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
Classic Snipes are alive and well John Rose, Overseer of US Classic Snipes While many of you may relish the thought of considering “boat maintenance” as simply washing your (fiberglass) Snipe, there is continued interest from around the US in Classic Snipes, which are informally defined as Snipes with hull numbers of 20,000 (e.g. build date of mid-1972) or earlier. This includes Snipes with wood hulls (planked or plywood) and fiberglass Snipes. A majority of Classic Snipes are located in the eastern half of the US. John Rose has been acting as Volunteer Editor for SCIRA USA since 2005, and has collected files on more than 250 Classic Snipes and owners, plus an almost complete library of old back issues of Jib Sheet, Snipe Bulletin and US Snipe Sailor from as far back as 1945, for researching boat history and past owners. John also assists owners with technical advice on boat restoration and historical information on their boats, with help from Jerelyn Biehl and Danielle Richards in the SCIRA office archive files in San Diego. He also serves as match-maker by assisting owners in finding new owners or boats available. This is not a task for the fainthearted as correspondence can average over 75 e-mails per month. Four Classic Snipe Rallies have been held recently: in 2009 (Atlanta GA), 2010 (Geneva/Seneca Lake NY), 2012 (Lake Quassapaug CT) and 2014 (Winchester MA). Up to 12-15 Classic Snipes have been displayed at most of these events. A summer 2017 Classic Snipe Rally is in the planning stage at Mystic Lake as part of the annual Invitational regatta in early July, which is also hosting the 2017 Snipe USA Nationals in late August. Classic Snipes have been added to the wooden boat collections at two boating museums in 2016, at Largo FL (Heritage Village at Pinellas County Historical Society) and at Hammondsport NY (Finger Lakes Boating Museum). Snipe Fleet #24, founded in the preWorld War 2 era, has been rejuvenated at Marina del Rey/Santa Monica CA and consists of a dozen Classic Snipes dating from 1932 to the mid-1960s - the only Snipe fleet in the world with such a membership. They hold two wooden boat shows and sail events each summer where Classic Snipes are highlighted. A number of highly desirable wooden Classic Snipes are available around the US and looking for new owners, contact John Rose for information (see Snipe USA web site/Resources/Classifieds for information).
Bow Mar Yacht Club, Snipe Fleet 640, Hits the Road The Bow Mar Yacht Club in its effort to win the best fleet in District 2 built a triple trailer to attend the District 2 regattas. This created the ability for crews to fly from Denver to the distant regattas such as Dallas, Omaha, and Wichita. The trailer had the requirement to be loaded without a crane since most of the District 2 Yacht Clubs only have ramps for launching boats. The trailer has places for three dollies and masts do not extend the length of trailer. The program was successful and soon the scope increased to travel to more distant regattas. The trailer was modified to be the Bow Mar Yacht Club away from home. It now has a complete bar, Bluetooth tunes, and a gas grill. Every part has a place, including the centerboards and rudders. It also has a hanging locker for the blue blazers. The pop-up tent, chairs, and sailing gear are stored in the truck. The trailer is now headed south for Atlanta, Miami, and on to the Bahamas winter circuit.
Fall 2016
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2016 (58th Annual) Florida State Snipe Junior Championship. Gonzalo Diaz, Sr. Fleet Captain Coconut Grove Sailing Club September 3, 2016. Eddie Mintzias won the Florida State Snipe Junior Championship after 5 races sailed on Saturday September 3 in the waters of Biscayne Bay. Winds from the South East 10 to 14 mph. Second Place was taken by Paul Lobree, skipper and Alex Sidi crew. Third place Jonathan Gleason with father Art crewing for him and sailing my old boat Jupiter II (28814). Fourth place taken by Isabel Guaragna with her father Roberto crewing for her. Thanks to Ken and Kay Voss for running the races with their motorboat. To Baird and Helene Lobree for helping setting the marks, start and finish lines also using their own boat and to Susan Walcutt and the CGSC for their help in organizing this Event.
Photos: above: trophy winners and competitors from left: Roberto Guaragna crew, Ernesto Rodriguez crew, Isabel Guaragna skipper, Eddit Mintzias holding trophy, 2nd Paul Lobree and Alex Sidi; 3rd Jonathan & Art Gleason. Photo left: first 2 boats to arrive: Jonathan Gleason & Alex Sidi Below left: first winner in 1957 Ken Lippincot Jr in Eau Gallie, FL Below right: 1963 & 1968 engravings.
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Fall 2016
District 3 Championship
fast) and one boat had mechanical problems and was forced to retire.
Riff Raff Regatta Cowan Lake Sailing Association
Catered dinner and a keg of Dayton’s own Warped Wing craft beer met the tired sailors at the end of the long day.
September 17-18, 2016 The third weekend of September has been the gathering time for District 3 Snipe sailors for many years. Could this gathering possibly be happening for over 50 years? No historians are around to protest.
Sunday’s breakfast of home made egg sandwiches greeted the bleary eyed sailors the following morning. Breakfast, but no wind. After a couple hours of waiting, the RC did what every RC hates to do - they cancelled the sailing for the rest of the day. Tear down, lunch and awards finished a great weekend.
The third weekend of September 2016 was no different than the past events.It was time for the Cowan Lake Riff Raff Snipe Regatta. This year was a special 3 for 1 regatta: 1) the annual Riff Raff was the main draw, but we also held the District 3 Championships as well as the wrap up to the District 3 Traveler’s series.
The top 3 boats in the Riff Raff and District 3 Championships: Jno and Karen Disch finished with 3 bullets, a second and 1 thrownout 7th. Mike Stark and Brian Goldberg were hot on their transoms every race with 2 bullets, 2 seconds and 1 thrownout second. Mike O’Toole and Howard Miller tied for 3rd, but Mike got a lift on the last upwind of the 2nd race and stole a second place - he rightfully picked up the 3rd place water bottle trophy.
9 boats gathered on the lawn in front of the Cowan Lake Sailing Association’s club house on Saturday morning to rig boats and renew friendships. All eyes were on the weather radar. 10am found beautiful sun and a good breeze, but of course, we weren’t scheduled to start racing till 1:00pm. As the morning progressed, and more boats showed up, so did the clouds. By the 12:00am skipper’s meeting the storms were definitely brewing in the distance and the RC decided to postpone for a 1/2 hour to see what Mother Nature had in store for us.
Only 3 boats were able to do all three races in the District 3 Traveler’s Series, but when you add up all the boats that participated, we probably had close to 30 total boats. First Place went to Mike Stark (sailing all 3 events), Second to Jno Disch (sailing 2 events), Third to John Crookston (2 events), 4th to Matt Heywood (3 events) and 5th to Howard Miller (3 events.) Complete, final results will be posted on the District 3 Facebook page.
By 12:30, the storms seemed to be breaking up and the RC sent us out. Only a 1/2 hour delay to the start of the races. The initial plan was for 3 races on Saturday and 2 on Sunday. Sunday’s forecast was for 0 wind with gusts to 2. Not enticing. Saturday afternoon brought us glorious winds (more than we’ve had in seemingly months.) RC quickly scrapped their plans for 3 Saturday races and set their sites on 5. The midwestern winds were consistently 10-14mph with gusts and wind bombs (if you’ve never experienced a wind bomb, you haven’t sailed in the midwest enough) in the low twenties.
Midwest sailing wraps up at the end of October. North Cape still has a 1 day regatta scheduled for the second weekend of October. There are opportunities to sail every weekend till the leaves are off the trees. Please come out and join us. Howard Miller Cowan Lake Sailing Association Snipe Fleet Captain
5 races were eventually contested. 3 Olympic style courses with screaming fast broad reaches and 2 final WL courses just to change things up. I heard from the RC that they were trying to make the courses longer, but the wind and boat speeds kept all the races to under 45 min. A couple sailors ended up in the warm water of Cowan Lake (those dreaded wind bombs struck hard and
SCIRA USA 2812 Canon Street San Diego, CA 92106 619-222-0252 Danielle Richards, Executive Administrator danielle@odmsail.com Sherri Campbell, SCIRA Finances sherri@odmsail.com Jerelyn Biehl, SCIRA Executive Director jerelyn@odmsail.com Fall 2016