The Sandusky Sailing Club recently hosted the 2023 Snipe National Championships. It was filled with five days of sailing, along with good fellowship on land after the races. As Commodore, I had the honor of welcoming the class to the club. A club that is proud to be celebrating 90 years of existence with its main objective of promoting affordable sailing, seamanship, and sportsmanlike racing to the community. This was the perfect venue for the club to shine. With more than 34 teams from across the country and two teams from Japan the racing was very competitive. The wind managed to hold out for most days and the Canadian fires created a bit of a challenge in course management during the week.
A few observations about the class. Its future looks very bright as they seem to have the perfect mix of young and old sailing together. Some of the older sailors are mentoring the up and comers and are starting to struggle to stay in front of them. The class members are very friendly and seemed to have a grateful attitude towards the host club. The competition was stiff and yet the crowd was friendly and fun-loving no matter what transpired on the water during the day.
Finally, I would like to congratulate this year’s Snipe National Champions Ernesto Rodriguez and Christine di Silva!
