January 2024: What a Month for the Snipe Class!

Our Class enjoys excellent health thanks to many people who commit themselves daily to make it great. Two memorable events in January were great reminders of this: the Snipe Junior Worlds and the Brazilian Nationals.

In Miami we counted 46 boats (of Under 22 Sailors) from 19 countries and 5 continents and 20 different nationalities. In Rio there were 118 boats on the starting line. Both are a record!

I believe that the Junior Worlds is our most important event, because it represents an investment in the future and allows us to plant Snipe “seeds” in the next generation (who already have a vast possibility of choice in the world of youth sailing).

The Brazilian Nationals mixed together the many different personalities of the Snipe Class: Olympic legends, world and hemisphere champions, female teams, juniors, mixed, fathers and sons. It is not contradictory to claim that the Snipe is a super technical boat that is also suitable for any kind of sailor.

Looking back on these two successful events, some common elements emerge. It is important that the Class be welcoming and inclusive. Allowing new sailors (even new countries) to compete is extremely important not only for them, but also for the message that the class gives out. Everyone is welcome, and that requires a lot of work by the host fleets.

The success of an event comes from afar. More than 10 years ago the clinic/regatta “Miami Snipe Invite” was created for promoting Junior and Under 30 sailing (the MSI was an immediate success and was imitated by other fleets in the United States and other countries). In Brazil the presence of a boatbuilder that produces Snipes at affordable prices and the frenetic activities of some fleets (which organize numerous regattas and social activities) have allowed a big growth of the Class (with many junior sailor and several “Snipe Divas”). It should also be highlighted that, behind these two events, there are two big fleets with great tradition (Miami Snipe Fleet #7 and Rio de Janeiro Snipe Fleet #159) which are used to hosting international regattas, together with their clubs (CGSC and ICRJ).

Furthermore, advance planning is essential: not only the normal regatta preparation (Notice of Race, Sailing Instructions, club logistics) but outreach. The Junior Worlds organizer reached out to a large number of young sailors (through National Secretaries and sailors in every single country) and the local fleet was able to provide a large number of charter boats and to find accommodations at affordable prices. All very hard work, but necessary for a successful event.

Beyond the results on the water, what makes these events memorable is the friendships that result between sailors from different fleets and countries. This was clearly perceptible in Miami at the Junior Worlds and this makes our Class so special. So even in Rio, as evidenced by the photos and videos on social media, there was certainly no lack of fun at the parties and social events, in typical Brazilian style.

Congratulations to all the sailors, and thank you to the clubs and local organizers who put together two record-breaking regattas in one month. Long live the Snipe Class!

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