Holiday Greetings from your SnipeToday Editors
Dear Snipe Sailors,
2020, what a year! We all revised our programs, most of us sailed less than planned, and the Snipe Class canceled its main international regattas. But was it actually a disastrous year? Absolutely not! Fortunately, a lot of creative fleet energy went into initiatives and activities around the Snipe world, all of which helped to strengthen our class. As one fleet captain put it, “Never let a good pandemic go to waste.”
As editors of SnipeToday, we are in a privileged position to understand what happens beyond our own sailing. Around the world, we were excited to see so many fleets go forward with both new activities and classic regattas. That’s why we decided to adjust our traditional end of the year poll, “Snipe Sailor of the Year,” to recognize the best fleet. Around the world, promotional initiatives such as training, clinics, web seminars, parties and meetings balanced Serious Sailing with Serious Fun. And in many places, focusing on local activities has brought increased participation and new enthusiasm.
Promoting the Snipe Class is our goal, though we work at it slightly outside the official class structure. In the first months of the “lockdown”, we hosted virtual meetings about promotion, the racing rules, and women’s sailing. We also hosted interviews and technical articles. As soon as sailing became possible again, we published the results of more than 160 regattas, including national championships in twelve countries—not so bad in a pandemic year.
Thanks to the hard work and energy of so many of you, it was possible to write about Snipe sailing on a daily basis and publish our newsletter every week, sharing news that gave us a reason to smile. It also gave us something positive to focus on during this turbulent year.
SnipeToday stats from 2020:
- We published more than 160 regatta results, and more than 600 articles
- We now have more than 5000 followers on Facebook and 2200 on Instagram
- There are now 2,568 Snipe skippers and 3582 Snipe crews in the SSL Snipe Ranking
As 2021 approaches, we want to hear from you: Is SnipeToday too oriented on racing, or too focused on promoting the “elite” of the class? Does it need a broader perspective? More history? More interviews? More technical articles? Let us know what you think, either in the comments below or by email ([email protected]).
We also want to remind all of our Snipe friends and readers that we depend on you for news, stories, photos, and videos. We can’t share what’s going on in your local fleet unless you tell us. So no matter where you are or when your 2021 sailing season starts, please plan to submit at least one update next year. We can’t live up to the SnipeToday motto as “A Site for all Snipe Sailors” without your help!
We look forward to seeing and sailing with all of you, once travel restrictions ease. Meanwhile, best wishes for a healthy and happy holiday season.
The Editors
Pietro Fantoni, Moruzzo, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy
Carol Cronin, Jamestown, Rhode Island, USA
(Drawing by Paolo Cardoni)
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