Win</strong>ters in Clearwater is<br />
by Susan Odell<br />
photos by Fried Elliott<br />
the dust-off-the-cobwebs, work-outthe-kinks,figure-out-how-to-makeyour-<strong>Snipe</strong>-fast-again<br />
regatta. After that,<br />
you’re ready for Miami and the Don Q.<br />
This is the all-out-sprint, testosteronereeking,<br />
high-energy, ultra-competitive,<br />
amazing-race-venue regatta. But don’t<br />
stop now. Since you’ve survived Mid<br />
<strong>Win</strong>ters and the Don Q, you deserve<br />
Nassau. The Bacardi Cup and Dudley<br />
Gamblin are the warm-clear-water, lazytwo-hour-lunches,<br />
Yellow-Bird-swilling,<br />
great-partying, lick-your-wounds-and-<br />
The 2005 Mid <strong>Win</strong>ters, Clearwater<br />
heal-by-the-pool regattas. There is a<br />
natural rhythm to the competitions,<br />
social functions and traveling, and by<br />
the end of two weeks it’s difficult to<br />
imagine life any other way. Being a<br />
part of the racing at any one of these<br />
venues is fun and exciting; completing<br />
the entire circuit is a life experience you<br />
won’t soon forget.<br />
Below are some notes taken from<br />
the 2006 and 2007 <strong>Win</strong>ter Circuits,<br />
designed to enlighten and inform the<br />
first-time Circuit-goers. Save this for<br />
when you decide to make the <strong>Snipe</strong><br />
<strong>Win</strong>ter Circuit a priority in your March/<br />
April calendar. But don’t wait too long<br />
– it’s later than you think.<br />
For more details and contact<br />
information for each racing venue, go<br />
to www.snipeus.org and follow the links<br />
for each regatta.<br />
<strong>Snipe</strong> Mid <strong>Win</strong>ter ChaMpionShipS<br />
ClearWater, Florida<br />
Clearwater is on the Gulf coast of<br />
Florida, near the Tampa/St. Petersburg<br />
metropolitan area. The host club,<br />
Clearwater Yacht Club (CYC), is located<br />
on Clearwater Beach Island. While the<br />
social events center around CYC, the<br />
racing headquarters is the Clearwater<br />
Community <strong>Sailing</strong> Center (<strong>Sailing</strong><br />
Center), located on Sand Key and<br />
joined to Clearwater Beach Island by<br />
a bridge. The two venues are a threeminute<br />
drive apart.<br />
The entire area is Mecca for spring<br />
breakers; since the regatta usually<br />
overlaps with spring break, book your<br />
hotel early if you want to stay near<br />
CYC. There are several hotels within<br />
walking distance (e.g., Best Western,<br />
Quality Hotel, etc.) and one, Chart<br />
House Suites, is right next door. They<br />
have been threatening to close for<br />
renovations for years, so check the<br />
website (www.charthousesuites.com) to<br />
see if they’re still in business.<br />
At CYC there is a full service bar<br />
and restaurant. Upon arrival you should<br />
find the Yacht Club manager. In return<br />
for a credit card imprint he or she will<br />
give you a temporary membership<br />
card for charging food and beverage<br />
purchases. The bar is fun, lively and a<br />
great place to find <strong>Snipe</strong> sailors. You<br />
can order from the full restaurant menu<br />
in the bar. You’ll find the Club members<br />
to be welcoming of the racers, even<br />
though many don’t even own a sailboat.<br />
In fact, there is no longer a <strong>Snipe</strong><br />
fleet in Clearwater. The success of the<br />
regatta relies on the generosity of Dick<br />
Boblenz, PRO, and the other volunteers<br />
who retain a fondness for <strong>Snipe</strong> sailing<br />
and <strong>Snipe</strong> sailors.<br />
1 www.snipeus.org
<strong>Snipe</strong>s are stored at the <strong>Sailing</strong><br />
Center and you will find all competitors’<br />
meetings, official notices, measurement<br />
and registration there. Facilities include<br />
parking, launching ramps (a dolly<br />
is recommended), changing rooms,<br />
showers, wi-fi and an incredibly<br />
helpful and knowledgeable staff. No<br />
refreshments are available other than<br />
a couple of vending machines. The<br />
<strong>Sailing</strong> Center is locked up each evening<br />
at about 5:30 pm.<br />
Most <strong>Snipe</strong> sailors start arriving<br />
in Clearwater on Friday. This leaves<br />
plenty of time for rigging, re-rigging,<br />
catching up with friends, meeting new<br />
people and maybe even a practice<br />
sail. (Warning: Clearwater Bay is too<br />
shallow for <strong>Snipe</strong>s. Follow the markers<br />
out to the Gulf for your practice sail.)<br />
The 2006 Don Q Rum Keg, Miami<br />
By Saturday evening most sailors have<br />
found the bar at CYC – go there if<br />
you’re ready for some socializing. If<br />
you prefer a night out, try the low-key<br />
Frenchy’s Café for fabulous grouper<br />
sandwiches. There are several Frenchy’s<br />
in town, but the original restaurant has<br />
the most local flavor.<br />
The racing gets under way on<br />
Sunday, with an early alarm clock for<br />
a 9:00 skippers’ meeting at the <strong>Sailing</strong><br />
Club. Be ready to launch and go as soon<br />
as the meeting is over, because the first<br />
warning signal is 10:30 and you need to<br />
allow an hour to get to the racecourse.<br />
Race committee is organized and on<br />
time, so you should be, too. Expect a<br />
long day on the water as the schedule<br />
calls for three races.<br />
Sunday evening there is a cookout at<br />
CYC following the racing. (Most sailors<br />
shower and change at the <strong>Sailing</strong> Center<br />
and go straight to CYC.) It’s a casual<br />
affair with burgers, hot dogs and beer,<br />
and a good chance to meet some Club<br />
members and tell them how gracious<br />
they are for hosting our regatta.<br />
Monday’s schedule is similar: three<br />
races followed by a casual get-together<br />
at CYC. This time it’s the Bowchaser’s<br />
Grapefruit Grog and pizza party. The<br />
Grapefruit Grog goes down pretty<br />
easily after a day of racing and after a<br />
few of these and a few slices of pizza<br />
most sailors are ready to call it a night.<br />
If you’re a late night clubber there are<br />
always a few brave souls willing to keep<br />
going.<br />
Only two races are scheduled for<br />
Tuesday to allow time for packing the<br />
boats and getting dolled<br />
up for the banquet. Once<br />
the boats are back at<br />
the <strong>Sailing</strong> Center it’s a<br />
whirlwind of activity; the<br />
competition continues<br />
to see who can put their<br />
boat away the quickest.<br />
(Hal Gilreath holds the<br />
unofficial record, though<br />
he doesn’t always tie his<br />
mast down.)<br />
The banquet starts<br />
between 6:30 and 7:00<br />
at CYC. It’s a dressy<br />
old-school yachting event; blue blazers<br />
are appropriate for men and a dress or<br />
nice slacks for the ladies. CYC members<br />
and long-time <strong>Snipe</strong> sailors like Francis<br />
Seavy come out for this, which gives us<br />
a final opportunity to thank them for<br />
their generosity.<br />
Wednesday is a much needed lay day,<br />
and is usually spent driving to Miami.<br />
If you take the southern route across<br />
Alligator Alley, you may want to stop in<br />
the Everglades and take an air boat ride<br />
(keep your fingers and toes inside the<br />
boat.)<br />
don Q ruM Keg regatta<br />
CoConut grove, Florida<br />
The Coconut Grove <strong>Sailing</strong> Club<br />
(CGSC) hosts the annual Don Q<br />
regatta and welcomes the 50+ <strong>Snipe</strong>s<br />
that take over the lawn, docks, parking<br />
lot and bar. While only a short drive<br />
from the ultra-hip South Beach,<br />
Coconut Grove has a more tropical<br />
feel with a little Miami-cool thrown<br />
in. When you arrive, find a spot on the<br />
lawn for your boat. Some space may be<br />
available in the parking lot, but there<br />
are a lot of active sailors at CGSC who<br />
may want access to their boats over the<br />
weekend. There are two hoists at the<br />
Club and one dock that can be used for<br />
dolly launching (with a little help from<br />
your friends.) Lunch and dinner (until<br />
8:00ish) are served in the bar; they take<br />
cash and credit cards from visitors.<br />
The host for the Don Q is Gonzalo<br />
Diaz, Sr., more affectionately known as<br />
The Old Man. He and the rest of the<br />
Diaz family work hard to make this<br />
regatta great, and it really shows. The<br />
Old Man is the primary contact and will<br />
help with housing, logistics and other<br />
questions. There are too many sailors<br />
for housing to be provided for all, but<br />
there are many hotels to choose from all<br />
around CGSC. There is a Hampton Inn<br />
which is a pretty good deal, and only<br />
about five minutes away by car.<br />
Thursday is another rigging, tuning,<br />
practice race day. This is a good day<br />
to find Jimmie Lowe and the other<br />
Bahamian sailors. Not only are they<br />
fun to hang out with, but they will help<br />
coordinate the shipment of your boat<br />
to Nassau. Boats are put on double<br />
trailers to save space and cost, so it’s<br />
good to have a dolly to use in Nassau.<br />
Don’t worry if the final arrangements<br />
aren’t clear until Sunday afternoon; it<br />
all works out in the end. Be prepared to<br />
stay around after the racing on Sunday<br />
to pack boats for shipment and maybe<br />
make a trip or two to the shipper.<br />
Homeland Security has made shipping<br />
<strong>Snipe</strong>s a little more complicated than<br />
in the past. Jimmie will give you the<br />
customs form to complete, but be sure<br />
to also have 2 copies of each of the<br />
following documents with you: 1) Bill<br />
of sale for your boat, 2) Statement of<br />
Origin for your boat; and 3) Power of<br />
Attorney to allow Jimmy to sign for<br />
your boat on your behalf.<br />
Back to the Don Q. The racing<br />
<strong>US</strong> SNIPE SAILOR <strong>Win</strong>ter 2007 17
starts again on Friday with two races<br />
scheduled on Friday and Saturday<br />
and one on Sunday. The wind doesn’t<br />
usually come up until late morning<br />
so racing starts at noon. Allow 30 to<br />
45 minutes to get to the racecourse.<br />
Weather conditions on the Bay are<br />
usually breezy with low chop.<br />
While you’re waiting to haul your<br />
boat out after the races, you can enjoy<br />
one of Carmen Diaz’s famous Don Q<br />
daiquiris, personally delivered to your<br />
<strong>Snipe</strong>. On Friday night there’s no dinner<br />
function planned but many people<br />
gather at CGYC and walk to “the<br />
Grove”, the busy hub of town filled<br />
with restaurants, shops and excellent<br />
people-watching. It’s about three blocks<br />
from the Club. There are showers at the<br />
Club if you want to change.<br />
Saturday night is Cuban night at<br />
Coconut Grove <strong>Sailing</strong> Club. Dinner<br />
is served early for the weary sailors,<br />
and includes all the Cuban favorites:<br />
chicken, beans, rice, plantains, etc. It’s<br />
good and it’s filling, and by 7:00 you<br />
may be ready to call it a night. If not,<br />
find other sailors in the bar or at the hot<br />
spots in the Grove.<br />
After the race on Sunday it’s time<br />
to once again pack up. Trophies will be<br />
presented outside around the lawn area<br />
amongst the de-rigging. By this time you<br />
should have a pretty good idea about<br />
how your boat will travel to Nassau,<br />
or more specifically, on whose trailer.<br />
Coordinate delivery to the docks with<br />
the other Nassau-bound sailors.<br />
Also, ask Jimmie if he knows where<br />
you’ll be staying in Nassau (the Royal<br />
Nassau <strong>Sailing</strong> Club members like to<br />
offer housing to all <strong>Snipe</strong> sailors) and<br />
whether you’ll need a rental car. Some<br />
homes are within walking distance<br />
to the <strong>Sailing</strong> Club and Jimmie and<br />
other locals will offer rides to off-site<br />
activities, but sometimes it’s easier and<br />
more convenient to have your own<br />
wheels. You can rent one at the airport<br />
when you arrive.<br />
BaCardi Cup<br />
dudley gaMBlin MeMorial regatta<br />
naSSau, BahaMaS<br />
Plan to fly to Nassau from Miami<br />
on Monday, to arrive in the afternoon.<br />
It’s pretty easy to get around the island<br />
since there are only a couple of main<br />
roads, but don’t forget to drive on the<br />
left (ties to the Brits are still strong.)<br />
The Royal Nassau <strong>Sailing</strong> Club is on the<br />
main road (East Bay Street), past the<br />
bridge to Paradise Island, beyond the<br />
Nassau Yacht Club (it has a Star boat<br />
out front) and next to the fish ramp.<br />
This is the only description most taxi<br />
drivers need but if you’re driving, ask<br />
for directions when you rent the car.<br />
For parking, pass the fish ramp and<br />
the <strong>Sailing</strong> Club on your left (it’s a pink<br />
building, but that isn’t really unique in<br />
the Bahamas) and park in the lot just<br />
beyond the <strong>Sailing</strong> Club.<br />
The Nassau <strong>Sailing</strong> Club<br />
At the <strong>Sailing</strong> Club you will find a<br />
gathering of local members and some<br />
traveling <strong>Snipe</strong> sailors. An organizer will<br />
find you, figure out where you’re staying<br />
and then call your hosts and ask them<br />
to meet you at the Club. Once you’re<br />
settled with your hosts the evening is<br />
open.<br />
On Tuesday plan to be at the <strong>Sailing</strong><br />
Club by lunch time. The boats should<br />
arrive in the morning and Jimmie Lowe<br />
and other locals will coordinate getting<br />
the trailers to the <strong>Sailing</strong> Club. Once<br />
at the Club, help is needed to lift boats<br />
onto dollies and stow the trailers. The<br />
club has one hoist and a challenging<br />
dock situation, but it all works.<br />
The bar and restaurant at the <strong>Sailing</strong><br />
Club is open for lunch and dinner all<br />
week. There is a delightful pool, nice<br />
shower facilities and very friendly staff;<br />
you’ll feel at home there in your first<br />
five minutes. There are no organized<br />
activities for Tuesday evening.<br />
The first three races sailed in Nassau<br />
comprise the Bacardi Cup; the next five<br />
make up the Dudley Gamblin Memorial<br />
Regatta. Two races are scheduled each<br />
day, Wednesday through Saturday. The<br />
first race starts at 11:00; it takes about<br />
five minutes to get to the racecourse.<br />
The second race starts at 3:00, which<br />
allows for a restful two-hour lunch at<br />
the Club between races. Order your<br />
lunch before you leave the dock in the<br />
morning and it will be ready for you<br />
when you come in.<br />
The social events in Nassau are as<br />
legendary as the sailing. Wednesday<br />
night is Bacardi Night with lots of<br />
Bacardi samples and hors d’oeuvres.<br />
Spiffy casual attire is appropriate (some<br />
men wear blazers, most women wear<br />
sundresses.) On Thursday there is a<br />
party at the Commodore’s house; this is<br />
a dressy affair with blazers and ties for<br />
the men and nice outfits for the women.<br />
These events are included in the price<br />
of registration.<br />
Friday is Bahamian Night at the<br />
Club. It’s a nice buffet dinner and all<br />
the members are invited. You can buy<br />
tickets when you register. Relax - it’s<br />
casual. Saturday is the banquet, and the<br />
Club staff go all out preparing a really<br />
nice meal. Yes, you have to dress up for<br />
this event also – blazers, ties, etc. After<br />
the awards there is dancing and all-out<br />
fun. It gets late fast.<br />
If you’ve never been to Nassau,<br />
Sunday is a good day to tour the island.<br />
It’s also a good day to sleep in and start<br />
your recuperation process. The <strong>Snipe</strong>s<br />
will be shipped to arrive in Miami on<br />
Monday. From there it’s back to reality,<br />
but with a whole lot of fond memories<br />
to carry with you.<br />
The <strong>Snipe</strong> Class is full of unique and<br />
interesting people; come to the <strong>Win</strong>ter<br />
Circuit and be one of them.<br />
1 www.snipeus.org
BiRD<br />
brAiNERs<br />
<strong>Snipe</strong> Fleet 12, in the San Francisco Bay area, has a tradition<br />
of awarding an annual trophy to a very special Fleet member.<br />
The trophy is called the “Bird Brain Award”, and it goes to the<br />
member who’s made the biggest mistake, created the largest snafu,<br />
or has just generally flubbed up enough for everyone to take notice.<br />
Most everyone at one time or other has qualified for nomination,<br />
and all Fleet members have learned from others’ mistakes. It is<br />
in that spirit that we include “Bird Brainers” in the <strong>US</strong> SNIPE<br />
SAILOR. While we may occasionally chuckle at the situations, we<br />
will all think, “I’m glad that didn’t happen to me.” So, here’s this<br />
issue’s <strong>Snipe</strong> snafu and the lessons learned:<br />
The weather was damp, and promised to be very breezy, for<br />
the first race of the Wells series in the 2006 Nationals at<br />
Erie. While preparing to leave the dock the skipper and crew<br />
raised the jib a little nervously, perhaps thinking more about<br />
the weather than rigging the boat. That would be their first<br />
mistake.<br />
The start of the race was postponed while a decision was<br />
made on some threatening storms in the area, so they spent<br />
the rain delay simply reaching back and forth below the<br />
starting line. Mistake number two.<br />
The race eventually got under way, and after a pounding first<br />
beat they rounded the windward mark in third place. They<br />
launched the pole, released the jib halyard, and shot off for<br />
the jibe mark. At the jibe mark, they dropped the pole, jibed,<br />
launched the pole again, and went on a screaming reach for<br />
the leeward mark. Preparing to round the leeward mark, the<br />
skipper tightened the jib halyard, and at the last second the<br />
crew struck the pole – and nothing happened. Stunned for<br />
a moment, the crew frantically looked for a knot in the pole<br />
line as they flew past the mark. As she stood up and pulled<br />
back on the pole, it reluctantly retracted a little. Then they<br />
realized that the pole launcher line was pinched between the<br />
mast and the now tightened jib halyard. The skipper released<br />
the halyard, the pole snapped back into place, and they<br />
rounded up onto port tack – but not before four boats had<br />
rounded the mark behind them.<br />
In his frustration, and cursing himself for his rigging error,<br />
the skipper slammed the hiking stick down on the deck.<br />
Mistake number three.<br />
They held onto their now eighth place position for another<br />
lap around the course. Then, just below the finish line, the<br />
skipper suddenly found himself holding on to a hiking stick<br />
that was no longer attached to its tiller. They nearly lost the<br />
boat in the resulting auto-tack, and had to finish the heavy air<br />
race with a skipper who could no longer hike.<br />
Here’s what had happened: with the Sidewinder, the jib<br />
halyard exits the mast above deck and runs alongside the<br />
mast, close to the pole launcher line. While raising the jib<br />
at the dock, the skipper had absent-mindedly passed the jib<br />
halyard over the pole launcher line. The pole could still be<br />
launched easily enough, especially with the halyard eased,<br />
but this forced the launcher line between the halyard and the<br />
mast. When the jib halyard was tightened again at the end of<br />
the last pole reach, it pinched the launcher line against the<br />
mast, preventing the pole from retracting on its own. And<br />
whacking the hiking stick against the deck had loosened the<br />
snap-on retainer that holds it to the tiller.<br />
The lessons to be learned here are many: 1) You can’t be too<br />
careful while rigging your boat. 2) Don’t waste time cruising<br />
around before the start – try all your equipment and make<br />
sure everything works. 3) When you realize you’ve made a<br />
mistake, get over it and keep sailing. This is easier said than<br />
done.<br />
<strong>US</strong> SNIPE SAILOR <strong>Win</strong>ter 2007 1
This remarkable photograph was taken by Mary Lu Long of Lincoln, NE, from the Dillon Dam, overlooking Lake Dillon, at<br />
the 2007 <strong>US</strong> <strong>Snipe</strong> Nationals. Mary Lu is the daughter of George Rood of Omaha, who was competing in the Nationals. The<br />
situation was not as unsafe as it might appear–the Race Committee was watching weather radar closely, and this storm was<br />
determined not to be a threat.<br />
20 www.snipeus.org
From College Dinghies to the <strong>Snipe</strong><br />
A skipper’s perspective<br />
by Brian Bissell, North Sails<br />
For a sailor who has come up<br />
through the ranks in junior sailing<br />
and/or has graduated from<br />
collegiate racing, the <strong>Snipe</strong> can<br />
be an intimidating boat to jump into.<br />
There is an element of simplicity in our<br />
junior boats, and even more so in the<br />
college racing scene. Tuning, crew work,<br />
and hull shape come to mind when I<br />
think of <strong>Snipe</strong>s. All three can be major<br />
hurdles; however, going from college or<br />
junior type dinghies to the <strong>Snipe</strong> can be<br />
a smooth transition if you know what<br />
to look for and how to adapt.<br />
Brian and crew demonstrate a perfectly timed roll tack.<br />
I never underestimate the value of<br />
good crew work, but I’d say that a<br />
good crew is even more valuable in<br />
<strong>Snipe</strong> sailing. In collegiate boats the<br />
crew’s responsibilities are usually weight<br />
placement, jib trim, centerboard, and<br />
eyes out of the boat. In my <strong>Snipe</strong>,<br />
however, the crew is responsible for<br />
the main cunningham, jib cunningham,<br />
mast pusher/puller, jib trim, jib<br />
lead position, whisker pole, weight<br />
placement, centerboard, eyes on the<br />
compass, eyes out of the boat, and<br />
beers at the end of the day. That leaves<br />
me in charge of the mainsheet, tiller,<br />
boomvang, and jib halyard. Doesn’t<br />
seem fair does it?<br />
The <strong>Snipe</strong>’s hull shape takes some<br />
getting used to. Collegiate dinghies<br />
have round hulls and are relatively<br />
lightweight, while <strong>Snipe</strong>s have hard<br />
chines and are quite heavy. Because of<br />
this, the boat handling maneuvers such<br />
as roll tacks and roll jibes call for unique<br />
techniques.<br />
A roll tack in any boat is attempting<br />
to help the boat steer through headto-wind<br />
and come out on the new tack<br />
with good boat speed. Since the <strong>Snipe</strong><br />
is hard chined, it takes a little more<br />
work to roll the boat. The extra work<br />
comes in the form of timing and weight<br />
placement. As you go to roll the <strong>Snipe</strong><br />
it is imperative that both the crew and<br />
the skipper roll at precisely the same<br />
time. It takes awhile to perfect this and<br />
in the early stages of learning, I have<br />
found it helpful for the skipper to count<br />
down the roll. I usually say<br />
“3,2,1, roll” and we both roll on<br />
the word “roll.” This gets both<br />
the crew and skipper rolling at<br />
the same time, but rolling at<br />
the right time takes even more<br />
practice. The right time is when<br />
both sails become unloaded<br />
with wind, and this happens<br />
near the head to wind point. If<br />
you roll before this, your weight<br />
shifting outboard will have less<br />
effect because the wind against<br />
your sail is working against you.<br />
I think that right when the jib<br />
slaps the mast is a good time<br />
to roll. That is also the precise time the<br />
crew should release the jib to prevent<br />
backwinding. Backwinding is like<br />
putting on the air brakes. This also takes<br />
practice because a lot of crews like to<br />
roll using the jib sheet as their lifeline<br />
(meaning the only thing keeping them<br />
in the boat). The crew needs to find<br />
some way of using their feet to lock in<br />
and roll the boat.<br />
In a roll jibe, the main priority<br />
becomes the whisker pole. The crew<br />
needs to retract the pole just enough so<br />
that it will clear the headstay in the jibe<br />
(I put a mark on my launcher line to<br />
know how far it needs to be retracted).<br />
In order to roll jibe the crew is asked to<br />
retract the pole and then roll, by leaning<br />
towards the skipper over the raised<br />
centerboard. This technique took me a<br />
little while to perfect–and I use the term<br />
“perfect” very loosely.<br />
In the area of tuning, collegiate<br />
dinghies are pretty much a raise-your-<br />
Gustavo Pacheco<br />
sails-and-go, while <strong>Snipe</strong>s require a bit<br />
more thought. In college, your tuning<br />
adjustments to the rig are confined<br />
basically to jib halyard tension. In the<br />
<strong>Snipe</strong> you need to think about mast<br />
rake, mast butt position, prebend,<br />
spreader length and angle, shroud<br />
tension, and probably a couple things I<br />
haven’t figured out yet. But all you need<br />
to do is go to a sailmaker website like<br />
www.onedesign.com and download the<br />
tuning guide. They have all the numbers<br />
you need and explanations on how to<br />
set your boat up. It seems like a lot at<br />
first, but once you are set up in the<br />
ballpark, you can just go sail and worry<br />
more about getting good starts and<br />
going the right way.<br />
I think the <strong>Snipe</strong> is a great boat.<br />
Unlike junior and collegiate dinghies, it<br />
will teach you things about mast bend,<br />
sail shape, and general tuning principles<br />
that you can take with you to any boat<br />
from 470s to Farr 40s. The boat may<br />
seem intimidating at first, but the<br />
Class more than makes up for it with<br />
unmatched hospitality. Give the <strong>Snipe</strong> a<br />
try; you won’t be disappointed.<br />
Brian Bissell was a three-time All-American<br />
and Collegiate National Champion at<br />
Georgetown University, where he sailed FJs,<br />
20s, and Sloops. After graduating, he<br />
accepted a position with North Sails in the<br />
Marketing Department and moved to North<br />
Sails One Design three years ago. Brian began<br />
sailing <strong>Snipe</strong>s in the summer of 2006, and<br />
by the end of his first season had garnered a<br />
2nd at the Colonial Cup and rd at the North<br />
Americans. In 2007, he repeated his 2nd at<br />
the Colonial Cup, and added a 2nd at the<br />
Mid-winters/Pan-Am Trials, a rd at the <strong>US</strong><br />
Nationals, and an 8th at <strong>Worlds</strong><br />
submitted by Merrill Varn<br />
<strong>US</strong> SNIPE SAILOR <strong>Win</strong>ter 2007 21<br />
Fried Elliott
In Memoriam<br />
C.B. “Jack” Wirt, 1911 – 2007<br />
by John Rose<br />
In the <strong>Win</strong>ter 2005 issue of the SCIRA <strong>US</strong>A <strong>Snipe</strong><br />
Bulletin (now the <strong>US</strong> <strong>Snipe</strong> Sailor), Jack Wirt’s contributions<br />
to the sailing community and <strong>Snipe</strong> Class in particular, were<br />
described in a “<strong>Snipe</strong> Personalities” article. Jack had just<br />
celebrated his 94th birthday on July 4th, at a party arranged<br />
by members of the Miami Yacht Club. This event became a<br />
regular function on July 4th, and so it was this year, as Jack<br />
celebrated his 96th birthday (above). However, sadly we now<br />
report the passing of Jack Wirt about a month later, on August<br />
15, 2007 in Miami, Florida.<br />
Jack was born in Spokane, Washington in 1911, and moved<br />
with his parents to Miami in 1919 at age 8, a trip by train which<br />
he remembers took almost a week at that time. He and his<br />
family have lived in Miami ever since. Jack became interested in<br />
sailing when in his early 20s, as a member of the South Florida<br />
Boat Racing Association, a precursor of the Miami Yacht Club.<br />
He began sailing <strong>Snipe</strong>s in the 1930s, borrowing <strong>Snipe</strong> #232<br />
Barbara, which belonged to Henry Thompson of Miami, and<br />
which had finished second in the 1935 <strong>Snipe</strong> International<br />
Championship. In 1938, Jack won the <strong>Snipe</strong> Midwinters in<br />
Clearwater, and in later years competed in several other <strong>Snipe</strong>s.<br />
After WWII, he bought another used <strong>Snipe</strong> which had been<br />
damaged in a windstorm, fixed it up and finished second in<br />
the 1947 <strong>Snipe</strong> Nationals at Marblehead, Massachusetts. At<br />
that time, he had his first and only new custom built <strong>Snipe</strong><br />
on order, #6715 Tiger which was being built by Russell’s Boat<br />
Works in Miami. This was a very distinctive wooden <strong>Snipe</strong> with<br />
a varnished hull and deck, and shark’s teeth painted on the<br />
bow, like the WWII P40 fighter planes (see photo, right). With<br />
this boat, he finished third in the 1948 <strong>Snipe</strong> Midwinters, and<br />
would have won “hands down” except for a DSQ in one race.<br />
Influential <strong>Snipe</strong> sailors at the Miramar Yacht Club in<br />
Andrea Livingston, Miami YC<br />
Havana, Cuba arranged to have Jack, his sailmaker crew<br />
and “Tiger” fly round-trip by government plane to Havana<br />
to compete in a <strong>Snipe</strong> regatta there in 1948. Jack won, and<br />
modern improvements in his <strong>Snipe</strong> led the way to subsequent<br />
development of faster <strong>Snipe</strong>s and better, more competitive<br />
<strong>Snipe</strong> sailors in Cuba.<br />
For almost 15 years, Jack was a fierce and innovative<br />
competitor in the <strong>Snipe</strong> Class, then moved on to other classes<br />
and boating activities after the early 1950s.<br />
Jack was instrumental in arranging a long-term lease of<br />
waterfront property for the Miami Yacht Club, and served three<br />
separate multi-year terms as Commodore of the club between<br />
1941-1951. He was also Fleet Captain of the Miami <strong>Snipe</strong><br />
Fleet for several years during this period. He introduced youth<br />
sailors to racing in Optimist prams, and participated in sail- and<br />
power-boat offshore racing events around south Florida and in<br />
the Bahamas, and in his later years helped on race organization<br />
and committees. He also was an avid fisherman, and enjoyed<br />
socializing with local shrimp fisherman in the early morning<br />
hours when they returned from their daily expeditions.<br />
Jack also owned and operated an automobile repair and<br />
service shop in Miami until 1983, when he retired. One of his<br />
(many) favorite stories was at a sailing awards banquet in the<br />
Bahamas, he was seated next to the Duke of <strong>Win</strong>dsor. When<br />
His Royal Highness asked Jack what he did for a living, he<br />
thought for a minute before replying, “I’m in the oil business,”<br />
which was partly true but not fully descriptive. He served in<br />
the Merchant Marine during WWII, and regularly volunteered<br />
as a member of the <strong>US</strong> Coast Guard Auxiliary.<br />
Jack was a true friend to many, well loved by all, a great<br />
storyteller with a sharp mind, and a great sense of humor, and<br />
was a fierce sailing competitor. He was an institution at the<br />
Miami Yacht Club, where he was a regular member.<br />
Those of us who sailed <strong>Snipe</strong>s from the mid-1930s through<br />
the late 1940s probably will remember Jack Wirt as one of the<br />
<strong>Snipe</strong> Class’s most proficient competitors. We will miss him<br />
– and for me, he was one of the icons that influenced my<br />
beginning <strong>Snipe</strong> sailing days in the late 1940s and afterwards.<br />
John Rose is a long-time <strong>Snipe</strong> Sailor fromTacoma, WA, and is<br />
editor of the Classic <strong>Snipe</strong> page on the SCIRA <strong>US</strong>A website. He is<br />
the current owner of <strong>Snipe</strong> #6715.<br />
22 www.snipeus.org
The Care and<br />
Feeding of Marks<br />
Taming the Inflatable Beasts<br />
By Paul Ulibarri, International Race Officer<br />
While we’d like to spend all our on-the-water time actually<br />
sailing <strong>Snipe</strong>s, some of us occasionally are prevailed upon<br />
to perform Race Committee duties. Here are some tips on<br />
handling and setting inflatable marks, from <strong>US</strong> <strong>Sailing</strong>’s<br />
One Design Class Council newsletter:<br />
It goes without saying that buoy races wouldn’t happen<br />
without buoys. Over the past 30 years, inflatable<br />
marks have become the standard because they are<br />
lightweight, easy to use, and easy to store when<br />
deflated. However, not everybody knows the tricks to<br />
the care and feeding of these beasts. With each mark<br />
costing upwards of $300, it’s worth taking the time to<br />
review the basics.<br />
Inflating<br />
If you blow up the marks in the cool morning,<br />
what happens by mid-afternoon when it gets<br />
hot? They get fat because the air expands as it<br />
heats up. When a mark gets too fat, it starts<br />
to leak. Leaky marks don’t float that well.<br />
The lesson? Leave the mark a little “floppy”<br />
when you inflate it. Better yet, when buying<br />
new marks, get the “dump” valve<br />
option – it’s only a few dollars<br />
more.<br />
While some inflators cost over<br />
$100, an inexpensive and versatile<br />
mark inflator can be found at your local camping store. Ozark<br />
Trail and Coleman both make rechargeable mattress inflators<br />
that run off a 12V cigarette lighter outlet and 120 VAC<br />
household current for $19 (Wal-Mart).<br />
Ground Tackle<br />
How you anchor your marks depends a lot on the water<br />
depth and the bottom conditions. However, most one-design<br />
races are run in less than 50 ft. of water and the bottom is<br />
either sand or mud. If the wind and wave action is light, a<br />
small mushroom anchor may be sufficient. At the 2004 Hobie<br />
16 <strong>Worlds</strong> in Mexico, where the wind, waves and depth were<br />
extreme, we used 100 pound blocks of concrete that we didn’t<br />
mind leaving behind. However you attach the mark to the<br />
bottom, make sure you have enough scope – at least 10% to<br />
20% of the depth. Make sure the anchor is heavy enough and<br />
the right type for the bottom to keep marks from dragging.<br />
Also, in consideration of rudders and daggerboards, tie a small<br />
(at least 2 lb.) weight to the anchor line about 6 ft. from the<br />
mark. That will make the anchor line go straight down from<br />
the mark and prevent snags.<br />
Setting<br />
For a weather or reaching mark, setting is easy – just lower the<br />
anchor and toss the mark over the side. The person handling<br />
the mark and ground tackle needs to be very conscious of<br />
the position of the anchor line relative to the boat’s propeller.<br />
Nothing will bring things to a grinding halt faster than a prop<br />
fouled by an anchor line. The best way to set weather and<br />
reaching marks is to put them over the bow or side of the boat<br />
while reversing slowly.<br />
Setting start / finish pins and gates requires more precision.<br />
These marks must be placed within feet of a desired spot.<br />
That’s not as easy as it sounds, since the anchor line allows the<br />
mark to drift downwind (and down current) from where the<br />
anchor sits on the bottom. Fortunately, there are a couple of<br />
tricks in getting a mark to end up exactly where you<br />
want it.<br />
The first trick is fairly common knowledge:<br />
trail the mark behind the boat, keeping only<br />
the anchor in the boat. The person holding<br />
the anchor line holds it high, out of the<br />
propeller. The mark boat driver then heads<br />
slowly upwind / up current at the proper<br />
distance for setting a start / finish line or<br />
gate. When the mark is in the right place,<br />
drop the anchor over the side. The mark<br />
will remain stationary while the anchor<br />
swings down to the bottom.<br />
How do you know when the mark<br />
is in the right place, though? Here’s<br />
where the second, lesser-known trick<br />
comes in. As you trail the mark behind<br />
Fried Elliott<br />
you, pretend the mark boat is the<br />
mark. It’s much easier to judge a square<br />
gate or line from the boat’s perspective. When the mark boat<br />
is where the mark should be, “burp” the throttle (a very short<br />
burst). This will do two things – it gives the boat a quick push<br />
and it leaves a very visible swirl in the water. When the mark<br />
gets to the windward side of the swirl, drop the anchor. Your<br />
mark will end up where the boat was a few seconds ago.<br />
In summary, feed your marks less air, keep them away from<br />
sharp objects (like anchors) and remember to “burp” the<br />
throttle for accurate placement. When you have mastered<br />
these techniques, you may be eligible to become a member<br />
of B.I.M.B.O. (The Brotherhood of International Mark Boat<br />
Operators).<br />
This article reprinted from <strong>US</strong> <strong>Sailing</strong>’s One Design Class Council<br />
newsletter.<br />
<strong>US</strong> SNIPE SAILOR <strong>Win</strong>ter 2007 2
Platinum<br />
Glenn R. Bell District 1<br />
Frank H. Briggs Atlanta, Fleet #330<br />
Kathy Bronaugh Atlanta, Fleet #330<br />
Mary & John Buckley Lincoln, Fleet #567<br />
Charlie & Michele Bustamante District 4<br />
Marshall L. Caggiano Cowan Lake, Fleet #433<br />
Vince Casalaina San Francisco Bay, Fleet #12<br />
The Commette Family Miami, Fleet #7<br />
Major Harry J. Crook Jr. Iowa/Nebraska, Fleet #309<br />
Chuck D’Antonio Medford, Fleet #777<br />
Henry Davis Iowa/Nebraska, Fleet #309<br />
R. Means Davis Atlanta, Fleet #330<br />
Steven & Jan Davis Rocky Mountain, Fleet #210<br />
Tarasa Davis Atlanta, Fleet #330<br />
Augie Diaz Miami, Fleet #7<br />
Gonzalo A. Diaz Miami, Fleet #7<br />
Gonzalo E. Diaz Sr. Miami, Fleet #7<br />
Keith Donald Barnegat Bay, Fleet #256<br />
Nancy & Berkley Duck Indianapolis, Fleet #409<br />
Peter & Jane Duvoisin Privateer, Fleet #142<br />
Barbara J. Evans Charleston, Fleet #52<br />
Peter & Suzan Fenner Dallas, Fleet #1<br />
Sigrid Festersen Iowa/Nebraska, Fleet #309<br />
Robin Gales San Francisco Bay, Fleet #12<br />
George W. Gibbs IV St. Johns River, Fleet #630<br />
Hal Gilreath St. Johns River, Fleet #630<br />
Sally & Paul Gingras Palm Beach, Fleet #51<br />
Stuart L. Griffing Cowan Lake, Fleet #433<br />
Jim Grubbs Alamitos Bay, Fleet #218<br />
Don Hackbarth Atlanta, Fleet #330<br />
Mark Hasslinger Annapolis, Fleet #532<br />
Fred Hegel Rocky Mountain, Fleet #210<br />
Martin Hellar District 2<br />
Tom Henderson Atlanta, Fleet #330<br />
John W. Hill Atlanta, Fleet #330<br />
Thomas A. Hunt Redwood Empire, Fleet #654<br />
Bruce A. Hurst <strong>Win</strong>dycrest, Fleet #68<br />
Robert S. Jackman DVM San Diego Area <strong>Snipe</strong> Fleet, #495<br />
Andrew Klein <strong>Win</strong>chester, Fleet #77<br />
Carolyn Krebs San Diego Area <strong>Snipe</strong> Fleet, #495<br />
Eric Krebs San Diego Area <strong>Snipe</strong> Fleet, #495<br />
John Lally <strong>Win</strong>chester, Fleet #77<br />
Lisa & Craig Leweck San Diego Area <strong>Snipe</strong> Fleet, #495<br />
Sam Mollet Portage Lakes, Fleet #110<br />
Woody Norwood Atlanta, Fleet #330<br />
David and Susan Odell San Francisco Bay, Fleet #12<br />
Derek Peters Atlanta, Fleet #330<br />
Andrew & Elizabeth Pontious San Francisco Bay, Fleet #12<br />
James and Julie Richter Gull Lake, Fleet #190<br />
Javier Sanchez Atlanta, Fleet #330<br />
Francis A. Seavy District 4<br />
2007 SCIRA <strong>US</strong>A Premium Members<br />
Neal Snebold <strong>Win</strong>chester, Fleet #77<br />
Eugene Soltero Dallas, Fleet #1<br />
Susan M. Steidley Chippewa, Fleet #621<br />
Steve & Danielle Suddath St. Johns River, Fleet #630<br />
Mrs. Ralph Swanson <strong>Win</strong>chester, Fleet #77<br />
Doug Swenson Rocky Mountain, Fleet #210<br />
David, Barb, Cole & Shane Tillson San Diego Area <strong>Snipe</strong> Fleet, #495<br />
Bill Welch St. Petersburg, Fleet #801<br />
Sherry Welch St. Petersburg, Fleet #801<br />
Dan Williams Privateer, Fleet #142<br />
Celeste Suggs & Joel Zackin Quassapaug, Fleet #231<br />
Gold<br />
Jon Anthony Annapolis, Fleet #532<br />
Martin Bebb <strong>Win</strong>dycrest, Fleet #68<br />
Gary & Phyllis Beck Lake Lanier, Fleet #781<br />
Don Bedford San Diego Area <strong>Snipe</strong> Fleet, #495<br />
Michael M. Blackwood Milwaukee, Fleet #128<br />
Lee Bradley Atlanta, Fleet #330<br />
George & Joan Kanter Buck San Diego Area <strong>Snipe</strong> Fleet, #495<br />
Cynthia Crowley Narragansett Bay, Fleet #17<br />
Gary W. Derrick Oklahoma City, Fleet #14<br />
Lucas Diaz Miami, Fleet #7<br />
Ian M. Elliott Atlanta, Fleet #330<br />
Henry C. Filter III Annapolis, Fleet #532<br />
Bryan Fishback Annapolis, Fleet #532<br />
Bob Foster St. Petersburg, Fleet #801<br />
Martin Fraser Medford, Fleet #777<br />
Lee Griffith Barnegat Bay, Fleet #256<br />
Peter Harding Iowa/Nebraska, Fleet #309<br />
Mark & Julie Heup Milwaukee, Fleet #128<br />
Matthew Heywood Wolf Lake, Fleet #141<br />
Laura & Will Jeffers St. Petersburg, Fleet #801<br />
Malcolm Kinmont Atlanta, Fleet #330<br />
Phil Lee Iowa/Nebraska, Fleet #309<br />
Harry & Sarah Levinson <strong>Win</strong>chester, Fleet #77<br />
Dick Loomis San Francisco Bay, Fleet #12<br />
Michael Mack San Francisco Bay, Fleet #12<br />
Jim & Rita MacKenzie Rocky Mountain, Fleet #210<br />
John MacRae Cottage Park, Fleet #244<br />
Mark Miller District 6<br />
John Muhlhausen Atlanta, Fleet #330<br />
Alex Pline Annapolis, Fleet #532<br />
Lisa Foulke Pline Annapolis, Fleet #532<br />
Eric Reinke Annapolis, Fleet #532<br />
Ernesto Rodriguez Miami, Fleet #7<br />
George Rood Iowa/Nebraska, Fleet #309<br />
Steve & Mary Snider <strong>Win</strong>dycrest, Fleet #68<br />
Jim Tomassetti District 5<br />
Peter Wolcott Quassapaug, Fleet #231
Silver<br />
Rafael Abella Jr. Miami, Fleet #7<br />
Abigail G. Ahmanson Alamitos Bay, Fleet #218<br />
Robin Baker Palm Beach, Fleet #51<br />
Bill Baldwin <strong>Win</strong>chester, Fleet #77<br />
Jim Barr Rocky Mountain, Fleet #210<br />
Lee Barrett Valdosta, Fleet #580<br />
T.H. Barrett Jr. Valdosta, Fleet #580<br />
Howard Beeck Lincoln, Fleet #567<br />
Terry Bihary Atlanta, Fleet #330<br />
Ethan Bixby St. Petersburg, Fleet #801<br />
Ellen C. Booth Onondaga, Fleet #18<br />
Bob Bowden San Diego Area <strong>Snipe</strong> Fleet, #495<br />
James Bowers <strong>Win</strong>chester, Fleet #77<br />
Jim Bowers <strong>Win</strong>chester, Fleet #77<br />
Larry L. Briggs Lincoln, Fleet #567<br />
Larry Bull Atlanta, Fleet #330<br />
Rowena Carlson San Diego Area <strong>Snipe</strong> Fleet, #495<br />
Mike Coffman Charleston, Fleet #52<br />
Tom Colligan Seattle, Fleet #444<br />
Charles Courtsal Newport Y.C., Fleet #103<br />
Robert Coyle Cottage Park, Fleet #244<br />
The Id Crook Family Canada<br />
Andy Culver St. Johns River, Fleet #630<br />
Norman Dahl Newport Y.C., Fleet #103<br />
Ned Daly Quassapaug, Fleet #231<br />
Packy Davis San Francisco Bay, Fleet #12<br />
Mark R. Ernst Milwaukee, Fleet #128<br />
Robert & Donna Ewoldt Lincoln, Fleet #567<br />
Bill Felder Dallas, Fleet #1<br />
Adrian Ferguson Iowa/Nebraska, Fleet #309<br />
Patrick Flood Iowa/Nebraska, Fleet #309<br />
Jim Foreman Cowan Lake, Fleet #433<br />
John Fox Melbourne, Fleet #445<br />
Jack Gannon <strong>Win</strong>chester, Fleet #77<br />
John Gondring Iowa/Nebraska, Fleet #309<br />
Richard P. Grant Jr. Grand Rapids, Fleet #137<br />
James R. Hand Portage Lakes, Fleet #110<br />
Ernest E. Hardy Jr. Cottage Park, Fleet #244<br />
Dexter Harshbarger Wolf Lake, Fleet #141<br />
Doug Hart San Diego Area <strong>Snipe</strong> Fleet, #495<br />
Mitchell N. Harvey Rocky Mountain, Fleet #210<br />
Brian Hetherington Annapolis, Fleet #532<br />
Kate Heywood Wolf Lake, Fleet #141<br />
David Hiebert Miami, Fleet #7<br />
Theodore F. Horvath Newport Y.C., Fleet #103<br />
Larry Hoskinson Alamitos Bay, Fleet #218<br />
Doug & Bonnie Howson San Francisco Bay, Fleet #12<br />
Monica Irgens Carlyle Lake, Fleet #705<br />
Stephan Irgens Carlyle Lake, Fleet #705<br />
Dustin Kays Atlanta, Fleet #330<br />
Steve Keckler Austin, Fleet #505<br />
2007 SCIRA <strong>US</strong>A Premium Members<br />
Lloyd H. Ketchum Jr. Eagle Lake, Fleet #145<br />
John Korkosz Galway Lake, Fleet #412<br />
James Lampros Willamette, Fleet #533<br />
David Lence Dallas, Fleet #1<br />
Pedro Lorson District 1<br />
John J. Marx Lake Mohawk, Fleet #10<br />
Blaine & Adrienne McCleskey Rocky Mountain, Fleet #210<br />
Craig McLean Atlanta, Fleet #330<br />
Mike Merganthaler Annapolis, Fleet #532<br />
Butch Michel San Francisco Bay, Fleet #12<br />
Dick Mitchell Onondaga, Fleet #18<br />
Ava Moore Atlanta, Fleet #330<br />
Charles M. Oman <strong>Win</strong>chester, Fleet #77<br />
Michael J. Otto Gull Lake, Fleet #190<br />
Bob Panza Quassapaug, Fleet #231<br />
David C. Patterson Willamette, Fleet #533<br />
Tom Peterson Milwaukee, Fleet #128<br />
Robert Pincus Rocky Mountain, Fleet #210<br />
Gene Ratliffe San Diego Area <strong>Snipe</strong> Fleet, #495<br />
Roger F. Ream DDS Portage Lakes, Fleet #110<br />
Ken & Julie Redler San Diego Area <strong>Snipe</strong> Fleet, #495<br />
Bill Reed <strong>Win</strong>chester, Fleet #77<br />
Phil Richmond Annapolis, Fleet #532<br />
Ken Rix Wichita, Fleet #93<br />
Mary Ann Rix Wichita, Fleet #93<br />
Eugene Sartori <strong>Win</strong>chester, Fleet #77<br />
Thomas Schmitt Atlanta, Fleet #330<br />
Andrea Sepanski Carlyle Lake, Fleet #705<br />
Dixon R. Smith San Diego Area <strong>Snipe</strong> Fleet, #495<br />
Jim Stillson Dallas, Fleet #1<br />
Steve Stucky Indianapolis, Fleet #409<br />
Christian Suddath St. Johns River, Fleet #630<br />
Danielle Suddath St. Johns River, Fleet #630<br />
Jack Suddath St. Johns River, Fleet #630<br />
Kelly Suddath Miami, Fleet #7<br />
Karen Swenson Rocky Mountain, Fleet #210<br />
Andrew Towles Oklahoma City, Fleet #14<br />
Steve Travis Seattle, Fleet #444<br />
Ken & Kay Voss Miami, Fleet #7<br />
Chuck Wahl Lincoln, Fleet #567<br />
George Walker III San Diego Area <strong>Snipe</strong> Fleet, #495<br />
Susan Wallace St. Petersburg, Fleet #801<br />
Darryl Waskow Barnegat Bay, Fleet #256<br />
Gifford Weary Hoover, Fleet #760<br />
Colton P. Weatherston Detroit River, Fleet #5<br />
Harold M. Whitacre III Annapolis, Fleet #532<br />
Robert W. Whitman Cowan Lake, Fleet #433<br />
Robert Williams Annapolis, Fleet #532<br />
Frank Workman Indianapolis, Fleet #409<br />
William Worster Cowan Lake, Fleet #433<br />
Martin Zonnenberg District 4
2008 <strong>Snipe</strong> <strong>US</strong>A Regatta Schedule<br />
Jan 12-13 Dead Of <strong>Win</strong>ter - St. Pete <strong>Sailing</strong> <strong>Sailing</strong> Center, St. Petersburg, FL<br />
Colin Park: crewcolin@aol.com<br />
Mar 8-9 St. Johns Tea Party - Florida Yacht Club, Jacksonville, FL<br />
Hal Gilreath: hgilreat@cisco.com<br />
Mar 30-Apr 1 <strong>Snipe</strong> Midwinters - Clearwater Yacht Club, Clearwater, FL<br />
Dick Boblenz: boblenzrb@aol.com<br />
Apr 4-6 Don Q Rum Keg - Coconut Grove <strong>Sailing</strong> Club, Miami, FL<br />
Gonzalo Diaz, Sr.: gcdiaz@accesspro.net<br />
Apr 9-12 Bacardi/Gamblin - Royal Nassau <strong>Sailing</strong> Club, Nassau, BAH<br />
Lori/Jimmie Lowe: lorijim@coralwave.com<br />
May 9-11 2008 <strong>Snipe</strong> <strong>US</strong>A Women’s National Championship - Puget Sound, Seattle, WA<br />
Kirk Smith: kirksmith01@msn.com<br />
Aug 2-3 2008 <strong>Snipe</strong> <strong>US</strong>A Junior National Championship - Richmond Yacht Club, Richmond, CA<br />
Vincent Casalaina:vincesail@aol.com<br />
Aug 4-8 2008 <strong>Snipe</strong> <strong>US</strong>A National Championship - Richmond Yacht Club, Richmond, CA<br />
Vincent Casalaina: vincesail@aol.com<br />
Tattoo You!<br />
Don Hackbarth has donated about a zillion temporary<br />
<strong>Snipe</strong> tattoos like the one shown here. Get a supply for<br />
your regatta or other Fleet function.<br />
Contact Mary Buckley, direx@inebraska.com<br />
Go to www.snipeus.org for updates to the Regatta Schedule<br />
Fried Elliott<br />
2 www.snipeus.org
<strong>US</strong> SNIPE SAILOR <strong>Win</strong>ter 2007 27
Photo Fried Elliot, www.friedbits.com<br />
<strong>Snipe</strong> Class International Racing Association <strong>US</strong>A<br />
PO Box 83866<br />
Lincoln, NE 68501<br />
ADDRESS SERvICE REQUESTED<br />
When performance counts, the choice is clear.<br />
SAN DIEGO (619) 226-1415<br />
Chris Snow chris@od.northsails.com<br />
Dave Hughes dave@od.northsails.com<br />
CHESAPEAKE (410) 280-3617<br />
Brian Bissell brianb@od.northsails.com<br />
Greg Fisher greg@od.northsails.com<br />
Faster by Design<br />
www.OneDesign.com<br />
All About One Design <strong>Sailing</strong><br />
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PAID<br />
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