2023 Snipe Frigid Digit Regatta
The Frigid Digit lived up to its name this year with cool temperatures, heavy rain on Saturday and strong northwest breeze on Sunday after the passing of a quintessential late season Mid-Atlantic cold front. Nonetheless, we had our typical hi quality sailing despite the conditions.
Doug Hart on his way to the North Americans from California sailing with Taylor Sheuermann from Miami were solidly at the top of the score sheet with no finish worse than second in the 7 race series. The rest of the wide angle podium was comprised of local(ish) sailors. Second was the team of Alex and Lisa Pline with consistent 2s and 3s after the drop race. Third place went to Rob Ramirez and Bryan Stout. Fourth place to regatta chairs Gavin and Holly O’Hare and fifth to Evan Hoffman and Hollis Barth.
Four races were completed on Saturday with on and off heavy rain and a very unsettled southeasterly breeze off Greenbury Point in Annapolis, our typical racing area. The 5-10 knot breeze with 20 degree shifts, bumpy sea state and current put a premium on making sure you kept the boat footing in the right direction. As it often is with this breeze strengths in this range, the difference in the way the boat feels in puffs is dramatic so staying in pressure is also very key. As a result there was no consistently favored side of the course.
The timing was perfect for the end of the fourth and last anticipated race of the day as everyone was feeling the chill of the rain and the breeze shifted quickly to the south/southwest with the approaching front which would have required a lengthly course reconfiguration. Once the competitors hit the dock, they enjoyed hot Maryland crab and chicken tortilla soups, perfect for the fall wet and cold conditions.
After a lot of rain overnight and the passing of the cold front, Sunday morning brought crisp, sunny and very breezy fall sailing conditions. The fleet decided the best option for racing within class wind limits was to sail double triangles in the Severn River which is a bit more protected from the northerly direction than our typical course off Greenbury Point a mile to the southeast where we get real time wind readings:
Several competitors chose to stay ashore (aka a “Brunch Front”) and unfortunately after a strong day Saturday, the team of Carol Cronin/Kim Couranz had a spreader bracket failure in the first race Sunday resulting in their retiring for the day. While on the short side at about 25 minutes per race, the double triangle races required intense concentration with strong puffs and large shifts typical of big lakes. As is often the case in these conditions with properly set triangles, the choice to launch the pole or not on the reaches was very dependent on the shift/puff pattern at the time of rounding and the choices often resulted in jumbling of positions.
While we did not have the turnout we typically have due to a variety of conflicts, the racing was very tight and the variety of conditions served as good practice for the North American Championships next week in Norfolk VA. A big thanks to Greg Cukor, Bill Lawson and the rest of the Race Committee team for running 7 excellent races in challenging conditions and to Holly and Gavin O’Hare for running the regatta.
Top 5 (back row L to R): Hollis Barth, Evan Hoffman, Gavin O’Hare, Holly O’Hare, Rob Ramirez, Alex Pline (front row L to R): Doug hart, Taylor Sheuermann, Lisa Pline
Competitors (L to R): Nikki Bruno, Brady Stagg, Lorie Stout, Taylor Sheuermann, Darby Capellin, Doug Hart, Lexi Pline, Evan Hoffman, Hollis Barth, Gavin O’Hare, Holly O’Hare, Rob Ramirez, Alex Pline, Lisa Pline, Carol Cronin, Elizabeth Rolfes, Kim Couranz, Jed Bell, Eric Reinke, Preston Senior, Thomas Walker