2015 Snipe World Championship – Down to the wire

by Tessa Wiechmann on 28 Sep 2015 Sportsmanship wins in Tuscany, after the nail biting finish brings the record-breaking 83-crew and 18-nation Snipe World Championship to a close on Saturday.

Brazilian Mateus Tavares-Gustavo Carvalho (Yate Clube de Bahía) are the 2015 Snipe World Champions with 51 points having managed to close the gap with Louis Soubie-Diego Lipszyc (ARG), who had led the standings for the entire week and finish second at 59 points. Third on the podium, Alvaro Martinez-Gabriel Utrera (ESP) at 61 points.

'This is an incredible joy” stated with the Islands of Giglio, Montecristo and Elba etched on the horizon the 2015 World Champion skipper and helmsman Mateus Tavares still on the water with 17-year old Gustavo Carvalho. 'Our goal in Talamone was to finish in the top ten and we never expected to win the World Championship! The week was quite challenging, but at one point, the provisional scoreboard showed an opening and we realized we had a chance. Today in the final race, keeping our opponents in check or attacking was very difficult. We decided to give it all that we had and when we saw that Louis Soubie was buried in the second half of the fleet, we focused on stretching our lead, hoping that he would not be able to close the gap. It all worked out and neither Gustavo nor I can believe we are 2015 Snipe World Champions!” Immediately after crossing the finish line in 23rd position, Argentinians Louis Soubie - Diego Lipszyc heartily congratulated Tavares-Carvalho on their victory while the Brazilians were celebrating with fellow compatriots by diving in the crystal clear waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea. A mark of true sportsmanship.” The fact Louis came over to shake our hand meant a lot to us”, stated Tavares.

The Race - The final race, Race eight, was sailed with a westerly breeze between seven and nine knots that later in the day shifted to the left. Soubie-Lipszyc had to defend the 12-point lead but after sailing on the left side of the course, the Argentinian duo rounded mark one in 14th position while Tavares-Carvalho were fourth at the end of the beat. Down the first run, the Brazilians move into the lead while the Argentinians lose positions, rounding the left mark at the leeward gate more or less 20th. The rest of the race was all about Tavares-Carvalho controlling the fleet on the one hand and about Soubie-Lipszyc desperately attempting to recover positions to cut the finish line in 13th place or better, which would have ensured their victory of World Title after a week spent at the head of the provisional leaderboard. Game over for Argentina with Brazilian Tavares-Carvalho who cross the finish line in second place and start counting the number of boats between them and Soubie-Lipszyc. Two, three, ten, fourteen… Soubie-Lipszyc (ARG) cut the finish line 23rd and Tavares-Carvalho (BRA) are 2015 Snipe World Champions.

Snipe legend Mats Gothlin from Stockholm (SWE), who celebrated his 70th birthday and 10th Snipe Worlds competition, commented on the 2015 edition stating, “Sailing Snipe is a great way to travel around the world and in my opinion Talamone is among the top locations I have ever raced in. Perfect weather conditions, unparalleled organization on shore that worked like clockwork and immediate assistance at sea. Bravo Circolo Vela Talamone!” Gothlin, who was National Secretary for the Snipe class in Sweden for 25 years, also commented on the growth of the Snipe class. “Over the years the competition has become stiffer. When I took part in my first Worlds in 1971 in Rio de Janeiro, only one boat per nation was allowed on the starting line. The Talamone edition was record breaking with 83 crews from 18 nations at the gun. Hard to resist racing in Tuscany!” he added.

The Prize Giving Ceremony on Saturday evening wrapped up two intense weeks of sailing competition that started with the Junior Championship and was followed by the Open World Championship. A regatta that was organized with passion and great care by the Circolo della Vela di Talamone chaired by Admiral Sergio Biraghi with Vice President Alessandro Testa in charge of all the organization. The Mayor of Orbetello Monica Paffetti, Giuseppe Lallai representing the Italian Sailing Federation (FIV) and many authorities attended the official closing of the Regatta. The Race Committee was formed by: Fabio Barrasso (President), Andrea Bimbi, Bruno Iazzetta, Giovanni Capitani, Alessandro Testa, Filippo Soffici and Fabio Andreuccetti. The International Jury was formed by: Tullio Giraldi (President), Licio Bruno Marques, Sergey Kuzovov, Charles Perry and Marco Cimarosti. The SCIRA representatives present in Talamone were Riccardo Lobato and Gweneth Cook. The Chief Measurer was Antonio Espada.

Open Snipe World Championship

Final results after eight races (one discard)

1. BRA Mateus Tavares / Gustavo Carvalho, 51
2. ARG Luis Soubie and Diego Lipszyc, 59
3. ESP Alvaro Martinez and Gabriel Utrera, 61
4. BRA Rafael Gagliotti and Henrique Gones, 65
5. BRA Mario Urban and Daniel Seixas, 66

Junior Snipe World Championship

Final Results after six races (one discard)

1. ESP Antonio Lopez Montoya and Gregorio Belmonte Cuenca, 19
2. BRA Felipe Rondina and Luis Felipe Boani, 21
3. ITA Michele Moeotto and Alberto Cassandro, 22
4. ESP Enric Noguera and Marc Vallespir, 22
5. BRA Nicholas Pellicano Grael and Fabio Kohler, 26