CPYC to Host International Sailing Championship

This September 20 to 25, Cottage Park Yacht Club will host the Snipe Class Western Hemisphere and Orient Championship in Winthrop Harbor.

Celebrated as one of the top, one-design, international racing sailboats, the Snipe class has been a stalwart for one design sailing for generations and consistently has been on of the most popular two person racing dinghies in the USA and the World. Over this period many boat designs have and classes have come and gone, but the Snipe Class has always been there to offer “Serious Sailing, Serious Fun”, their motto.

Boats await the gun of the race at the starting line.
This boat glides through the water with the sails spread eagle.

The Western Hemispheres are held every two years, opposite the Snipe World Championships. Originally this regatta was scheduled for September 2021 but had to be postponed because COVID. This is only the 7th time the event has been held in the US in 70 years, and only once in New England  the first time in the Boston area.

Teams must qualify in their respective countries to attend this regatta. Only the top five teams in a country qualify. The host country gets to fill in with additional qualified teams.  The regatta is usually capped at 50 boats, but because of COVID and government restrictions, many teams have not been able to get a visa to enter the USA. Currently there are 27 teams registered from the USA, Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Mexico, Uruguay, and Chile.

Competition will be at a very high level. Cottage Park Yacht Club is honored to have two teams who have qualified to compete. It will be a week of great racing and a number of fun activities for the competitors. Anyone interested in watch the racing, good places are along Grandview Ave. and the harborside of Deer Island.

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