The 2011 Snipe World Championship was held in Rungsted, Denmark from August 9-13, and proved to be at least as exciting and competitive an event as any in recent years. For me, the road to this Snipe Worlds began when I took the second qualifying spot after Tyler Sinks at the Silver Cup last September (a nice 1-2 for SDYC). My crew, Diana Waterbury, and I have been practicing and speed testing for the event ever since, and we learned a lot along the way.
Having sailed in the general area in a previous Snipe Worlds (within sight of the course from the 2003 Worlds, actually), I had hoped to see more of the same, weather-wise—sunny skies and high 70’s. Thanks to some tips from friends with prior experience, I wasn’t caught completely off guard when it turned out to be cold and blustery, nothing like what I remembered from before. The Danish summer actually resembles San Diego’s winter. There were beautiful, sunny days while we were there, but most of the racing was held in conditions that felt like something between San Diego in January and San Francisco in April.
This event was a test of endurance, both mentally and physically. Getting there early turned out to be a good idea, as it gave us a chance to get over jet lag and settle into a practice routine, as well as optimize our charter boat. We managed to catch a few important issues with the boat and fix them before the racing began. By the first day of sailing, having your gear in perfect condition was essential just to getting around the course. A big front blew through from Norway that carried winds in the 30’s, which postponed racing for most of the day. By the time the wind settled down to the low 20’s, the race committee decided to head out. We played it very conservative in this race, depowering the rig and not taking any unnecessary risks. We had some crazy reaches on the double-triangle course, but managed to get through the race with no breakdowns, no capsizes, and a decent top-20 finish.
Day two was light and shifty, which made for some frustrating tactical scenarios. We struggled in the lower middle through the first race after playing the wrong side of the first beat, but we managed to make little improvements throughout the day, and by the end of the day we were finishing higher in the pack. The wind was back on day three, but the shifts were still significant enough that a racing had to be called early. We had a good first race of the day, taking an 8th after a solid start at the pin and some good tactical calls on the shifts. The second race of the day was trickier, with bigger chop and more erratic shifts, and we finished in the middle. Despite our own ups and downs, consistency was a challenge for everyone. While we managed to stay mostly in the top half throughout the regatta, many other teams bounced from the top 10 to the bottom 10, an indication not only that the conditions were a major challenge to be overcome, but also the fact that there are absolutely no bad sailors in a fleet this deep.
By the final day, teams from Brazil and Spain had demonstrated their skill by securing most of the top 10 spots between them. By the end of the day, a new world champion, Alexandre Tinoco, would be determined with a race to spare, while two prior world champions took the number two and three spots. We sailed a decent last day until the last race when gear failure finally struck and we sailed most of the first beat unable to get the jib in when a line became fouled in the block. By the time it was cleared, we were well back in the pack. Still, we didn’t let it get us down, knowing that we could drop this particular race. We took 25th overall, and were the 3rd US team. In the end, this worlds was a well-fought balance of speed and smarts. We were in good company and were able to come away from the event as stronger sailors.
The Snipe class has turned out some of the world’s most talented sailors for generations, and it was a thrill to be able to compete at such a level at this year’s world championship. As always, it was my honor to represent SDYC at this event, and I appreciate the support of the competition fund in this effort.