Snipe US National Championship at San Diego Yacht Club - Overall
by San Diego Yacht Club 15 Jul 2022 19:57 PDT
July 11-15, 2022
Ernesto Rodriguez and Kathleen Tocke are officially the winners of the 2022 Snipe US National Championship! Over the past four days, this duo has proved themselves worthy of the champion title. Rodriguez and Tocke placed in the top three in six out of the eight races of the regatta. They're not deemed the SSL Snipe World Ranked no. 1 team for nothing.
Rodriguez and Tocke concluded the regatta with a total of 19 points, only 3 points ahead of overall second place finishers Augie Diaz and Christine De Silva. Third place overall was earned by Arthur Blodgett and Grace Howie with 40 points.
It was not with ease that Rodriguez and Tocke won the regatta. The competition was tight, especially with Diaz and De Silva on their ankles. Rodriguez commented, "It was a tough regatta with tough conditions. We were fortunate today to have a really good first race. We were going into the last day with Augie a couple of points behind us. We ended up using our drop on the second race and that was good enough to win the regatta. But, I felt like Augie sailed better than us. In fact, I realized that in eight races, we only beat him in three. That's how tough sailing is. It could have went either way."
Up next for Rodriguez and Tocke is the 2022 Snipe World Championship this August. Several boats sailing this week will be joining the team back on the water for another round of competition. See the Entry List here.
The final day of the Snipe US National Championship got off to late start, with a delay due to winds at a mere 3 knots. At 5 knots, SDYC's Race Committee set the course and race seven was under way. Mary Baker and Trisha Kelly had a great run and finished race seven in first place. Baker and Kelly were the also the top placing all female team for the regatta! Rodriguez and Tocke followed in second place and Enrique Quintero and Charlie bess in third.
The last race, race eight, was the final chance for competitors to work their way up the scoresheet, and it was another slow and steady race. It took the fleet nearly 20 minutes to make it to the weather mark. Augie Diaz and Christine De Silva beat the fleet to the finish line, with Randy Lake and Maddy McGrath in second and David and Paige Tillson in third. Rodriguez and Tocke finished 11th in the race, but thankfully for the allotted throw out, it did not get in the way of their overall success.
There was no shortage of talented sailors on the water this week. Juniors and seniors alike came to San Diego Yacht Club ready to compete in four days of intense sailing among the best. But, this week of sailing was more than that. It was an opportunity for juniors to race against their mentors, for newbies to get experience in the fleet, and for families to experience racing together. In the fleet of 50, you could find several boats of couples, even more of parent and children duos, and even a sibling team. These teams are proof of the Snipes fleet greatest qualities: competitive, inclusive, and fun.
The junior sailors on the course did especially well competing against long-time fleet members. The final overall Junior scores place Justin Callahan and Aiden Hoogland in first place. Trevor Davis and Ale Torres had a great regatta with three bullets to come in second. Peter Busch and Cam Spriggs also placed consistently well over the four days to finish in third. Five of the eight junior teams competing finished in the top half of the fleet.
"I don't think the Juniors here are the future, I think they're the present. They were giving us a hard time at every rounding mark. I've heard comments from a few juniors telling me how they didn't realize how good the Snipe is and how tough the fleet is. I think they're going to be here for a while!" stated Rodriguez.
After the racing, competitors and their families were invited to the Awards Ceremony to relish in their accomplishments. Winners received an array of awards, some provided by Sailing Supply. All enjoyed snacks provided by Geaux Fast Sailing, cocktails by Old Harbor Distilling, and cold beer from Bay City Brewing.
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