2013 Snipe Midwinter Regatta Report
By: Terra Lee Berlinski
2013 Snipe Midwinter Regatta Report
The winter months bring a stronger breeze and for three days, 24 boats from five countries competed in six races in some of the best sailing Florida has to offer. From March 10-12 the Clearwater Yacht Club hosted the 2013 Snipe Mid Winters.
Sunday morning Eric Heim, Quantum San Diego, and I arrived to the Clearwater Community Sailing Center, puffy eyed and exhausted from racing the Miami Bacardi Cup the days prior. But the breeze at Midwinters gave us no mercy; she huffed and puffed throughout the regatta.
Races were held in the Gulf of Mexico, giving the race committee plenty of room to set a lengthy Olympic course to kick the regatta off with a bang. The easterly was strong enough to have some exciting reaches and waves to surf. The first race offered up some excellent foreshadowing for the outcome of this regatta: Bruno Amorim and Dante Bianchi started off with a win, with their fellow Brazilians, Mario Sergio de Jesus Jr. and Gabriel Portilho Borges, coming in second, and Augie Diaz with Julia Melton coming in third.
“This was my 4th consecutive year sailing in the Midwinter’s event and it has been gratifying to improve slightly each year,” Julia said. “The open, deep water venue on the gulf and smaller fleet with sailors of varying abilities makes speed and kinetics through waves an important factor. In this varied wind we focused on ‘changing gears’ through puffs and lulls – I played the vang a lot and consciously rolled our tacks more or less depending on the pressure. We would re-heel a few more degrees and ease through the lulls, then get flatter in the puffs. These changes may seem obvious but premeditating how you are going to move in the boat is essential to marinating speed.”
The day finished with a slightly shorter second Windward/leeward race.
Monday offered us a little relief with steadier conditions and smaller seas. RC took full advantage and ran three Olympic courses. The hard work paid off in the evening when the sailors gathered at the Clearwater Yacht Club for a wonderfully hosted dinner and grapefruits filled with your choice of either rum or vodka.
A storm system brought overly heavy breeze and scattered showers on Sunday. Greeted by the AP flag upon arrival, sailors dispersed around the center to find ways to pass the time. Some tuned their boats and talked tactics, others used the time to take care of work while a few crews decided to stretch their worn bodies with a little yoga. AP down, gear up – or so we thought. It wasn’t soon after every boat had dawned their boots and neoprene that the AP flag was raised again due to fog. The afternoon sun finally cleared up the weather enough for one final big-wave course.
The San Diego Quantum loft keeps a roll of pink sail tape in stock, mainly for one pink boat. Hanna-Leena Lehtinen and Juha Lehtinen made the trip from Finland to the states to sail the three part winter circuit. The “easy-going people, great nature, great waters to sail and dolphins” keep the Fins hoping to return next year to do it all over again. Race conditions were not easy with the “crazy tide under the bridge,” Juha remembered.
The ripping current paired with the bounce back of waves made for an eventful downwind return through the inlet. How we didn’t capsize is still a wonder; behind us was a particularly large wave rolling in. I gave Eric a look. We were quickly on top of it with our bow being buried into the wave ahead of us. Somewhere in the scramble for the high side we were able to blow the sails and get the boat back under control. A few nervous laughs later we continued towards the beach.
As the awards commenced that evening, along with honoring the top placing boats, Steve Lang from fleet 801 was also recognized with the Sportsmanship award, for actively recruiting so many new crews for the regatta and into the snipe class. Julia Melton’s final thoughts on the regatta are key words for any sailor to remember: “I feel very lucky to sail with such talented skippers. Always take notes and love the learning opportunities Snipe competition has to offer!”
Finals Results From Clearwater Yacht Club
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