Snipe Worlds in Talamone
By Pietro Fantoni Maybe I am partial, but I think that the Worlds just ended was a very memorable event. And everyone who was there – I believe – agrees with me. I have sailed in Talamone for about 15 years and I have many friends at the Circolo della Vela. I live in the northeast of Italy, a 7 hour drive from Talamone. It is strange that maybe I have sailed more in Snipe Bay than in the Gulf of Trieste, which is much closer to my home. Why do I drive all this way for go sailing? Actually there is a reason. And perhaps it is more an emotion, a mood than a rational reason. The mood is the happiness that I feel when, arriving by car, I pass the hill and suddenly see the promontory of Talamone, the village, the castle and all around Snipe Bay. A breathless view. Yes, now, for all Snipe sailors who sailed there, the Bay of Talamone is simply "Snipe Bay"! And with good reason. (Photo courtesy of Matias Capizzano) ...
By Pietro Fantoni
Maybe I am partial, but I think that the Worlds just ended was a very memorable event. And everyone who was there – I believe – agrees with me.
I have sailed in Talamone for about 15 years and I have many friends at the Circolo della Vela. I live in the northeast of Italy, a 7 hour drive from Talamone. It is strange that maybe I have sailed more in Snipe Bay than in the Gulf of Trieste, which is much closer to my home. Why do I drive all this way for go sailing? Actually there is a reason. And perhaps it is more an emotion, a mood than a rational reason. The mood is the happiness that I feel when, arriving by car, I pass the hill and suddenly see the promontory of Talamone, the village, the castle and all around Snipe Bay. A breathless view.
Yes, now, for all Snipe sailors who sailed there, the Bay of Talamone is simply “Snipe Bay”! And with good reason.
(Photo courtesy of Matias Capizzano)
…
How was the idea of hosting a Snipe Worlds born?
In 2012 the Piada Trophy was hosted in Talamone. I still remember, walking to the clubhouse (which in Talamone is a lighthouse), perhaps somewhat as a joke, Augie Diaz said: “This would be a great place to host a World Championship”. The idea was immediately supported by the CVT and SCIRA Italy and in 2013 Talamone was chosen.
From Rio 2013 to Talamone 2015
The idea was quite a bet. As I said to our SCIRA Commodore Ricardo Lobato: “Talamone is smaller than your Iate Clube do Rio de Janeiro.” In Talamone all is tiny: the club, the lighthouse, the town …
However I can say that, for this World Championship, the club has been great, as have the town and all the volunteers. It was not only the World Championship of the Snipe Class but also of the village of Talamone, where all the people were all involved, from the mayor, to the police, to the Commodore of the Club Admiral Sergio Biraghi, and of course Alessandro Testa, deus ex machina of the event, Paolo Cardoni, and all the volunteers.
The effort of the organizers was huge. They built a a tent just for the occasion, with a big room for the social events and smaller rooms for the secretary, protests, and media. Two temporary ramps were prepared, in addition to the main ramp at the harbor. This allowed (with the help of many volunteers) the launch of 83 boats in a relatively short time each race morning.
“Unbelievable” was the word for the service offered by DB Marine with Enrico, Daniela, Fulvio, Andrea and Antonia, who in addition to providing many charter boats (high quality boats) also guaranteed technical assistance and repairs. And considering the numbers of boats and windy conditions they had a lot of work.
Media coverage
The event was covered in an excellent way, thanks to the work of the exceptional Argentinian photographer Matias Capizzano, as well as the press office with Paolo Cardoni, Michele Tognozzi and Tessa Wiechmann and videographer Alberto Origone. The news was always updated and published on this website, on our FB page and on Twitter, on the site snipeworlds2015.org and then on the main sailing sites and magazines. The spectacular photos, videos and reports from the race course made an exceptional advertisement for the Snipe Class and they can be considered as an example to follow for future major events.
Races
For reports, photos, rankings and video please check the news of each day:
Open Worlds – Practice Race & Opening Ceremony
Junior Worlds
36 boats from 11 nations. It is a record for the Junior Worlds. This is a good result for the future of the Snipe Class. The races were hard fought with the top four teams within only 3 points (ESP Antonio Lopez Montoya & Gregorio Cuenca, BRA Felipe Rondina & Luis Felipe Boani, ITA Michele Meotto & Alberto Cassandro).
Open Worlds
83 boats and 18 nations. This is a record too. A Brazilian team won for the fourth consecutive time. In the last race, Mateus Tavares and Gustavo Carvalho (interview) Argentinians Luis Soubie and Diego Lipszyc, who had led the fleet for much of the series. Third were the Spanish Alvaro Martinez and Gabriel Utrera. There was a very close regatta for the top ten teams, where we find three Brazilian boats, two Spanish, two Japanese, one Argentinian, one from US and one from Belgium.
The weather conditions, as it almost always happens for a World Championship, were unstable, mainly windy. For the Junior Worlds, only 6 of the 9 scheduled races were completed; only 8 out of 11 were completed for the Open Worlds.
The Race Committee chaired by Fabio Barrasso, did a good job, considering the challenging weather conditions. Fabio, who previously followed the Snipe class in other regattas in Italy and who has extensive experience in the professional sailing circuit (Melges 24 and 32), does not avoid dialogue with the sailors and he is open to suggestions. In my opinion in Talamone he was maybe a little ‘too much perfectionist”. It is true that it is difficult to give a start with 83 boats pushing the line and a wind that shifts back and forth 30 degrees, but waiting on the water 7 hours (on day 4) and 8 hours (on day 5) for only a race completed was quite frustrating. In my humble opinion, it would be better to use the Zulu flag more effectively. And, as connoisseur of Snipe Bay, I would have positioned the race course closer to the shore, both with the NW wind and with the N and with the NE wind. The geography of the coast guarantees in these cases a more stable wind. However, overall, the work of the race committee was very good, and the decision to cancel a race when bad weather approached during for both the Juniors and the Open Worlds was wise.
The measurement was very scrupulous and severe (MOI was checked for each boat) and this resulted in a bit of delays on the program and some complaints from the sailors.
Social events
During the Junior Worlds and the Open Worlds there were cultural events or concerts almost every evening The opening ceremonies and prize giving ceremonies were full of charm. We even had an Italian Navy Frigate in the Bay to salute the sailors. But perhaps what made this Worlds unique was the friendly atmosphere that only a small town can give: it was easy to meet other sailors at the restaurant or at the bar, have a coffee, a drink or a beer with friends … and spontaneous parties were born …
Grazie Talamone
I have been at 7 Snipe World Championships. This for me was very difficult and tiring (I was already tired before the start of the first race!). However I had fun and eventually I was proud of being one of the authors of the idea of organizing the Worlds in Talamone.. I hope that all Snipe sailors have spent a good time in Snipe Bay. Thanks to them for the good times we had together. And thanks to all old dear friends of Talamone. This regatta will remain among my fondest memories.
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