1999 Atlantic Coast Championships

The 99 Snipe AC's were held in conjunction with Sail Newport's annual Newport regatta, a multi-class one design event that, in competitor Alex Pline's words, was the "best multi-class event" he's ever seen. 26 Snipes competed in the seven race series, and less than three points separated the top three boats in the end, assuring the one design world that we are NOT has-beens.

Comments like "but those boats don't plane" and "there's a Snipe fleet HERE in Newport??" quickly gave way to the realities on the water. We raced inside Narragansett Bay, just north of the Newport Bridge, with 16 110's (not as old as the Snipe), 21 Lasers (not as comfortable), and 4 Shake-a Leg Freedom 20's (no whisker poles). 4 races were completed on Saturday in conditions ideal for Sniping. Moderate chop (building to more than moderate once the current changed) was easy to get through with 10-14 knots of breeze, which also built as the afternoon wore on. Locals Andrew Pimental/Carol Cronin put away the first race, but slipped down the ranks in the next three races, leaving the top of the results board to those posting more consistent finishes.

A fantastic party gave us a chance to visit with Snipers and non-Snipers alike, share some enthusiasm ("where do you get one of those anyway?"), and correct some of the misconceptions about the boat (see "planing", above). Several sailors expressed interest in future events and we may be adding a few members to our current fleet of six boats. Music, great food and plenty of it, and a view of Newport Harbor all made for an enjoyable evening, but the promise of more wind the following day sent many of us home early to rest up those hiking muscles.

Sunday dawned hazy and windless, but after a short postponement the seabreeze (and natural air conditioning!)appeared and gradually built throughout the day, in classic Newport fashion. 3 more races were completed, one short of the eight total needed for a throwout, and the points were close enough that there could be only speculation, not celebration, on the sail in about the overall winner. 1999 Worlds representatives Pedro Lorson/Watt Duffy were convinced that Pimental/Cronin's close win of the last race had cost them the point they needed to beat out Canadian team Dirk Kneulman/Ian Brown; but when Dirk and Ian counted the points, they thought Pedro and Watt had won it. Neither team's math scores were up to the challenge of computing a total for Pan Am Games reps Henry Filter/Lorie Stout, who with a wild card average point score from the day before (for assisting defending champions Jimmy Bowers/Myrna Fong Macrae) topped the score board by less than two points.

District 1 plans to add this event to the annual calendar, in recognition of the fun and challenge of a first class multi-class event held in a spectacular venue.

--Carol Newman Cronin