Snipe US National Championship at San Diego Yacht Club - Day 3
by San Diego Yacht Club 14 Jul 2022 20:45 PDT
July 11-15, 2022
Snipe US National Championship - Day 3 © Matias Capizzano
If you ask a Snipe sailor what they love about sailing in the Snipe fleet, they might mention their fleet slogan "Serious Sailing, Serious Fun." They might mention the camaraderie, the generational guidance, the way the boat sails. And, they will surely mention the "serious competition" out on the water. Any race in a Snipe regatta is up for grabs, whether you're 10, 20, or 60.
This week's Snipe US National Championship is no different. If you look at the scoresheet, you'll see finishes in the top five literally all through the top half of the list. You'll see juniors and seniors alike earning their place on the podium. And, today was the fleet's opportunity to throw out a race, moving some of the instrumental players up even further.
Currently standing in first place is Ernesto Rodriguez and Kathleen Tocke with 11 points. Augie Diaz and Christine De Silva sit in second only two points behind. Arthur Blodgett and Grace Howie finished standing in third place today after a 2nd and a 4th in races five and six.
Howie commented, "The first race, we won the pin and went pretty far left on both upwinds. The second race, we went more conservative with a middle start and went right. It was a lot of full hiking and vang sheeting, a lot of in and out of the boat, and seeking pressure both upwind and downwind. A lot of it was not only trying to beat boats around us but still thinking about the fleet on both sides and managing. Tomorrow we're looking forward to sailing our last day out on the ocean and keep small numbers on our scoreboard."
Teams were back in South San Diego Bay today, starting off the morning in 8-9 knots of breeze and a short postponement. Enrique Quintero and Charlie Bess earned their first bullet of the regatta with Blodgett and Howie in second. Eric and Lorelei Heim (our beloved father-daughter team) finished race five in third place!
The breeze picked up to 10-12 knots for race six, the final race of the day. The fleet stayed really tight down the course and flooded the leeward mark, making for a great race. Ultimately, Diaz and De Silva finished first. Junior team Trevor Davis and Ale Torres finished second, and Rodriguez and Tocke finished third. Blodgett was close behind in fourth and juniors Diego Escobar and Ximena Escobar came in fifth.
Racing will conclude tomorrow, Friday, July 15. The final races will take place on the South San Diego Bay course at 1200. After racing, competitors and guests are invited to the Awards Ceremony.
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