US Snipe Sailor Reflecting backwards and forwards – thoughts from the US National Secretary As we close out the 2016 campaign, I trust that all of you have at least a few fond memories of this summer in a Snipe, whether they be hard hiking in open water at the Annapolis North Americans, being a part of the only all-classic (wooden) Snipe fleet in the world (Fleet #24 in Marina del Rey CA), or being on the water with your son or daughter, whether they are trimming the sails or “trolling for sharks” (dragging behind holding onto the tail of the mainsheet). Different strokes for different folks. My highlights include the following: I sailed with super-crew Jessica Bennett from SSA at the NAs with almost 70 Snipes on the starting line (first time sailing together); I crewed for my 29-year old son Adam (he and I won the Wells when he was nine) while daughter Kelly and wife Jennifer were sailing in other Snipes at that same regatta; our fleet drew over 10 Snipes on our fleet race starting lines for a number of times this summer (over 50 total fleet races!), and we saw a refreshing influx of new teens and 20-something sailors in Snipes on our lake and local regattas. I would love to hear your stories of what worked for you. Please e-mail them to me. 2016 Rush Creek Nationals regatta chair Mary Ann Hopper reflected by passing along good advice to subsequent regatta chairs: work with the class members to ensure you get a flavor for any special parameters and a general feel for the people who will likely participate. When you are a small fleet, you may not have a solid feel of what sailors from other corners of geography or experience may want. I had a discussion on this very subject a mere few weeks ago with past Snipe sailor and Green Lake (Wisconsin) YC member John Hayashi who was passionately querying me about the texture, style and expectations of our current members as part of their consideration of hosting the 2018 Nationals. This is a good segue into looking forward. Before taking on this role as National Secretary, I would oftentimes find myself feeling down around this time of year as I stored our Snipes and considered “leaving” my sailing friends for the long off-season that we northerners call winter. But today, there is far too much planning and preparation for next summer to even think about hibernation. Some examples: by now, most of the major regattas for 2017 have hosts and dates, including a Nationals on a comfort-zone-stretching and tacticallychallenging tiny lake not 5 miles from downtown Boston. Also, plans for multiple junior regattas along the entire east coast are already firmed up or are well into the stage of working out the fine details (we could use MORE junior regattas around the country). The US Masters have a home at North Cape MI and the Women’s Nationals are expected to be firmed up by the end of October. And the northeast will see the return of a regatta for Classic Snipes where the co-existence of up-to-70-year-old wooden Snipes in the same parking lot or starting line with still-smell-
the-new-fiberglass boats of the same class can be about as breath-taking as it gets in our sport. Lastly, we are already pondering sites for the 2018 Nationals. For me, I love to hear the cacophony of debating, questioning, and yes, even the trashtalking when it comes to discussions of site planning for such regattas. Some sides dig their heels in the ground when it comes to site selection, justifiably urging that sailing sites should mimic sites where World Championships are held in the name of sending the highestqualified teams. Others are openly agnostic when it comes to site conditions, tending to be more concerned with travel time or the parties. Then there is the religious discussion over the question of whether hosting such major regattas might or might not further the growth of small or large fleets. It is folly to hunt for a single and universal answer to these and other similar debates. But we can – and should – mine the energy that is the source of such arguments. The bottom line is that these regattas are not a product of spontaneous generation. They are proposed, planned and put on by our fellow fleet and class members who have so much interest and passion so as to sacrifice countless hours (and probably be the target of some Art Rousmaniere ill-feelings) to provide the product incoming US National Secretary that brings so much joy to the rest of us, many of whom may take it all for granted. So my plea to each and every one of you has two parts: 1) we need your ideas…. for locations and hosts that would be good candidates for future major national-level regattas (Nationals, NAs, Women Nationals, Junior Nationals), and/or for things that draw you to such events – whatever contributes to Serious Sailing, Serious Fun. And 2) reach out – keep an eye out for potential new Snipers as skippers or crews…. to family, friends, junior programs – whatever. Keep in mind that there are over 500 members in the US and while 1/3 of these are skippers who competed in at least one of the 25 regattas in this year’s re-inaugural Minneford High Point series, only 21 skippers (that’s less than 5% of total membership) competed in at least four in this series (kudos to NA Champ Doug Hart for competing in the most!). The point of this statistic is that we are a widely diverse crowd of dedicated sailors where all are invited to share in our joy. Wishing you smooth sailing, Art art.rousmaniere@gmail.com A calm sea or steady wind does not make a skilled sailor. (African proverb, adapted)
Fall 2016