Slow Start for Snipe European Championship

Eighty-three teams representing 15 nations were on the starting line in Gargnano, Italy for the start of the 2023 Snipe European Championship.

With the first race scheduled for 1300, the fleet set out in ghosting conditions with a bit of a distance to reach the starting area.  Waiting for the southerly wind to fill, the Race Committee first flew the postponement flag to allow the competitors to reach the race area and went into sequence about 2 hours later. After several recalls under the U flag, the fleet was off under a black flag.

Martin Bermudez de la Puente and Angela Pumariega Menedez (ESP) went to the right hard and found Augie Diaz/Taylor Schuermann (USA) close by with and Otto Dahlberg and Riku Vaariskoski (FIN) and Ernesto Rodriguez/Kathleen Tocke (USA) rounding the weather mark following.  Bermudez commented “we started at the committee boat and went right – we sailed clear and it was easy.”  Diaz commented “today was really hot and we finally got a race off under 4 general recalls.  I got pushed off and forced me to the right which was very favored. I had a nice lane that was almost on the layline.” 

The race was held in 5-6 knots with no hiking and the crews inside the boat. 
 
Racing continues on Thursday, August 24 with 2 races scheduled per day with the final day on Sunday, August 27.