Snipe US Nationals: Women and Children First

San Diego, CA (August 8, 2015) – Sunny San Diego’s consistent conditions created tight racing for day one of the Snipe USA Junior and Women’s National Championship. In the Women’s fleet there was a different leader for each race with former National and World Champions mixing it up on the race course. The Junior fleet was dominated by a single skipper who took the bullet for all three races.

Steady wind conditions from the start allowed the Race Committee to start on-time with a W4 for the first race. The modified course was approved to accommodate the smaller course area inside Mission Bay, however it kept the skippers on their toes while they counted legs. On race 2, Scott Sinks and Greer Wattson were able to sneak by Ryan Hopps and Andre Guaragna when Sinks realized that Hopps assumed he had finished, a lap too early.

Joining the Junior fleet were the two Special Junior teams of Shane Tillson sailing with his father David Tillson and Cole Tillson sailing with Eric Heim. The Special Junior fleet is a unique tradition with the US Class allowing our younger junior skippers to have an adult crew for their first Nationals while sailing with the other juniors. It is a great experience for the skippers, and historically many have gone on to win the Snipe Nationals in later years. For the Tillson family it was a way to get the majority of the family out on the water racing in the Nationals while it was at home. Barbara Tillson (Cole and Shane’s mother) was skippering in the Women’s Nationals with Jenny Lyons.

The schedule concludes tomorrow with two more Junior races and three more for the Women. Conditions look to be similar with a forecast of 8-10 kts from the North West.

Women’s Nationals after 3 races:
1. Aine Fretwell / Claire Reidman: 1, 3, 2 – 6pts
2. Blaire Herron / Mandy Sackett: 4, 2, 1 – 7pts
3. Lisa Pline / Lexi Pline: 2, 4, 3 – 9pts

Junior Nationals after 3 races:
1. Scot Sinks / Greer Wattson: 1, 1, 1 – 3pts
2. Ryan Hopps / Andre Guaragna: 2, 3, 4 – 9pts
3. Jesse McKnight / Amanda Majernik: 7,2,2, – 11pts

Event details – Junior results – Women’s results – Facebook

Event Schedule
♦ US Junior & Special Junior National Championships, August 8-9
♦ US Women’s National Championship, August 8-9
♦ US Senior National Championship, August 10-14
♦ GFU “24 Hour” Snipe Regatta, August 14-15

The racing for the Juniors, Special Juniors, Women, and GFU is inside Mission Bay. The racing for the Seniors is in the Pacific Ocean.