After a year off from active snipe sailing due to pregnancy I jumped back in a boat and participated in the 2013 Womens Snipe Nationals in Fort Lauderdale, Fl. I was prepared to sail with my regular womens crew, Diana Waterbury from Mission Bay but due to a work conflict she had I needed to find a new crew. Fortunately I was able to sail with experienced snipe crew Julia Melton. With her local knowledge, strength and enthusiasm we were able to get out on the water Friday for Day 1 practice: drills coached by snipe guru/rc chair Peter Commette.
Day 2 - Racing was held on the Atlantic Ocean about 1 hour sail from Fort Lauderdale yc. SCIRA held official long distance courses. Breeze 10-15 knots, with 2-4 foot waves. Good down wind speed and fun to get on a plane consistently. Had some decent starts, which were a little challenging due to the strong current. One start I was lined up with good positioning but unfortunately a less experienced skipper was caught over early and was sailing down to clear herself. To avoid contact I had to position down then back up to avoid contact with a boat below. By the time I got re situated I was over early at the gun. Cleared myself but mistakenly forgot the 1 minute rule was in effect, DSQ. Bummer after working so hard and actually managing about a 10th place finish that race. George had just been reminding me of a similar situation that had occurred to me when Nationals were hosted at SDYC a few years ago and cost me the regatta.
Day 3 - Big Storm starting to come in again. Light rain. They sent us out for a very early am start to get 2 final races in before a big 30+ knot storm was to hit in the afternoon. Didn't fare as well that day even after having even better starts. When we came in we discovered our excellent charter boat was leaking. We had a good amount of water in the tank. Too much water for long legs and trying to keep a boat flat in waves.
I ended up 11th overall. Not ideal but a huge accomplishment. With all of my years sailing a snipe in many types of conditions I had never steered the boat in good wind and big waves. A sure challenge after having a cesarean 4 months prior but glad that I spent the time at the gym working out to make it do able.
After not sailing the boat nationally for a few years it was also refereshing to see new youth coming to the class. We had 21 boats racing with girls of all ages ranging from previous 470 Gold Medalist to our High School Girls. Many people were expressing an interest in getting the Womens Nationals back to a venue in San Diego. It would be great to see the club host this event once again.
Without my husband helping every step of the way from rigging, repairs, and babysitting I couldn't of raced this event so early after having our daughter. I also want to thank San Diego Yacht Club for their financial assistance to also make the trip to Nationals a little easier. I look forward to many years ahead racing in the snipe and other boats representing SDYC.
Thank you again for your support,
Stacey Szabo