Welcome Snipe Sailors to the 2014 WH&O Championship

The Snipe Western Hemisphere and Orient (WH&O) Championship Regatta will be held in sunny San Diego this fall, hosted by San Diego Yacht Club, Sept 5 – 12, 2014. SDYC is honored to host the competition, which has been contested biannually since 1950, the first in Havana, Cuba. The Championship has been held in venues throughout North and South America and Asia. The Organizing Authority for this year’s WH&O have been hard at work planning a fantastic week of sailing and regatta events.

Competitors and visiting friends and family will enjoy the finest that San Diego has to offer – great weather, world class sailing, and attractions. The racing will be held over 5 days, (with a practice race day) two races per day, either in the South Bay area of San Diego Bay or on the ocean off Point Loma. The Organizing Authority will decide each day where the racing conditions will be best, both locations will offer viewing opportunities on shore and by boat. Fall weather in San Diego offers wonderful warm weather with steady breezes, perfect sailing!

After racing, on-shore social events and activities will be fun and plentiful. Prior to the start of the championship regatta, measurement and registration activities will be at SDYC, and will leave enough free time to explore San Diego attractions such as the beaches, San Diego Zoo, Sea World, and the USS Midway, just to mention a few. Practice racing on the ocean will be held on Sunday, Sept 7, followed by the Regatta Opening Ceremonies and Reception on the lawn of SDYC.

During the week, the sailors will be greeted with post-racing hospitality and refreshments. The SCIRA sailors forum will be held on Monday evening. On Tuesday after racing, the sailors will be welcomed to local Snipe Fleet members homes for a House Party Happy Hour evening – a fun way to mix and mingle with the locals and fellow competitors. Wednesday evening a new regatta tradition at SDYC will be held – The Snipe WH&O International Model Yacht Race!  SDYC’s CR914 Radio Control boat fleet will be lending their boats to the regatta participants for a national team model yacht race – don’t worry if you haven’t sailed a radio controlled boat before, there will be fleet members to show you the ropes! After the CR914 races, another SDYC tradition will be enjoyed by the sailors – BBQ on the deck. Thursday evening will be a free evening, where the sailors can explore the local culture and food, maybe enjoy a visit to one of San Diego’s famous craft beer brew-pubs! To close out the week, the Regatta banquet will be held at SDYC, where trophies will be presented, stories will be told, and memories will be made. All throughout the week, regatta participants will enjoy the hospitality of SDYC and San Diego.

For more details about this year’s Snipe WH&O, please visit the regatta website at www.snipewho.org. If you have any questions about the event, (including housing, charter boats, area attractions, etc.) please do not hesitate to contact Joanne O’Dea, Regatta Chair, at jmodea@gmail.com.