General Information

SAN DIEGO

San Diego is well known for its mild climate and year round sailing. The terrain is very diverse, from the desert, and mountains to the Pacific Ocean, offering tourists from around the world a wide variety of activities. San Diego attracted over 14 million tourists in 1995. Mission Bay offers many things to see and do. Once a shallow wasteland it is now a beautiful 4,600 acre aquatic park with 27 miles of shoreline and 19 miles of beaches - a paradise for sailing, boating, waterskiing, fishing and swimming.

San Diego has been the site of numerous prestigious regattas, most notably the America's Cup. Now, San Diego will be the site of the 1997 Snipe World Championship. This event will attract some of the world's most talented sailors to race in one of the most popular one design dinghies in the world.

San Diego is home to some of the world's most talented sailors, including world champions in many one design classes, Olympic medalists, America's Cup crews, and leaders in the sport. With this caliber of local talent it is no wonder that San Diego was chosen to host this world class sailing event.

MISSION BAY YACHT CLUB

Mission Bay Yacht Club, host of the 1997 Snipe World Championship, was organized in 1927 with Tom Scripps as commodore and 53 members. Currently, Mission Bay Yacht Club boasts of having 600 members and 13 sailing classes, including the Snipe Class. The yacht club is proud to have a 6,000 square foot main clubhouse with a landscaped parking lot for 265 cars; over 700 running feet of rigging dock, equipped with two electric hoists; showers/dressing rooms for weary and wet sailors; a wind-break-protected swimming beach; the bay at its doorstep; and the ocean racing courses thirty minutes away. With all these great amenities, it is no wonder that over the years Mission Bay Yacht Club has hosted prestigious regattas. These regattas include: the 1968 Finn and Flying Dutchman Olympic Trials, 1993 Sears-Bemis-Smythe Regatta, 1988 U.S. Yacht Racing Union (USYRU) Youth Sailing Championship, 1985 US Junior Boardsailing Championship, 1978 USYRU Junior Championship, and the 1978 USYRU Area G Finals Adams Cup. Mission Bay Yacht Club has also been the site for numerous national competitions, such as: 1994, 1991, 1985, 1971, and 1966 Lido Nationals; 1994 Laser II Nationals; 1992, 1979, 1977, 1971 and, 1965 Victory Nationals; 1995, 1993, 1992, Capri 14 Nationals and many other sailboat competitions.

MISSION BAY SNIPE FLEET 495

The Mission Bay Snipe Fleet (Fleet 495) was founded over 35 years ago by five former Sabot sailors. Fleet 495 currently has 65 members and is considered one of the largest and most active fleets in the world with very competitive sailing. The strength of the class can be seen by the caliber of sailors that have been and are currently members of the Fleet.

Another strong point is the ability to host major competitions. The Fleet, in conjunction with Mission Bay Yacht Club, has hosted:

1989 Snipe North Americans
1989 Snipe North American Masters
1982 Snipe North Americans
1977 Snipe North Americans
1978 Junior Snipe Worlds
1973 US Snipe Nationals
1964 US Snipe Nationals

In keeping with the Snipe motto "Serious Sailing, Serious Fun", Fleet 495 organizes a number of well attended regattas each year, such as: Las Vegas Regatta, Herb Shear Memorial Regatta, Carolyn Nute Halloween Regatta, and the 24-Hour Regatta. These regattas can attract up to 60 boats and are considered some of the best Snipe events in Southern California.