In about 1 month when the first signal is set at the Quantum Snipe Nationals, there will be collegiate all Americans, Olympians, world champions and a Rolex Yachtsman of the year, in the fleet. The 36 registered boats are coming the the Jubilee Yacht Club in Beverly, MA for the July 18-21, 2019 event. The organizers are projecting as many as 55 boats in the fleet at first signal.
Also sailing in the fleet will be husband and wife teams, parent and child teams as well as some recent and current college sailors. Jim Grubbs, from Long Beach, California is doing a cross country road trip with his son Barrett and making Snipe Nationals one of their stops. Don’t worry Jim we won’t tell the locals you are also planning to hit up a Cubs game on your way home. Pietro Fantoni, the current SCIRA international commodore will also be sailing.
Art Rousmaniere, Paul Earl and the organizing team at JYC have been working feverishly to remove any barrier so everyone can attend. As part of this effort, we will also be hosting the esteemed “Pickle Bowl” this year during the last 2 days of Nationals. The Pickle Bowl is for sailors who want to sail in the fleet, but cannot get the time away. You are part of the Snipe Family, we want to find a way to include you.
The Snipe class is a unique mix of sailing talent, tradition and fun. In the Quantum Nationals Fleet, there will be 3rd and maybe 4th generation Snipe sailors who have learned the sport and the boat as a family tradition. Combined with a group of amazing sailors this is a great combination of “Serious Sailing, Serious Fun”.
There is still time to get registered and get here. The organizers would be thrilled if this were the biggest Snipe Event in North America this year. Come one, come all we have beeah, lobstah, oystahs, burgahs, a great club and a great sailing venue.
Have a look at the entry list and come join the party
Quantum Snipe Nationals Entry List
Hard to believe, but summer is finally here! Which means so is junior sailing. Looking for a way to enhance your program and get your kids having fun!? Add some fitness to your daily routines! So program directors, head instructors, coaches, and instructors this one is for you! Check out reasons to add daily fitness to your programs routine and how to do it so the kids are having fun and getting fit all summer long!
How to Add Fitness to your Program:
Jewels in the crown of the ClubSwan calendar are the Rolex Swan Cup, organised by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (Porto Cervo), and the Nations Trophy, dedicated to the Swan One Design yachts (ClubSwan 36, ClubSwan 50, Swan 45, ClubSwan 42).
By Airwaves writer Pearson Potts– As dinghy team racing has lulled in recent years in the U.S., young, post-college sailors have substituted dinghies for inter-yacht club keelboat team racing. There is a circuit of roughly 30 events each year between yacht clubs in the northeast for varying levels of crews and skippers. Unfortunately, those who do not join a club to compete I have noticed often fade away in local PHRF series and keep a low profile. The problem is that these keelboats, such as Sonars and J22’s, don’t sail well with
the slim female crews that dominated college sailing. The incentives for crews have seemingly flipped –where crews were rewarded in college for being lighter, they are now asked to be heavier. The boats want to be sailed flat and the sails require more strength to be pulled in compared to a 420 jib. Event organizers know this and set the maximum crew weight in the NOR to allow larger sailors. As a result, teams edge as close as they can to the limit to hit the high average per crew member which are typically male. These high averages crowd out talented female sailors from ever sailing in such events.
It is not only about my girlfriend or females in general though; weight is the core of the issue regardless of gender as we know is largely determined by our genetics. I enjoy sailing with my friends who happen to be a bit runty, thus I rely on competing in match race events where I can afford an extra crew member on board. I competed at the Ficker Cup in Catalina 37’s this year where the crew maximum mirrored the Congressional Cup that capped the maximum number of crew at 6 people with an average of 192 lbs. Forget females, it is not easy to find male sailors my age at that size. Come to think of it, I don’t recall a single female on any boat at the event despite it labeled as an “Open” regatta. According to the CDC, the median weight for males aged 20-29 in the U.S. is 168 –for women it is 132 lbs. The question is how can sailing adjust to accommodate such weights.
