Rodriguez/Tocke Win 2 Races on Day 1

Light conditions of 4-8 knots were all the competitors and Race Committee had to work with on the opening day of the Snipe Western Hemisphere & Asia Championship.  

After a short on-shore postponement while the wind filled, the racers were sent off in 5 knots. All but 1 boat were on the starting line as the father-of-the bride took precedence this day for local skipper Patricio Middleton.  Never the less, the rest of the fleet did their best to keep their boats moving in the lighter breeze sailed on the Pacific Ocean.  

Ernesto Rodriguez/Kathleen Tocke of the USA led both races and never relinquished their lead, winning both races easily. "This is a favorite course for the left so if you get to the left and manage to hold your lanes in the top group you have a chance," stated Ernesto.  Luis Soubie/Diego Lipszyc (ARG) posted a 2-2 behind the Americans to stay consistent while Rafael Gagliotti/Matheus Conclaves (BRA) are in third, Raul Rios/Lexi Pline (PUR) in 4th and Randy Lake/Alice Schmid (USA) rounding out the top 5.  Soubie commented, "we were conservative today and sailed toward the gusts and didn't fight for the pin like everyone else.  Racing here is a challenge because if you start poorly there are very few things you can do as you need to be ahead some way or the other, otherwise it's death on water."

Race Committee chairman Christian Gonzalez was pleased with the first day, commenting "Today was a good day and we set the bar high - we'll do better tomorrow but that will be hard!"

The WHA serves as a country qualifier for 2 nations for the Pan Am Games to be sailed in these same waters October 25-Nov 5, 2023.  The Snipe is a mixed dinghy for the Pan Am Games with 21 of the teams registered as mixed. 
 
Racing continues on Wednesday with 2 races scheduled per day with the final day on Saturday, March 18.
The regatta can be followed on the Championship website: https://wha.snipechampionships.org/ for results and additional information with photos by Matias Capizzano.
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