Snipe sailor is top champion

Ernesto Rodriguez has taken victory in the US Sailing Champion of Champions regatta

It was by no means easy, but Ernesto Rodriguez with crew Megan Place, managed to pull off the win at the U.S. Championship of Champions, which wrapped up at Mission Bay Yacht Club in San Diego today, Saturday. The regatta's race committee put together 19 races over three days, despite some weather challenges the weather gods provided, and the racing among the 19 teams was intense throughout the event which saw several lead changes.

Sailed in a different one-design boat every year with competitors eligible to compete after winning a major one-design title in the last year, this year's event was sailed in Snipes. The fact that champion Rodriguez is a highly accomplished Snipe sailor who won the Snipe National Championship earlier this year, might have given him a bit of an edge, but his fellow competitors certainly gave him a run for his money. Jeff Linton, who qualified for the event by winning the Flying Scot North American Championship over the summer, finished second overall sailing with Alan Capellin.

The battle for third place was exciting through the final race, with Snipe veteran Augie Diaz sailing with Michele Sumpton barely finishing ahead of one of the youngest competitors in the fleet, 17-year-old Colin Smith. Smith, who sailed with accomplished sailor Leandro Spina ended up being disqualified for the final race after a pre-start incident. Smith finished just three points behind Diaz on the overall scoreboard.

Results:

1-Ernesto Rodriguez and Megan Place, 58 points.
2-Jeff Linton and Alan Capellin, 75 points.
3-Augie Diaz and Michele Sumpton, 79 points.