By Airwaves Writer Martha Pitt
Over Presidents’ Day Weekend, while many families were enjoying the weekend off and relaxing, 420 sailors and their families from all over the country traveled to Jensen Beach, FL to compete in the 2013 420 Midwinter Championship hosted annually by the US Sailing Center in Martin County. Seventy-six boats made up the competitive fleet, and the sailors saw three very challenging days of big breeze and tough conditions. Adding to the drama was the cold front that plagued central Florida that weekend, with uncharacteristically chilly temperatures almost hitting freezing overnight, and wind chills not getting out of the low 40s on Sunday during the day. On Saturday, at the start of the first race, the Race Committee was reporting winds around 12 knots which gradually built to 18 and gusting into the 20s before they called racing off for the afternoon. A cold and blustery Sunday morning kept the fleet onshore until noon when the RC decided to try racing the kids a bit closer to the venue in a more controlled area. The winds gradually died down a bit throughout the day, allowing for a full afternoon of racing. Monday was still chilly and windy, but much more manageable conditions, allowing racing to go right on through the cutoff time so that the fleet was able to complete twelve races with two throw outs.
The teams that were able to come out on top were those who were prepared for the weather and didn’t let the wind or cold slow them down! Ultimately coming out on top were Scott Sinks and Patrick Snow from the San Diego Yacht Club. After a 6th place finish at this event last year, the boys were prepared to make moves for the top of the fleet this year. Over the course of the event, they sailed fast and strong, able to mentally brush off a few tough races, and dominate many of the others. The physical way the boys sailed their boat certainly equipped them with boat speed and boat handling that few other teams could match, and got them through the twelve races with just thirty points, beating Jack Parkin and Florian Eenkema van Dijk from the LISOT team by just four points. Max Simmons of Norwalk, CT and crew Riley Legault of Naples, FL rounded out the top three.
Scott and Pat are both seventeen years old and have grown up sailing in San Diego, starting in Sabots. After outgrowing those, they have been sailing higher performance boats like the CFJ, C420, I420, 29er, and Scott is now starting to get a bit into Snipes. They also both sail for their respective high schools, Scott a junior at Point Loma and Pat a senior at Cathedral Catholic.
Read on about Scott and Pat’s sailing experiences and successes over the past year and half of sailing together, and what the future holds for them. Pat is on his way to the Naval Academy in the fall and Scott “definitely plans to sail in college”, so they will certainly be two sailors to look out for over the next few years and beyond!
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