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!
S1D: What other notable events have you done together?
Pat: Scott and I have sailed together for slightly over a year with notable and personal successes throughout including 3rd at Bemis, 4th at [C420] Nationals, and a stressful yet positive experience at [C420] North Americans.
Scott: We did C420 Midwinters last year and ended up 6th. That was our first bigger regatta together.
S1D: Who did you see as your toughest competition coming into 420 Midwinters this year?
Scott: The entire fleet seemed tough coming into the event. I don’t think one person stuck out over another. It mostly depended on who was hot on that given day. There was a different leader after every day, and in a 76 boat fleet anyone could have a shocker and be out of the regatta, so we just focused on our own boat and let the regatta handle itself.
S1D: The conditions at 420 Midwinters this year were certainly challenging, with long days on the water and uncharacteristically cold temperatures for Florida. How did you guys prepare yourself for the racing each day? Did you enjoy the conditions?
Pat: Upon arriving to the trying conditions (that were slightly unexpected though not shocking in my opinion) we made sure that we were sailing out with enough gear to be positively warm, as a long day being cold will quickly sap energy. Along with this physical fitness, making sure we had enough time in the boat beforehand was top priority, especially in the breeze which was phenomenal for most of the regatta.
Scott: The long days of sailing definitely took its toll on us at night. We prepared for racing by getting to bed early, and eating a big breakfast. As far as the temperatures went, we wore a lot of layers and tried to keep warm; whenever we were warm we seemed fast. I definitely enjoyed the conditions. It was a wide range of conditions so it definitely was a test of our skill in everything.
S1D: What were some of the factors that led to your success in this event?
Scott: We are lucky we live where we live, in Southern California. Patrick and I both can roll out of bed on any given day, give each other a call, bike to the San Diego Yacht Club and go sailing by ourselves. We are not ever [inhibited] by the wind or weather when we practice so I think having that edge on everyone else helped lead to our success.
S1D: The second to last race was a tough one for you, and one that for many would have been tough to come back from, even after winning the previous two that day. How did you bounce back to win the final race, which turned out to win you the event?
Pat: That one challenging race certainly was not a major setback in our minds as we were aware that the majority of the race fell apart in one unlucky fouling instance. Learning the points gap we realized that first was right within our grasp and feeling fresh and energized the last race was just as strong as the first.
Scott: The second to last race was a tough race for us. Having an overly conservative start, followed by spinning a 720 early in the race, we finished deep. Coming out of it, Pat and I went back to the basics. Sailing in more wind on the long tack, with a clean start would win the race. We just kept it simple and did just that.
S1D: What’s next? Any big events coming up for you this spring or summer? Will you continue to sail together?
Pat: Unfortunately early this sum
mer I will be leaving for the Naval Academy to attend plebe summer and so any summer events are largely out of the question. However, the hope is to sail some small west coast regattas until then and have fun with it.
Scott: This summer I’m planning on sailing US Youth Champs, hopefully Bemis and focusing on Snipes as I hope to attend the Jr. Worlds in September. As for Pat and me, we plan to finish the [Southern CA Youth Yacht Racing Assc.] Perry C420 Series together, and compete against each other this spring in high school sailing. Since Patrick heads to college at the Naval Academy in late June, unfortunately I don’t think we will be doing anymore big C420 events.
S1D: Any other comments?
Scott: We would like to give a shout out to Dave and Julie at SD Boatworks for supporting Patrick and me. Also John at Sturgis Boat Works for an awesome charter at the Midwinters!
Leave a Reply