Commodore’s Log Book

From the Snipe Bulletin – Spring 2023

Dear Snipe class sailors and enthusiasts,

I would like to welcome you to the next issue of the digital Snipe Bulletin. After a certain period of time when we only had our website jointly with www.snipe.org and www.snipetoday.org, as well as with the pages on FB and Instagram, the Board decided to reactivate the Snipe Bulletin. In my opinion, not all the information about our Snipe Class was adequately shown on the web. Information on the web is very short-lived and sometimes hard to find. The Snipe Bulletin is the original historian of Snipe Class, and I think some people miss this communication. I myself enjoy going back to old issues of the Snipe Bulletin to recall regatta results, various articles and statistics showing the development of the Class. I think the table presented by Jerelyn in the SCIRA office with the number of members motivates many to register and pay their membership fees.

I hope many of you will find the Snipe Bulletin necessary and will be satisfied with the new edition. The Board has decided that we will issue 2 Bulletins each year; the first in June with a summary of upcoming events and major announcements. The last in December will summarize the major championships held and list all National Champions.

I would also like to ask you to comment on the proposals of amendments in the Constitution and technical changes submitted for consideration by the Board in 2023. There are 12 of them, 10 of which are related to changes in equipment and two amendments submitted by the European Secretary (Daniela Semec) and “small countries (CRO and AUT) for amendments in the Constitution. Please take a look at www.snipe.org, following this path: The class – Scira Rules – Rules Proposals in numbers 23-1 to 23-12 are described in detail. For the Board and for me as Commodore, the opinion of each of you on this issue matters a lot. I would not want the Board to decide exclusively on the rules to be introduced; after all, we are a democratic organization. Please write your comments to [email protected] or to me [email protected].

This year we already had a couple of important championship regattas behind us. The first is the 2023 Western Hemisphere and Asia Championship, which was held in Algarrobo, Chile, in March. Congratulations to Chilean winners

Matias and Constanza Seguel. An account of the event can be found in this issue. It is presented by SCIRA Representative & WH&A General Secretary Paola Prada.  I also wish to thank “our photographer” Matias Capizzano for his expressive photos that capture the spirit of the competition. 

The second regatta was the South American Championship held in Montevideo (URU).  Congratulations to Raul Rios (Puerto Rico) & Juan Cruz Garcia Quiroga (Argentina).

These regattas in the Western Hemisphere began our competitions in 2023. But Europe is also preparing for the 2023 Open European Championship. The regatta will be held in Gargnano (August 21-27) on Lake Garda ( ITA ). I visited this hospitable Italian sailing club last year. Thus, I know that it is a very sailor-friendly place, and the wind conditions on Lake Garda provide a lot of excitement.

Later in October there will be two World Championship events.

The 2023 Women’s World Championship (October 3- 8) will be held at Valencia Mar, Spain. All countries are warmly invited to send their female crews. Registration is open (more information in the Bulletin)

A few days later, also in Spain, the 2023 Masters World Championship (16-22 October) will be held  in Puerto Sherry. Registration is also open

I will attend all these regattas in Europe. I wish we could get to know each other better and exchange various opinions on topics of interest.

One more regatta is currently being prepared. It is the Junior Snipe World Championship 2024, which will be held on January 2-7, 2024 at the Coconut Grove Sailing Club in Miami (USA ). I see a lot of enthusiasm on the part of the organizers, and I think the help offered by those involved will make this regatta a great event for young sailors.

I would also like to draw your attention to the articles in this issue of the SNIPE BULLETIN written by SCIRA BOARD MEMBERS. They provide you with news of what is going on in Scira and discuss problems and views for the future. Our team and I as Commodore, are always at your disposal. We are happy to share our knowledge and experience with you.

I wish you all a good sailing season of 2023. See you at the regatta (on water).

Zbigniew Rakocy
Commodore