Gene Fleming, Francis Seavy’s nephew, sent out the following obituary of this longtime Snipe sailor and class sparkplug.

The family has generously directed donations in Francis’ honor to go to Pinellas County Heritage Society for the boat shop project, or to the Snipe Class International Racing Association.

Seavy, Francis A. 91, of Clearwater, died on Sunday, March 17, 2013.  Francis was an avid competitive sailor, woodworker and musician.  Born in Jacksonville, Florida, he was the son of George Seavy (Mayor of Clearwater from 1941-1946) and Lucie Strother Seavy who moved to Clearwater when Francis was a young child.  He worked for the family business, Seavy Lumber Company, and later for Morgan Yacht in St. Petersburg and Ross Yacht in Clearwater.  As a little boy, Francis made a boat out of whatever he could find and taught himself to sail in the protected bayou across the street from his family’s home.  Upon returning from service in Africa during WWII, he hit the competitive sailing circuit.  Skilled in all types of sailing, Francis was best known for racing Snipes – particularly Honey, a boat created specifically for him by local boat building legend Clark Mills. 

Amy Benner submitted this report.

Wind and waves were the theme of the 2013 Snipe Midwinters, hosted as usual by the Clearwater Yacht Club and Clearwater Sailing Center. This regatta was one of my first as a practicing attorney, which put a whole new perspective on being able to participate. Pulling into the parking lot of the sailing center and seeing a boat waiting to be rigged was liberating. One might think that taking time out from working in order to get myself and my gear to Clearwater, then exerting the energy and suffering required by sailing six monster races in big breeze over three days, would have certainly worn me out for work. But when I returned to the office, I feel energized and my mind has been cleared of excess clutter. 

I crewed for former National Secretary and Traveling Snipe Fleet visionary, Donald Hackbarth.  This was the first time Don and I sailed together since what has become the legendary “lost centerboard incident” of Midwinters 2009, and we were excited to redeem ourselves.

Saturday was a practice day.  A light breeze gave us a chance to test out new sails, make sure everything was in working order, and soak in a little of the Clearwater Beach spring break vibe. 

Clearwater, March 11, 2013. Mario Sergio de Jesus and Gabriel Portilho Borges are still leading the regatta.

Three races completed today.

... full results ...

Clearwater, March 10, 2013. Two races completed with offshore wind, shifty and gusty. Brazilians Mario Sergio de Jesus with current Snipe World Champion Gabriel Borges are leading.

... full results ...

Snipe Midwinters in Clearwater, Florida, start this Sunday.

Entry list

Photos from Clearwater (courtesy Peter Forde).

Clearwater Yacht Club

March 12-14, 2012

Thirty-one Snipes from Europe, South America, and North America attended the 2012 Snipe Midwinters, one of the best attended and most international events in several years. Clearwater Yacht Club has run this event for seventy-six years, making it the oldest Snipe regatta in North America (and possibly the world).

The first half of the three day, eight race series was sailed in a shifty offshore easterly that gradually faded off from its first peak of 12-15 knots. In the afternoon on day two a moderate seabreeze filled for the final race, and two races on the last day were sailed in a 10-14 knot northwesterly which rewarded boatspeed upwind and downwind.

Ernesto Rodriguez/Megan Place posted such consistent finishes that even an OCS in the last race couldn’t keep them from winning the event. Kevin Reali and Tim King (St. Pete, FL) managed to stay within three points of the leaders, even after they lost a tiller extension halfway through the last race. Emanuel Aghem and Luciano Pesci from Argentina rounded out the top three.

The second stop on the Snipe Circuit is Miami’s DonQ Regatta, which runs March 16-18. Thirty-five boats from eight countries are registered to date.

Top five:
1. Ernesto Rodriguez/Megan Place 16

2. Kevin Reali/Tim King 19

3. Emanuel Aghem/Luciano Pesci 39

4. Arthur Blodgett/Julia Melton 47

5. Carol Cronin/Kim Couranz 50

Full results

Another lovely day on the Gulf of Mexico. We sailed two races in the morning offshore breeze and it faded hard by the end of the second race, rewarding those who rolled the dice and found the errant puffs. After a short wait, a light seabreeze filled in from the west providing some great boat speed sailing for the final race of the day. Full results below do not yet reflect a throwout. Regatta website

More news soon