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Regatta Day 2 Brief:
The second day of racing today was challenging for the race committee and sailors. After sailing to the race course north of the Newport Bridge, the strong morning northerly faded to five to eight knots for the windward/leeward two-lap course (Race three of the series). The race committee pivoted quickly to set up the next race 12 minutes after the last finisher crossed the finish line.
Soon after the start, though, the wind began to diminish. As the fleet sailed upwind against the current, the wind faded to below the race minimum and the race committee had to abandon. Only the few sailors who had made it around the windward mark were disappointed!
As predicted, Narragansett Bay’s sea breeze finally filled mid-afternoon. A five-leg course was set in solid hiking breeze, with an upwind finish towards the bridge that shortened the sail home to Sail Newport after finishing.
Rodriguez and Scheuermann solidified their lead after winning both races and ending with nine points overall. Callahan and Davis scored a 2-2, moving them up to second place with 12 points overall. Diaz and Rodriguez Horan dropped to third place with a 1-13 and 29 points overall. But once the regatta reaches 6 races and a drop is triggered, this is still anyone’s championship,
Racing continues tomorrow at 1100.
Regatta Day 1 Brief:
The 55-boat-strong North American Championship first day of racing started in moderate wind. The race course was located north of the Newport Bridge in the Gould Island area. A southerly built to seven to eight knots, launching the fleet on their first two-lap windward/leeward course of the championship.
Race 2 started under similar conditions, with less current than in Race 1. Shortly after the start, radar indicated a storm approaching from the west. The Race continued, but on the third leg, the race committee shortened the course at the second weather mark for safety. The fleet was sent back to shore after the finish.
The regatta fleet roster is deep with talent, including Olympic, Hall of Fame, Collegiate All-Americans, and many championship sailors. At the end of the day, the scoreboard shows Ernesto Rodriguez and Taylor Scheuermann (Miami, FL) with seven points overall. Only one point behind first, two boats are tied for second place, including multi-time Snipe champion Augie Diaz and Ciara Rodriguez Horan (Miami, FL), and Newport’s Justin Callahan and Trevor Davis (Annapolis, MD), both teams with eight points. Hunting the top three is Carol Cronin (Jamestown, RI) and Kim Couranz, champion women sailors and longtime sailing partners in the fleet, in fourth place overall with 19 points. Cronin and Couranz won the regatta last time a Snipe championship was sailed in Newport
Preview
Newport Snipe fleet 17 along with Sail Newport are thrilled to host the 2026 North American Championships. Fleet 17 has shown tremendous growth over the last few years and look forward to showing off the splendor that sailing in Newport has to offer. The traditional sea breeze is the mainstay of Narragansett Bay.
This championship marks the first Snipe North American’s to be hosted in Newport and the 1st major championship since the 2018 women’s worlds which was won by Newport’s own Carol Cronin and longtime crew Kim Couranz.
The Championship is expected to attract teams from California, Florida, Mid Atlantic, Mid-West, New England and Canada.
