We were blessed with chamber of commerce weather, which doesn’t translate into big breeze. It was gorgeous both days, but very light air. The shifts were plentiful and frequent and baffling to most of the competitors. And then there was the added attraction of left over chop from the strong easterly that blew over night, and disappeared with the warming sunshine each day. Tough conditions, requiring finesse and patience and experience in those conditions in a snipe. Guess who takes the cake in that department!!! The Old Man – Gonzalo Diaz, Sr. cleans up again at the States!
One of the best quotes of the regatta came from Trudy Bixby, crewing for veteran John Jennings, since her usual skipper, husband Ethan, was out of commission with back troubles. At the end of the second day, while looking over the regatta results, Trudy very aptly observed that everyone was making big time excuses about how impossibly shifty the weather had been and how there was no way to call those shifts – until you look at the top few finishers. You just don’t get that lucky three races, two days, in a row. You’ve got to have the feel for those conditions, not let frustration rule, and just sail the boat with all your concentration.
The St.Pete Fleet had high hopes that last year’s champ, Marty Kullman and his new bride, Katie, would capture the title a second year in a row. But two out of the money finishes and a nasty OCS put an end to those hopes. Another local favorite for a trophy, Chris Klotz, missed a big lefty just after the start of the first race, which put him out of the running, in spite of very nice finishes in race #2 & 3. Another lite air specialist team, John and Dawn Hagman of the St. Pete Fleet 801 were looking very strong for a trophy until the last race, when they suffered an OCS which took them out of awards contention. And the only all junior team, Scott Lang and Neil Keidel, from Fleet 801, placed a very respectable 7th place.
But the big news was the Miami fleet. The Old Man was a sly old fox once again, with a 1, 2, 1 – hard to beat! And Carr Moody from Ft. Lauderdale, also a Miami Fleet member, was amazingly consistent, with a 2,3,2. They must get lots of practice in the light and lumpy stuff.
Jim Richter, racing with local crew, Cherry Jones, rounded out the trophies with a strong third place. Jim is a part time local, keeping a Snipe here, and one in Indiana. Hot off the U.S. Masters Championships in Atlanta with a first in his division, he sailed an admirable regatta for his adopted fleet, as well as for his home fleet.
The Saturday night party at the Bixby’s house was a great success, with terrific food and lots of Snipe Class camaraderie. Put this event on your calendar for next year – we sail the weekend after Turkey-day. It’s an OPEN event – everyone is welcome and eligible to win.
--Bill Welch
| Pos | Sail# | Helmsman | Crew | Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3 | TotPts | Pos |
| 1 | 28814 | Gonzalo Diaz, Sr. | Eddy Alonso | 0.75 | 2 | 0.75 | 3.50 | 1 |
| 2 | 27364 | Carr Moody | Rick Jarchow | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7.00 | 2 |
| 3 | 28672 | Jim Richter | Cherry Jones | 3 | 9 | 3 | 15.00 | 3 |
| 4 | 27270 | Chris Klotz | Susan Wallace | 11 | 0.75 | 5 | 16.75 | 4 |
| 5 | 27772 | John Jennings | Trudy Bixby | 5 | 8 | 6 | 19.00 | 5 |
| 6 | 27027 | John Hagman | Dawn Hagman | 4 | 4 | 18OCS | 26.00 | 6 |
| 7T | 27271 | Scott Lang | Neil Keidel | 9 | 5 | 12 | 26.00 | 7T |
| 8T | 29373 | Matt Bryant | Laura Bryant | 16 | 6 | 4 | 26.00 | 8T |
| 9 | 27274 | Marty Kullman | Katie Kullman | 6 | 7 | 18OCS | 31.00 | 9 |
| 10 | 25172 | Gordon Hackstaff | Diane Schultz | 13 | 10 | 11 | 34.00 | 10 |
| 11 | 25128 | Laura Jeffers | Will Jeffers | 14 | 12 | 8 | 34.00 | 11 |
| 12 | 26397 | Bob Foster | Carly Franklin | 8 | 11 | 16DNF | 35.00 | 12 |
| 13 | 29400 | Sherry Welch | Cindy Weatherby | 12 | 13 | 10 | 35.00 | 13 |
| 14 | 24020 | Tom Parks | Bonnie Robertson | 15 | 15 | 7 | 37.00 | 14 |
| 15 | 25407 | Bill Schoenberg | Lizz Cintron | 7 | 14 | 18OCS | 39.00 | 15 |
| 16 | 26763 | Peter Merrifield | Sandra Merrifield | 17DNC | 16 | 9 | 42.00 | 16 |
| 17 | 28792 | Eugene Son | Stacy Strohauer | 10 | 17DNC | 17DNC | 44.00 | 17 |
Principal Race Officer: Barbara Cowan
Jury Chair: Ann Newton