Best Practices for Blowing Up Your Own Snipe Mast

APRIL FOOLS’ DAY – THIS IS A JOKE

Newport, RI, April 1, 2024: This summer, Narragansett Bay’s Fleet 17 will be testing out an experimental boat enhancement—and no, it’s not retrofitted foils from Jibetech, because that is SO 2016. This latest innovation started with a simple question from fleet captain and wingfoiler Carol Cronin: could the aluminum Snipe mast be replaced by an air-filled tube that could be inflated to different pressures, based on wind strength and crew weight? 

Preliminary testing in Florida was not possible this year, so the fleet is currently waiting for local conditions to improve before beginning six weeks of rigorous evaluation. In order to achieve proper tube pressure (and to ensure crews are available), both air and water temperatures must be above sixty degrees on each sailing day. In other words: June. 

Fleet 17’s chief burger-flipper Bob Adam has embraced the idea, at least in theory. “Imagine, adjusting rig tension just by expelling a little hot air! And no more buying those ridiculously expensive stay adjusters, either. I can’t wait to try out one of the prototypes.”

While waiting for a suitable weather window, the fleet has brought in Andrew Pimental as a consultant. He’s already come up with several questions that need to be answered. “For starters, should we outlaw electric pumps and restrict it to lung power, even though that will give an advantage to the teams with the most hot air?” There’s only one way to find out, so stay tuned for a midsummer update.