Snipe sailors from around the United States as far away as California, Florida, and New England, and a few teams from outside the nation’s borders, have descended on Severn Sailing Association in Annapolis, Maryland, for the 2021 U.S. Snipe National Championships.
Racing starts tomorrow and runs through Sunday. The fleet boats a host of outstanding sailors, including Raul Rios and Augie Diaz, who have both won a full deck of Snipe regattas: Nationals, North Americans, Western Hemispheres, and Worlds; Ernesto Rodriguez, who has topped the fleet at a range of Snipe major international events including the Pan American Games; and George Szabo, who, in addition to winning multiple U.S. Nationals and North American Championship in the Snipe has also won the Star World Championships.
Snipe skippers will often tell you that the crew does more than 50% of the work in the boat. The skippers above will be joined on their teams by solid talent, too: Rios/Andrea Riefkohl Gonzalez; Diaz/Barbie Brotons; Rodriguez/Kathleen Tocke; Szabo/Diana Waterbury.
But the fleet of roughly 50 boats is deep with talent. In addition to the familiar names, a host of younger sailors add to the mix and bring great energy to the fleet, including Alfonso Garcia Bringas, who just won A Division at College Nationals; Annapolis Fleet Champion Carter Cameron; and Tyler Mowry, currently sailing for Boston University.
Of course, with the Snipe fleet, it’s not just the action on the water that draws sailors year after year. To support some truly Serious Sailing, Serious Fun, regatta chairs Lisa and Alex Pline and their great team of volunteers have arranged great social events each evening during the regatta. All events will be held outdoors at SSA overlooking Annapolis Harbor, the Severn River, and the Chesapeake Bay.
Today the fleet worked their gear through registration and measurement. Sails were measured, boats were weighed, and safety gear was checked to ensure an even playing field. Many teams got out on the water for some practice, and enjoyed a pleasant northerly that bounced around from 5 to 8 knots.
Racing starts tomorrow at 12 noon. The marine forecast for the racing area off Greenbury Point calls for wind from the northwest at 7 to 9 knots. Check back for results, cheer your favorite teams on at the Annapolis Snipe Fleet’s Facebook page, and check out more event photos!
Annapolis Snipe Fleet 532 