D6/Women’s & US WH&O Qualifier – Day 1

San Diego, February 7, 2014. Report by Danielle Richards

Local Talent Leads Day 1 of District 6 Championship

Doug Hart and Ryan Hopps of Mission Bay YC lead day 1 with a 2, 1 Chuck Sinks and US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider’s Briana Provancha hold on to second after the first day of racing.

The San Diego Yacht Club, in conjunction with local Snipe Fleet 495, is playing host to the 2014 Snipe District 6 Championship this weekend. The Championship will serve as the second of three US qualifiers for the Western Hemisphere and Orient Championship to be held later this year by the same organizations. Eighteen teams from California, Florida, Ohio, Maryland and Rhode Island are vying for two guaranteed spots to the championship.

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At the morning competitors’ briefing the Organizing Authority is able to choose the venue location, South San Diego Bay or the Coronado Roads. This format will also be used at the Championship in September. Each venue holding its unique benefits and draw backs. South San Diego Bay has flat protected water but can suffer from increased pleasure and commercial traffic. The Coronado Roads is in the ocean but protected by Point Loma. It is a great open water venue but can struggle with kelp and lumpy waves.

For the today’s racing the committee opted for South San Diego Bay. The fleet had its usual first race jitters drawing a general recall and then a Z flag start with one competitor drawing an on course side (OCS) penalty. Winds were nine to eleven knots from the west all day providing for excellent, albeit slightly chilly, conditions all day.

PRO Jeff Johnson working with Snipe Class President Brainard Cooper and their excellent team of volunteers kept the line square and the races fair all day. Those are the same volunteers that were honored last night by US Sailing at their awards dinner. San Diego Yacht Club was named the “One Design Club of the Year” for “administrative excellence, fleet growth, creative programming, regatta support, and member contribution — at regional, national and international levels”.

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