The 2025 Colonial Cup and US Nationals was a fast paced week of Snipe sailing. We planned this again as a circuit so travelers would have two events back to back. For the sailors in the northeast, Colonial Cup would be a great midway stop on the way to Nationals in Atlanta, and for the Miami crowd who typically comes to Annapolis, they would have a second regatta on the way home. And for the west coast sailors, it gave them two events to make the trip worth while. And having both regattas qualify teams for the 2026 Worlds in Spain helped get both events into recent record territory.

The run up to the Colonial Cup turned out to be more involved as I had to get a few more tweaks done on Ugly Betty our 1996 Persson and I had a bunch of work to do on our fleet loaner boat (and a second private loaner) to be used for Junior as part of the “Skibo Initiative“. Lisa and I have been consulting with the group behind this initiative and put a bit of time into getting things set for the debut at the Colonial Cup. But the initiative is really forward thinking and a benefit for Junior sailors in the Annapolis area as well as for the Snipe Class. This video gives a great overview:

The Colonial Cup turned out to be a great event with 48 boat registered and despite being blown out the first day – the cause of a lot of stress for me as I was making the call on whether to sail – we got in 4 excellent races on Sunday in a 10-20 knot NWer. As Lisa and Lexi were sailing together in 31313, I sailed with Jill Bennett in Ugly Betty (29016). We ended up 23rd, just above the fold and I got the remaining kinks worked out on that boat. I won’t repeat the blow by blow, but the regatta report covered the details: https://snipefleetannapolis.com/2025/06/16/2025-colonial-cup-big-fleet-big-breeze-big-fun/ and full results: https://theclubspot.com/regatta/Sl4QqYADMj/results

Sunday night I packed up boats and the van and Monday morning we were off to Atlanta for the Nationals. It was a full day’s drive, but once we got to the venue and got the van parked, out came the sunshade and lawn chairs and we didn’t move for 5 days! We knew it would be that kind of venue and it didn’t disappoint.

The breeze was in force on day with a 5-15 knot easterly, a great direction for Lake Alatoona (ie running down the long direction). Also the water is very high so the width of the course is almost double what it is for the Halloween Regatta in October and no island in the windward leg! These were terrific sailing conditions and we got 3 really nice almost hour long races. The traffic was intense and put a huge premium on the starts.

The second day was very light but they got one race in marginal conditions, but in the end, the good guys finished at the top and there were never any fleet inversions, what Hal Gilreath would call a real “Alatoona Special”. Not the greatest, but that is lake sailing. The breeze continued to fade the next day and we had AP all day with swimming and other activities including a very novel game of Leis on a floating dock!

The last day, the breeze was back at 5-15 knots but from a westerly direction, their second best direction. Still down the long axis but was very squirrelly at the top mark especially as the day wore on. Lisa was mostly firing on all cylinders this day (except for the starts), but we sailed tactically very well to move through the fleet every race and ended up with three top 10 (+/-) finishes to close out the regatta at 13th of 52. We also won the Nute Trophy again as top married couple.

All in all it was an excellent regatta and the kind of venue that keeps people together in a multigenerational kind of way including two ad hoc evening DJ events put on by Enrique Quintero. This vibe was described best in Evan Hoffman’s writeup: https://www.snipe.org/articles-advices-and-education/exchange-views/back-to-our-roots-2025-u-s-nationals-at-atlanta-yacht-club/

This year’s U.S. Nationals was one to remember, not just for the sailing but for what it represented. Held at Atlanta Yacht Club on Lake Allatoona, this regatta reminded us that great racing, and even better camaraderie, doesn’t always require ocean swells or postcard breezes. Sometimes, it takes a small lake, a lot of shifts, and a community that knows how to host a really good time.

Lots of great photos courtesy of local Sammy Hodges: https://samuelhodgesphotography.shootproof.com/gallery/27607717/home