2010 Classic Snipe Rally Know Your Trophies Strategies for the ...

Fall 2010
US SNIPE SAILOR
The Offi cial Magazine of the Snipe Class International Racing Association, USA
2010 Classic Snipe Rally
Know Your Trophies
e Heinzerling
Strategies for the
Final Upwind Leg

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US SNIPE SAILOR
Volume 5, Number 3
Fall, 2010
Published by SCIRA USA
P.O. Box 83866 Lincoln, NE 68501
Publisher:
John Buckley
(402) 796-2510; buckley@inebraska.com
Editor In Chief:
Rich Evans
(515) 450-8218; richard.bc.evans@gmail.com
Editorial Board:
Rick Arneson
rick.arneson@gmail.com
Merrill Varn
orts77@gmail.com
Julia Marsh
juliamarsh@gmail.com
Advertising:
Mary Buckley
(402) 796-2505; direx@inebraska.com
SCIRA USA
Board of Directors:
Don Hackbarth (National Secretary)
dhackbar@bellsouth.net
Gene Soltero (Vice National Secretary)
gene8@soltero.org
Eric Reinke (Chief Measurer)
ereinke@comcast.net
Jack Gannon (District 1 Governor)
jgmarineN10@comcast.net
Doug Swenson (District 2 Governor)
kswenson@interfold.com
Tug Townsend (District 3 Governor)
tugtownsend@gmail.com
Tom Henderson (District 4 Governor)
thenderson@princeminerals.com
Doug Hart (District 6 Governor)
dbhart@cox.net
Dick Loomis (District 7 Governor)
sailmrfun@sbcglobal.net
Lee Griffith (Member At Large)
lee.griffith@contextgroup.com
Harry Levinson (Member At Large)
harry@akamai.com
Gavin O’Hare (Member At Large)
gavin@obyc.com
Kay Voss (Member At Large)
kaykilpatrick@bellsouth.net
Non-Voting Board Members:
Mary Buckley (Executive Administrator)
(402) 796-2505; direx@inebraska.com
Ken Culver (Director of Finance)
kculver@mo2inc.com
Andrew Pontious (Legal Counsel)
apontious@collette.com
The US SNIPE SAILOR is published quarterly
on March 1, June 1, September 1, and December
1. The deadline for material submission is the
10th of the preceding month.
The Snipe Silhouette, the International Snipe
Class Crest, and the slogan Serious Sailing,
Serious Fun are trademarks of the Snipe Class
International Racing Association, and are
registered in the US Patent and Trademark Office.
US SNIPE SAILOR Fall 2010
From Our
National
Secretary
SCIRA USA and various individuals
and Fleets have been working hard on
the concept of acquiring quality Snipe
sailboats and equipment and making
them available to people interested in
one design sail boat racing, and Snipes in particular. The model is to have as many people as
possible be exposed to the Snipe at the local Fleet level, or at regattas, and if they indicate an
interest continue to invite them back to use the equipment, join the Class and get them involved.
Hopefully when the time is right they will buy a boat and become more committed to the Class.
This program is working very well in several forms sponsored by individuals and Fleets.
The Annapolis, Dallas, and St Pete Fleets have acquired Fleet boats for new prospects to try out
in Fleet races and regattas. The result has been increased Fleet activity, more members and new
boat owners. Augie Diaz, Kathleen Tocke, and Peter Commette are privately accumulating boats
and equipment and making the equipment available to older juniors and young adults. Augie and
Kathleen have four boats stationed at the Coral Reef YC for sailors in their program to use. Peter
has two extra boats which he lends out. Steve Lang in St Pete has three boats in the program,
Annapolis and Dallas each have one, which they sold to a new member and are in the process of
replacing.
At the recently completed Nationals in Annapolis, Miami brought eight teams to participate
in the Junior Nationals. Several were repeat customers. They all had an enjoyable time. Several
young adults that have participated in the program are sailing in the Open Nationals, and one of
them, Brian Kamilar, won the Crosby – beating his mentor, Augie Diaz. You gotta love it!
On shore after the racing you can see the numerous young adults that have been, or are being
supported by these programs, having a great time with their peers and learning a lot from the
older Snipe sailors. At every major event I have been to this year I have seen this group of young
adults growing in size and energy. This model works.
Keep up the hard work all of you, and those Fleets and individuals who are interested we
encourage you to contact these individuals or Fleet Captains to see how you can make it work in
your area.
See you all on the water.
Don Hackbarth
SCIRA USA National Secretary
On the cover: Keith Donald and crew Guy Connelly sailing Donald’s 1962 wooden Lippincott
Snipe #14002 at the 2010 Classic Snipe Rally. Photo: David Furber - www.davidfurber.net

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Family Sailing
By Lanny Coon
My dad didn’t make a big thing about it. He
enjoyed sailing and when he had “the duty” he
took me along. I remember it was nice to get
away from the 100 degree plus heat inland and
spend some quiet time exploring the bay with
him. Sometimes we would venture out into the ocean and
check out the seals on the harbor entrance buoy. He called it
“getting the seal of approval”.
Lanny Coon, center, at the 2009 Masters in Atlanta.. John Rose
photo.
I started sailing with him on a 21 foot Albatross sloop
when I was about fi ve. It was kept on a mooring in front of the
club and eventually Dad built a small beach house across the
street from the club. I was lucky to have a yacht club as a front
yard and I hung out there much of the time. I guess it kept
me out of trouble and it gave me a chance to hang out and
sail with some of the best sailors, including Snipe champions
Darby Metcalf, Fred Schenck, Tom Frost, Clark King, and
many others, including several world Star champions. Dad and
I eventually won the Albatross class championship. Soon I had
a chance to sail in a Snipe as a crew for Fred Schenck in the
Pacifi c Coast Championship. We won and I was so excited and
enjoyed the boat so much that Dad and I bought one. The next
year I won the same event. Fred jokingly said he shouldn’t
have introduced me to the boat. He later made me a partner in
his yacht brokerage business.
I raced a lot of different types of boats but kept coming
back to the Snipe. When I had my young family of girls, I
would often take two of them as crew. The weight of two little
girls would come close to the weight of an adult crew. We had
lots of fun and won our share of races. The girls went on to
be very good sailors themselves. Even after the girls went on
to do their own things my wife Margie and I continued racing
Snipes. Eventually the yacht building business and the lure of
international offshore racing led me astray.
Last summer I took a trip to Mission Bay to see some
of my old Snipe sailing friends. This led me to a crewing
position. In spite of our weight, we managed a fi rst place in
one race. Later I talked with Jerelyn Biehl about my newfound
excitement for the boat and she suggested I go to the Masters
Regatta at Lake Alatoona in Atlanta. It didn’t take much
thought and I decided to go. One of my daughters would sail
with me in the Masters and another would crew for me in the
Halloween Regatta. Sam Norwood had asked me to come
there many years ago. I had heard of their hospitality but this
was far beyond expectation. I met up with many old friends.
One of my daughters, from Florida, had an unexpected
emergency and had to go home early. But we had so much fun
that when I returned to California I bought a Snipe from my
long time friend Jerry Thompson.
Soon I had it hooked up behind my car and was headed
to Saint Pete to sail in the January Gaspar Regatta with my
daughter. Her kids, my grandchildren, showed lots of interest
in the boat so I decided to leave it there so they could all sail
together and I could join them occasionally. It is nice to think
of them sailing as I had done with my dad and my kids. Four
generations of great fun and good memories; I can’t think of a
better boat for it.
Snipe Bumper Stickers!
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You’ll get one when you pay your 2010 dues.
If you need more, contact Mary Buckley in the
SCIRA USA offi ce.
US SNIPE SAILOR Fall 2010 5

Strategies For The Last Upwind Leg
By Rick Arneson
The last leg of a long race can seem like an eternity when you’re ahead, and not nearly long
enough when you’re behind. With the finish line just minutes away, the final leg often requires
some new tactical considerations. Here are a few tips to keep in mind for the home stretch.
Which way to go?
As you approach the last leeward mark, consider what
you’ve been seeing on this leg and what it will mean for the
next one (since most races in the Snipe class finish on a beat,
the topics discussed here will address finishing into the wind).
•
Where are the puffs? When not maneuvering, the
crew has an opportunity to look upwind and scan for
puffs up the racecourse. (A tip for crew communication:
When discussing puffs while on a run, “left” and
“right” can take on different meanings, so it can be
helpful to say “left (or right) looking upwind.”)
•
How is the current running? If you are sailing in an
area with significant current, its direction and variations
in strength will be factors to take into account. With some
familiarity of the topography of the racing area, you can
get an idea of how current will factor into your tactics.
A shipping lane, for instance, can be an area of much
greater current strength; whether it’s a good place to be
depends on which direction your next mark is and which
way the current is flowing. In areas with very strong
current, such as San Francisco Bay, the fleet may flock to
shallower waters at times to reduce its adverse effects.
•
How have the shifts been trending? You’ll generally
want to keep sailing towards the next shift you expect. If
sailing in an oscillating breeze, you will want to get onto
the lifted tack early after your rounding to get in phase
with the shifts. If the breeze has been persistently going in
one direction, you may be sailing a header at first in order
to position yourself on the inside of the coming shifts.
Positioning with other boats
As the fleet becomes more spread out throughout the race,
it’s easy to narrow your focus too much, watching only the
boats closest to you and losing sight of the big picture. Big
changes can happen quickly, however, so it’s important to
keep the big picture in mind when making tactical decisions
up the last leg.
•
Covering from ahead: Early in the series, covering means
maintaining a lead to have the best finish possible. Often the
fleet splits and you’ll need to decide which boats to stay in
touch with. This is a big-picture decision; consider the wind
and current, and stay with the pack that is going towards the
better course conditions.
Close crossings require some balance between a tighter
or looser cover. Keep in mind what a covering tack will
encourage the other boat to do; if you are sailing a lift but feel
you need to cover an opponent crossing your stern, tacking
right on their wind only gets you out of phase and puts them
onto your lift when they are forced to tack away for clear air –
instead of covering them, you’re giving them the opportunity
to catch up. A looser cover will keep you in phase with the
wind longer in this case, giving you better odds of keeping,
and even increasing, your lead.
IIllustration by Rick Arneson
As the regatta progresses, point spreads begin to make
more of a difference, particularly once a throwout is factored
in. By the last leg of the last race, many teams are doing
mental math all the way to the finish. Consider the position of
your closest competitors on the scoreboard, and evaluate their
present positions in the race. What is the deepest finish you
can tolerate? (If you have an OCS to your score, for instance,
your top priority is likely going to be to have the highest finish
possible). If you can afford to use your last race as a drop, you
can cover your nearest overall opponent wherever they may
wander on the course (this is how the Laser gold medal in the
2000 Olympics was won). In most cases, however, covering
is a balancing act of risk management, playing the shifts
www.snipeus.org

intelligently while staying in check with your competition.
• Gaining from behind: The lighter the wind, the more
important clear air becomes. Since that’s not always easy to
get when fighting your way through the pack, staying in phase
while minimizing the damage of dirty air becomes a more
sensible approach. We’ve all seen the “Hail-Mary” pay off at
some time or another, when one boat heads far off to a corner,
tacks once, and miraculously passes the fleet. Hoping for a
miracle isn’t much of a strategy though, so keep your options
open by avoiding the laylines until the end of the beat. This
doesn’t mean that tacking up the middle is necessarily the way
to go; in light air, particularly in a big fleet, the middle of the
course tends to have less pressure and more unstable shifts
due to the presence of all the other boats. Determine which
side you like, work the shifts as they come, and keep your air
as clear as possible.
Approaching the Finish Line
As you get into the last 1/3 of the final leg, look around for
clues as to the shifts to be expected near the line, especially
if they happen to be near or just to windward of the finish
line. Flagpoles, smokestacks, and other sailboats may all
demonstrate signs of a coming shift up the course.
Finish lines, like start lines, often have one end that is more
favored than the other. Unlike the start line, the end that
is further downwind is the favored end. It’s always best to
finish at the favored end, since anywhere else along the line
The Women’s International Match Racing Association
(WIMRA) was formed in 1996 for the purpose of promoting,
coordinating and supervising
women’s international match-race
sailing, and to campaign for the
inclusion of women’s match racing
in the Olympics.
US SNIPE SAILOR Fall 2010
would be wasted distance sailed. Look at the flags on the
committee boat for a first clue; the leeward (free flying) edge
of a flag will point towards the favored end. If the flags don’t
tell you much, plan your final approach to the finish from the
“crossroads”—the intersection point between the laylines
for either end of the finish line. If you get to this point and
one end is clearly closer than the other, head for that end. If
it looks about even, it’s a judgment call. If it’s going to be a
crowded finish, it’s tactically beneficial to be on starboard tack
with the right-of-way.
Keep up plenty of speed as you approach the line,
particularly in any chop. If you find that the finish is going
to be close with another boat and you need to shoot head-towind,
momentum will be key. Give a little bit of leeward heel
while keeping the main in tight and easing the jib to make
your luff as smooth as possible; if you dig the weather chine
or have the jib in too tight while trying to head up, you’ll just
stall the foils. You shouldn’t shoot the line until the last halfboatlength
or so; Snipes are relatively light, so they can lose
their momentum quickly.
Whether you cross the line near the top or the bottom of
the fleet, the moments following the finish provide a good
opportunity to look back on the race, review what went well
and what could be improved, and then look forward again.
After all, the finish of one race is just the first step towards the
start of the next one.
Show your support. Become an official member of the
organization that was successful in helping to get
Women’s Match Racing into the 2012
Olympic Games and enjoy all the
benefits and privileges exclusive to
our members. Join at wimra.org.

Classic Snipe Rally Draws
New Participants
By John Rose, SCIRA USA Classic Snipe Editor
Photos by Jim Black
This year’s Classic Snipe Rally was held at Geneva,
New York in conjunction with the annual wooden
boat show hosted by the Finger Lakes Boating
Museum (FLBM) in Penn Yan, New York.
Twelve wooden Snipes participated in the twoday
weekend event. The annual Wooden Lightning Class
Get-Together also was held at the same time, the first-ever
meeting of these two popular one-design sailboat classes at
the same time and place. Other antique and classic wooden
boats of all types that were built in the Finger Lakes region
also were on display.
The 11.4 acre waterfront park which was the site of
the boat show is the location of a new 24,500 square foot
building planned to be built by the City of Geneva for a
Visitors Center and FLBM boat museum, which will occupy
about 18,000 square feet of this space. The complex also will
include docks and boat launching facilities.
Of the twelve participating Snipes, only two were
“repeats” from the 2009 Classic Snipe Rally at the Atlanta
YC. Owners brought their Snipes from Ohio, Pennsylvania,
New York, Connecticut, Virginia and Ontario to display at the
boat show. Snipes ranged in age from the oldest boat, Greg
Group’s 1938 Snipe #2686 from Willoughby, Ohio to the
newest boat, Peter and Jenny Griffioen’s 2009 plywood Snipe
#30783 from Guelph, Ontario (see photos and article on the
Chris Hains’ 1966 plywood Snipe #16182 from Ontario, Canada, winner of the
Snipe informal sailing competition and Best Modern Snipe award certificate.
construction of this Snipe in the Spring
2009 issue of Snipe Bulletin).
Informal short course “fun” races
were held on Saturday on Seneca
Lake for both Snipes and Lightnings,
in shifty winds from 5mph up to the
mid-teens, giving the sailors a taste of
a variety of conditions. Chris Hains
from Oakville, Ontario mastered the
conditions to win the Snipe division
with 1966 plywood Snipe #16182;
Keith Donald from Bethlehem,
Pennsylvania took second place
with 1962 Lippincott Snipe #14002;
Griffioen was third.
Many of the Snipes on display
were examples of fine workmanship
in restoration and refinishing. One
historic boat was the famous Snipe #3518 Shady Too, built in
1939 by Francis Schwander (Los Angeles, California), and
displayed in partially-completed rebuilding and restoration
condition by owner Jason LaPierre (Rochester, New York).
Some “old-timers” may recall that this boat won the 1946
Snipe International Championship (sailed by Bob Davis,
Balboa, California) and also the 1963 Snipe US National
Championship (sailed by Bob Huggins,
Stanford, California), and also finished
in the top three boats of the National
Championship in many other years
when Huggins owned the boat, as well
as winning many other regional Snipe
regattas.
Some participants took advantage
of a tour to the East Hill Boat Shop (at
nearby Middlesex, New York) where
Sterling Klinck runs the boat building
and restoration shop. Sterling answered
questions on boat restoration and repair,
and displayed his restored and updated
1944 Emmons Snipe #5115 at the boat
show.
FLBM President Bill Oben and
museum members spent many hours
working on the restoration of 1950
Emmons Snipe #8048 which the
museum acquired last year, and
completed the project on the evening
before the boat show. The original
www.snipeus.org

owner of that Michigan-based boat, Dorothy (Cartland) Lutz
(State College, Pennsylvania and Seneca Lake, New York)
was on hand to see the restored boat on display. Also in
attendance were former Rochester, New York Snipe sailors
Ernie Coleman (Rochester, New York) and Tom Hanna
(Webster, New York). Coleman and Hanna were long-time
Snipe sailors and winners of many Snipe events in the 1940s
and 50s, in that region. Coleman built
several Snipes for competition; while
Hanna stopped by to see Shady Too and
also Klinck’s Snipe, both of which he
formerly owned.
On behalf of those who participated,
the Snipe Class wishes to thank FLBM
officers and Board of Trustee members
for their cooperation and willingness to
include the Classic Snipe Rally as part
of their boat show. FLBM Vice President
Ed Wightman coordinated the event
preparations, evening social and dinner
banquets and lodging arrangements,
while Seneca YC member and FLBM
Jason LaPierre’s 1939 classic wooden
Snipe #3518 Shady Too, from Rochester,
NY, restoration and modernization in
process. This boat won the 1946 Snipe
International Championship and 1963
Snipe US National Championship.
US SNIPE SAILOR Fall 2010
A lineup of Classic Snipes at the 2010 Classic Snipe Rally.
Trustee Chrissy Bennett-West handled the on-the-water
sailing activities.
Many thanks to all who participated. We hope you had a
great time and met a lot of new and old friends, and learned
lots of new information about restoration of Classic Snipes.
Award certificates were presented to all participants and to
winners of various categories in the Classic Snipe Rally.

The Art of the
Heinzerling
National
Championship
Trophy
By Merrill Varn
This article is the first in a series tracing
the rich history of US Snipe racing through
the benefactors of major trophies. In this
installment, the person who donated one
of our most prominent trophies did not sail
Snipes. What sparked his generosity? Read
on…
Emblematic of the National Championship of
SCIRA USA, the Charles E. Heinzerling Trophy is
awarded to the winning skipper in the Heinzerling
Division of the Snipe US National Championship
Regatta. It was donated by Charles E. Heinzerling,
and was first awarded in 1947. Charles Edwin “Pop” Heinzerling (1895-1978), was an
artist, a boater, and a dancer but, above all, a father. He was
not a sailor – but his sons were. You may remember they
won the 1942 International Snipe Championship. At the
time, Snipes were the largest dinghy fleet worldwide.
Pop raised his two sons as a single dad after his wife’s
death when Cliff was 5 and Ralph 7. He didn’t remarry until
they were grown, instead choosing to raise the boys with
the help of his parents at a big town house he bought in Bay
Ridge, NY. Grandmother, or Nana, was a wonderful Mom but
Pop thought the boys needed more freedom in the summer.
There was also the ever-present threat of exposure to the
poliovirus in swimming pools. So when they were pre-teens,
Pop sent them to a camp with a lake. When they outgrew
camp as teenagers, he bought a summer cottage at nearby
Lake Lackawanna. Talented enough to earn long standing
contracts with Coca-Cola, Hellman’s, Kellogg’s, Sunbeam
Bread, Heinz Pickles, and Hoffman Beverages, among
others, Pop had little trouble spoiling the youngsters with
Heinzerling in Florida, sometime in the 1950s.
everything they wanted – a rowboat, a kayak, and a canoe.
10 www.snipeus.org

When they yearned for a sailboat, a Snipe was the obvious
choice since there was already an active fleet on the lake.
As they say, the rest is history. The boys soon became the
team to beat. Pop became the commodore of the yacht club.
He drove the boys to regattas all over the east coast. With
the onset of World War II and gas rationing their travel was
curtailed, but they continued to get to as many regattas as
possible. One of the boys’ favorite memories of Pop is the
minute following the last race of the 1942 Championship.
Pop was on the finish boat. The scorekeepers added up
the finishes and pointed to the Heinzerling boys. When he
saw that his sons had won the regatta and were the world
champions, he was so excited that he jumped into the lake
fully dressed in his yachting best.
Pearl Harbor had been bombed the winter before and
the United States was at war. Shortly after winning the
Snipe International Championship both boys enlisted in the
U.S. Navy. It was a tough few years for all three of them
“Give the medallion on the
Heinzerling Trophy a close
look the next time you get a
chance. It was designed by a
true expert and a true father
to honor the memories of his
boys’ successes in Snipes.”
but both sons returned home without physical damage.
Reunited, the boys were back to the racecourse and college
and courting. Pop took the reins of SCIRA for 1946. That
summer the event was held at Lake Chautauqua, New York.
There had been international teams before, but the spirit was
different this year. With a world war just over and teams
from Brazil, Canada, Portugal, and Switzerland enjoying a
regatta together, the group decided to promote international
competition by releasing the Hub Isaacks Trophy for a true
international event. The Swiss agreed to host the first World
Championship in Geneva the following year. Pop, then
Commodore, announced that he would design a new trophy
for the U.S. National Championship.
With his sons off to college and then raising their own
families, Pop remarried. He and his new wife sold the Bay
Ridge home and moved to Manhassett, NY. When Pop was
65, he retired. They moved to St. Petersburg Florida but
traveled extensively, mostly in South America, and began
Painting in his studio, 1940s.
amassing their own set of trophies as ballroom dancers. Both
sons and all eight grandchildren remember Pop fondly.
His artistic skills were still in demand after retirement.
When interviewed by the St. Petersburg Times about his
life as a commercial artist, he told a story of personally
submitting a biscuit ad to the president of Tasty Cake. “I’ll
take it” the president said. The biscuits were a little fluffier
with a touch more golden brown than the company biscuits.
Handing the ad copy to an assistant the president said, “Make
our biscuits look like this.” Pop was also the first artist to add
refreshing beads of sweat to the outside of a Coke bottle; not
even photographers have produced such a gorgeous bottle of
Coke. He was the first to portray Coca-Cola as the partydrink,
posing invitingly beside deliciously painted trays of
ham, Swiss cheese, black olives, and gherkins.
Give the medallion on the Heinzerling Trophy a close
look the next time you get a chance. It was designed by a true
expert and a true father to honor the memories of his boys’
successes in Snipes.
Sources:
Interview with Joyce Heinzerling (grand-daughter of
Pop Heinzerling, daughter of Cliff Heinzerling) and her
conversations with her father.
St. Petersburg Times Article date unknown - probably
early 1970s.
Biography of Charles Heinzerling, by his niece Dorothy
Heinzerling Fenniman, later published in a Family
History in July 1977.
Biography of Charles Heinzerling by Laura Berzofsky
(grand-daughter of Pop Heinzerling, daughter of Ralph
Heinzerling).
Photos from Joyce Heinzerling and Laura Berzofsky.
US SNIPE SAILOR Fall 2010 11

An Interview With Laura
Stamets
By Julia Marsh
At age 20, Laura Stamets is an energetic,
motivated, up and coming Snipe sailor
originally from Berthoud, Colorado who grew
up sailing with Fleet 210 in Denver. Having
competed in her first Women’s Nationals in
2004 at the age of 14, Laura is a great example of how
to stay motivated and maintain a great attitude on and
off the water. Now in college, Laura has been training
and competing on the Texas A&M sailing team for
two years. She and her boyfriend/crew Dan Dalgleish
also have been sailing with the Dallas Snipe Fleet
this summer and working to save up enough money to
make the trip to the 2010 Nationals in Annapolis in
August. One thing is for sure, the Snipe Class will be
seeing a lot more of this young lady…
When did you first start sailing?
My parents sailed pretty much all of their lives. When I
was really little, I didn’t like sailing. I was bored and I would
drag my hand in the water. Then I started going to a junior
camp where I started competing and doing well. That’s when
I started to like sailing more. I started off in a Sunfish. Then
one of the juniors bought a Snipe and then all the other juniors
got interested in Snipes. My dad asked me if I wanted to be
competitive, and I said that I did so he got me a decent boat. It
was a bit nicer than the other Snipes. It is Ed Adams’ old boat.
Then, all of the other juniors got tired of Snipes and switched
to 420’s, but I stayed with the Snipe. I was really lucky that
my parents were so supportive of my sailing. When I was 14,
my mom flew me to California to do the Women’s Nationals,
and I was so upset because I was in last place and I felt awful.
Then I came back to Colorado and raced in the local fleet and
I did a little bit better. I always look at every event as a step
towards improving in the boat and as a sailor.
What was your first major Snipe regatta?
The first Nationals that I ever went to were the Women’s
Nationals in 2004. It was a huge learning experience and by
that I mean that we did terribly, but everyone was so nice
and so helpful that it made the regatta a lot of fun. All of the
Nationals I have gone to have been the same way, a valuable
learning experience!
The 2007 Nationals were held at your home club in
Colorado. How was that event?
A lot of planning went into the regatta. I helped out and
volunteered a lot of time. My results were better at that
Nationals because it is where I am from and I’m a better lake
sailor than ocean sailor. I felt like we were in the competition
a little bit more instead of just trying to survive and get around
the racecourse.
Laura and crew Dan Dalgleish at the 2010 Firewater Regatta
in Lincoln, NE.
How is college sailing going for you?
It is definitely a challenge. I have to plan all of my classes
around practice, which is from 3:00-6:00 everyday and I
travel pretty much every weekend. Texas A&M is the only
school in our region that has a coach, so we do well in our
area. Our district is not as competitive as some of the others,
like the Northeast. The time on the water is really great and is
improving my sailing.
With your busy college schedule, do you still find time to
do any Snipe Sailing?
Practicing is every day for three hours and traveling to
regattas every weekend doesn’t leave a lot of room or time
for Snipe sailing. My boyfriend Dan and I really wanted to
get ready for Nationals, so in order to get ready, we went to
Nebraska and did the Firewater Regatta, then some weekends
12 www.snipeus.org
Donna Gustafson

Russ Stamets
Laura (r), age 7, with sister Maggie on the family boat Ouija,
Carter Lake, Colorado.
with the Dallas Fleet, and then we went to the Southwestern
Championships, which was a lot of fun and we won that one,
which was really great!
Is Dan your college crew as well as your Snipe crew?
We were the last two on the team that did not have a steady
partner, so we decided that we would sail together. This is
before we dated. We’ve been sailing together for a year and a
half now, and it has just worked out really well. We have been
working together as a team and sailing together every day and
constantly improving. All my crews in the past have not been
as serious as me about sailing. He wants to train and practice.
His approach to the sport is as intense as mine. He’s also
stronger than me which helps out a lot on the racecourse. I am
getting spoiled.
Have you thought about what you might do after college as
far as sailing goes?
Dan and I plan to keep sailing the Snipe well into the
future. I want to go to law school, so I still have that ahead of
me. I want to keep sailing and be competitive for a very long
time. As soon as our finances get better, we can sail more.
We worked really hard all summer to save up for Nationals.
We’re driving out there by ourselves and doing everything on
our own which makes us feel really great. It was so exciting
writing the check for our entry fee. I would say, “Can’t we go
and do something fun? We’ve been working so hard,” but we
had to remind ourselves that we have this awesome vacation
coming up.
Our parents are so proud of us. Dan’s parents haven’t
sailed before and he didn’t grow up sailing. Despite that, he
picked it up very fast. He is by far the best crew I’ve ever had.
So his parents are really excited about us going to Nationals.
The parents have offered to help pay for things, but we’ve told
them that we have everything taken care of. Our parents are
going to meet us in Annapolis for the regatta.
When are you planning on leaving for the regatta?
We’ll get there the Friday or Saturday before. Both of our
parents fly in that Sunday. My parents are chartering a big boat
for us to stay on and watch the races on. We are borrowing
Dan’s dad’s truck for the trip out so we can have a reliable
vehicle. We’ll have to spend the week before going over the
toolbox and making sure we have everything.
That is going to be so much fun!
Yes, we are really looking forward to it!
As a younger member of the Snipe Class, how do you think
you can get younger people in the Class or keep them in
the Class?
I think introducing them early has been helpful for me.
Because once kids get to college, they start sailing 420s and
get hooked into that. A lot of times in college sailing, people
are not quite so friendly, and Snipe regattas are so fun. They
put up a table at some of the college regattas to try to promote
Snipe sailing. When I see juniors sailing the Snipe Nationals, I
really don’t see them leave the Class.
Yes, one great thing about the Snipe Class is seeing the
kids grow with it and seeing generations of families sailing
together as well as competing against each other.
I went to the Ida Lewis in a 420 and we didn’t do well and
the people weren’t very nice. It kind of scared me because I
was thinking that this is what college sailing would be like.
There was also a college sailing clinic that I got into. It was
a great learning experience but the people were catty. Some
people are only exposed to 420’s and that type of sailing and
are not exposed to other fleets. That is another reason why we
were so excited to get to go out to Nationals this year.
And it is such a helpful fleet. Everyone helps each other
out. I’ll be in the Snipe Class for a long time.
Laura and crew Sonya Ropek at the 2007 Nationals in
Dillon, Colorado.
US SNIPE SAILOR Fall 2010 1
Fried Elliott

Follow the Belgians!
By Karen Soltero
In 1999, curious to experience sailing in other parts of
the world, my father broke out his passport and with the
help of the internet, secured a loaner boat and a crew
to sail in a small local regatta in Cazau, in the south of
France. Enthralled by the new challenges sailing in a
foreign county presented, from language barriers to entirely
new weather and water conditions, he decided that he should
go again, and that this time, I should come with him. We made
two trips to France together in the decade that has just fallen
behind us, to sail in the Snipe Open de France, their national
championships. It was a wholly different world of sailing.
From wine flowing like water, to topless sunbathing sailors, to
those Belgians, who inspired the catchphrase that now resides
permanently in the Soltero family sailing lexicon, and is
invoked frequently. Usually by me.
In August of 2003, we made our way, with the help of a
rental car and my stellar map-reading abilities, from the bustle
of Paris to Annecy, a tiny town nestled in the Alps, near the
Swiss border. The first thing that is different about sailing in
Europe, I noted immediately upon check-in. The local inn was
a far cry from even your average Best Western. I’d elaborate,
but then we’d run out of room for the stuff this story’s really
about. The first morning of the regatta, still suffering from
a mild case of jet lag, we readied our boat, borrowed from
the lovely Romain family, and met our competition. Sailors
from all over France, the UK and of course, Belgium. Yes, the
Belgians. A married couple, who also happened to be retired
professional ballet dancers. Yes, you read that right. And yes, I
underestimated them, but not for long.
The weather started out calm, and the biggest challenge
was remembering that when it came to sailing terms, we
had to yet again, learn a new language. Starboard was now
“tribord,” a word that was yelled with increasing gusto by a
number of skippers as an unscheduled storm rolled in, as I
now know they are wont to do on little mountain lakes, and
the calm waters were replaced by some serious chop. By now,
those Belgian ballerinas were well ensconced in the first place
position and we were somewhere points south and east of the
middle of the pack. We had taken a flyer. It did not pay off.
Not to mention the fact that amidst the fray, we mistook a horn
for a cancellation signal and accidentally abandoned the race
before crossing the finish. Hello, DNF. The Belgians won.
The rest of the day was called off and we had to drop
sails as we came in too fast to the dock, crew after crew,
unfortunately me included, jumping off their boats into the
cold water to guide their vessels safely in. After a hot shower,
we headed to the dinner. The French drink wine, good wine,
quite literally by the box. There was no soda, no water. We
might have forgotten that our American tolerance might not be
up to snuff. And hey, we’d had a rough day. The next morning
brought back the sun, much to the delight of some of the
female French crews, who were making ample use of it before
Karen and Gene Soltero race at the French Nationals.
the races began, as they stretched out on the dock, topless. You
don’t see that everyday.
And as the races began, so did my new battle cry. “Follow
the Belgians!” I said it, or possibly yelled it so many times
it probably drove my father something akin to insane. But it
worked, and since they were so good that there was no way to
beat them, that second place was just fine with me. Needless
to say, our mixed performance evened out and we finished
the regatta somewhere in the middle of the pack, a lackluster
performance if there ever was one. But the allure of shouting
sailing terms in foreign languages, the thrill of crazy weather
and heck, all that wine, had us ready to come back for more.
We didn’t make it back to the Snipe Open de France until
2006 and by then, we were ready for victory. Our second tour
of duty together took us to another little town, this one in a
basin on the southwest coast of France. Archachon was home
to slightly better lodging than our last locale, not to mention
a definite beach vacation vibe. It was August again, and the
weather was balmy. We would be sailing on the ocean, on the
outside edge of the basin. There was just one caveat. When
the tide cleared out of the basin each day, it really cleared out.
Leaving boats heaving on their sides in the wet sand. That first
day, we had to wait until early evening, when a small river
would appear, just wide enough and deep enough for us to sail
on as we made our way out to sea.
Cue the crazy weather patterns. While it was balmy and
barely breezy at the beach, the conditions where we were
1 www.snipeus.org

acing were a different story altogether. I was not dressed
appropriately. My waterproof shorty coveralls were no match
for the cold winds and the lashing waves. And those fingerless
gloves that I thought would be perfect for such a nice August
afternoon? They earned me ten bloody fingertips by the end
of the first day. I am not kidding. It was worth it – after a
respectable fourth place finish in the first race, we pulled out
all the stops and crossed the finish line first in the second race.
The last race of the day gave us a third and, unlike the prior
trip, we finished the first day among the top contenders. But I
couldn’t wash my own hair for the next few days, a task that
was turned over to my mother, who had fortunately joined us
for the trip.
It was approaching ten o’clock at night when we sailed
back in, bloody and cold, but feeling victorious. And very
hungry. The next morning, in order to avoid having to drag
our boats back in through the sand at low tide, we started
really early instead of really late. Armed with ten band-aids
and a borrowed pair of full gloves, I was ready to get back to
it, and hang on to our trophy position. We struggled a little
on the second day, but in my defense, I was working with a
wounded set of digits. During day three, we found our groove
again and moved back up in the pack, earning a third place
overall in the regatta and a personal victory after our previous
performance in 2003. To be honest, I don’t think the French
were all that happy to have us Americans in their trophy
lineup. Nonetheless, they were ever so gracious, and invited
us to return again, if only for another chance to kick our butts.
And even though the now famous Belgians were not in
attendance at this regatta, I regularly resorted to my favorite
saying. “Follow the Belgians” no longer meant that we
should actually follow the Belgians. Fortunately, my father
is very smart, and knew exactly what I meant. It means find
the fastest boat, the one you know is going to win the race.
If that boat happens to be you, this obviously doesn’t apply,
and there’s no need to shout it out, unless, perhaps you want
to yell it to the boat behind you as a helpful suggestion. Once
you’ve found that boat, follow it at all costs. Do not take a
flyer and try to get ahead of them. They are better than you.
At this particular regatta, the “they” in question was a French
father-son team. And they knew those waters a heck of a lot
better than we did. But we “followed the Belgians,” and we
persevered. And we’ll do it again.
Karen Soltero is a professional writer and photographer as
well as a lifelong Snipe sailor. She writes and contributes
photos for magazines and blogs including www.dishkebab.
com and www.thebrunettechronicles.blogspot.com. She has
been racing Snipes since age four and recently won the 2010
District II Championships in Denver, CO where she crewed
for her father, Gene Soltero.
US SNIPE SAILOR Fall 2010 15

The Code of Competition by Stuart H. Walker,
Illustrated by Thomas Price.
By Richard Evans
In the latest of his many books,
The Code of Competition, Dr.
Walker steps back from the
tactics and strategies of racing
performance one-design
sailboats to the psychological
roots of what pushes us to
raise sails every weekend. Is it
to win races and defeat other
sailors? No! Is it to bask in the
glory of holding silver at the
award ceremony? Not really.
According to Dr. Walker, most of us race to satisfy the need
to be accepted by a pack, like a pack of dogs, or in sailboat
racing, the fleet.
Maintaining pack or fleet cohesion and fellowship are the
underlying principles to the unwritten rules we follow in
competition on the water. Except now the unwritten rules
are listed in Dr. Walker’s book. He gives 35 code-of-competition
precepts such as “Admire courage. Fear revealing
fearfulness,” and “maintain the pecking order; do not
attempt to usurp the higher place of someone more deserving.”
In essence, he’s listing the behavioral reasons why
most of us don’t win regattas, instead acting as the fleet’s
nice guys. We’ve all had this kind of conversation around
Book Review
the club: “Do I know Bill? Yeah, I know Bill, he frostbites
Lasers with me every Wednesday evening. Great guy,
middle of the fleet, but he always brings good beer.” The
code of competition keeps the status quo, keeps us all in our
correct rank in the fleet so we are all happy pack members.
It’s the pack or herd mentality that Dr. Walker uses to rationalize
his code, along with some genetic arguments and
shout-outs to the Iliad, Galileo, Shakespeare, various Olympians
and hubris. His justifications aren’t fact; of course,
he’s simply compiling anecdotal evidence and behavioral
theory to support and justify his code. The anecdotes are
compelling because mid-fleet sailors can see themselves
in the stories – like the time we let the lead slip out of our
hands on the reach, or the time we won the first race and
tanked the second. It’s those kinds of performances that
Dr. Walker uses to define two types of competitors the true
competitor and the code competitor.
The code competitor follows the code of competition by
keeping his rank in the fleet, suppressing hubris, restraining
aggressiveness and so on. The true competitor “senses
the fear, but derides the code and its requirement to atone.
He exacts his own retribution for all the times he has been
defeated. He seeks the forbidden Grail. He attains hubris
and glories in it. He has but one goal – victory!”
If the true competitor doesn’t sound like a nice person, well,
that’s the point – he doesn’t want or need hugs and kisses
from the fleet, he gets those at home. As for the rest of us,
we launch our boats every weekend pretty much knowing
the race outcome before the first horn. That’s not a good
feeling, and now that Dr. Walker has diagnosed our problem,
he’ll have to deliver the cure in his next book.
Serious Fun at the 2010 District 2 Championships, Bow Mar Yacht Club, Denver.
1 www.snipeus.org

US SNIPE SAILOR Fall 2010 1

Sep 11-12
Sep 11-12
Sep 11-12
Sep 14-16
Sep 18-19
Sep 24-26
Oct 2-3
Oct 23-24
Oct 29-31
Nov 8-12
Mar 14-16
Mar 18-20
Mar 23-26
2010 - 2011 SCIRA USA Regatta Schedule
Go to www.snipeus.org for updates to the Regatta Schedule
Missouri Valley Championship - Lake Manawa, IA
Rick Scofi eld: scofi eld@tconl.com
Florida State Junior Championship - Coconut Grove Sailing Center, Miami, FL
Gonzalo Diaz: gecmdiaz@gmail.com
Surf City Regatta - Surf City Yacht Club, Long Beach Island, NJ
Lee Griffi th: lee.griffi th@contextgroup.com
2010 Snipe US Masters Championship - Wawasee Yacht Club, Syracuse, IN
Dick Tillman: ldtillman@gmail.com
Mystic Lake Open - Medford Boat Club, Medford, MA
Martin Fraser: mwfraser@comcast.net
Silver Cup (2011 Worlds Qualifi er) - Carlyle Yacht Club, Carlyle, Il
Andrea Sepanski: andrea.sepanski@chartercom.com
Frigid Digit - Severn Sailing Association, Annapolis, MD
Jon Anthony: jda128@comcast.net
Halloween Regatta - Atlanta Yacht Club, Atlanta, GA
Kathy Bronaugh: russellplunkett@yahoo.com
Carolyn Nute Memorial (2011 Worlds Qualifi er) - Mission Bay Yacht Club, San Diego, CA
Dave Tillson: david.a.tillson@cpmx.saic.com
2010 Snipe Women’s World Championship - St. Petersburg Yacht Club, St. Petersburg, FL
Steve Lang: ws.lang@knology.net
Midwinter Championship - Clearwater Yacht Club, Clearwater, FL
Dick Boblenz: boblenzrb@aol.com
Don Q Rum Keg Regatta - Coconut Grove Sailing Club, Miami, FL
Gonzalo Diaz: gecmdiaz@gmail.com
Bacardi/Gamblin - Royal Nassau Sailing Club, Nassau, BAH
Lori/Jimmie Lowe: lorijim@coralwave.com
Snipe painting by Charles E. Heinzerling, ca. 1941. For more on Heinzerling and the
trophy bearing his name, see page 10. Photo courtesy of Laura Berzofsky.
1 www.snipeus.org

Snipe Class International Racing Association USA
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ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
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EAST (410) 212-4916
Greg Fisher greg@od.northsails.com
onedesign.com
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