[Updated April 1, 2024.]
Celebrating 92 Years at White Rock Lake: Snipe Fleet 001 is a group whose main focus is on racing Snipe sailboats, mostly out of the Corinthian Sailing Club ("CSC") on White Rock Lake, located in the middle of Dallas, Texas. We are the first fleet ever chartered by the Snipe Class International Racing Association ("SCIRA"), the global organization that sets the standards for Snipe design and racing for 800 fleets and 30,000 boats around the world. Fleet 001 has been active on White Rock Lake since 1932, and our members have served SCIRA in numerous capacities over the years from Fleet Captain to International Commodore.
Sailors: The Snipe is a relatively small 2-person racing sailboat requiring average or better physical stamina and agility. The ideal combined weight of the skipper (who steers the boat) and crew (who works the jib sail) is 270 to 340 pounds. People of all ages, experience and skill levels race Snipes. In our 2022 season our fleet conducted 173 races on 45 different race days with 49 different sailors participating, ranging in age from 13 to 83. The 29 different skippers included a high-school student and 12 women. Of the skippers, 17 had never raced a Snipe before joining the fleet within the past two years; and of those 12 had never skippered a boat before. The 42 crews included 19 sailors who had never raced in a sailboat before joining our fleet.
Click here for a 3-1/2 minute video about Snipe sailboat racing.
Two-Stroke Tacking: Newcomers to the Snipe Class will start out in the crew position and be responsible for sheeting in and cleating the smaller jib sail. As the bow of the sailboat crosses the wind ("tacking") the crew will move from one side of the boat to the other, helping to keep balance against the wind, while also releasing one sheet (the rope holding the end of the sail) and pulling in the one on the opposite side. Click here for a short training video.Then you can click here for a training pdf.
Click here to watch Argentine Snipe sailors having a ball with their new "Go-Pro" camera.
Racing & Regatta Schedule: We schedule long course racing with the Corinthian Sailing Club program almost every Sunday throughout the year, depending upon the weekend weather forecast and regatta scheduling. A regatta is an event in which sailors from local and distant clubs gather to race against one another and compete for prizes. It is similar to a track meet or a swimming meet. Snipe Fleet 001 participated in four local regattas and eight travel regattas in the 2023 season, traveling to Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Ohio, and Massachusetts. In our four local regattas we saw participation by 16 different skippers and 21 different crews. Five different skippers and 10 different crews traveled to the eight travel regattas.
Special Thursday Evening Schedule: When Daylight Savings Time is in effect, we have a beginning and novice sailor class every Thursday evening beginning at 6:00. Here you learn how to rig a boat, the names of all the parts of the boat, the different points of sailing and many other skills. If the wind cooperates we try to get everyone into a boat with a chance to take the tiller.
Saturday Short Course Schedule: We are conducting our Short Course series every Saturday, rigging at 10:00 AM, except in July and August when we rig at 8:00 AM to escape the afternoon heat. Here novice skippers and beginner crews learn maneuvers, tactics, wind shifts, starting, rules and other on-the-water skills in a series of short races. This series lets our sailors practice maneuvers and tactics with instruction from experienced racers in a fun-filled 2 hours with up to twelve non-scoring short races. Here we might swap out crews and skippers every couple of races so that everyone signed up (and accepted) for an event gets into a boat.
Newcomers Invited: We invite all skill levels (from rank beginner to world class expert) to learn about our fleet and submit a fleet membership application. In order to sail with us, we ask that you fill out our registration form, which includes a release of liability.
Event Scheduling: All of our events, such as Thursday evening instruction, Saturday Short Course and Sunday Long course are scheduled through our Snipe group at Meetup.com, which now consists of more than 300 people who have expressed an interest in finding out about Snipe Sailboat Sailing and Racing on White Rock Lake in Dallas. Anyone who registers on our Meetup.com group will receive weekly invitations to all the events and everyone is encouraged to use the RSVP feature to let the fleet officers who will be attending an event.
Loaner Boats: Our fleet includes 10 boats available as loaners to anyone with sailboat racing experience who would like to skipper on an introductory or trial basis. The boats are primarily used for the training sessions on Thursday and Saturday, under the supervision of a training officer. The boats can also be taken by qualified teams for Sunday Long Course and Regattas. Click here for more information.
Boat Damage: Each skipper will also acknowledge responsibility for any damage to a boat under his/her command. A skipper who uses a loaner boat in a regatta may purchase regatta boat damage insurance from our national organization, Snipe Class International Racing Association-USA (SCIRA-USA).
Winter Wet Suit Requirement: Sailors who participate in our loaner boats are required to wear at least a surfer "shorty" wetsuit during any race activity between December 15 and February 15. We have some wetsuits available to loan.
MEMBERSHIP LEVELS
Snipe Fleet Guest A person coming to the dock to meet our members and to find out about sailing Snipes. We welcome any and all guests to show up early for any of our events to meet Snipe sailors and learn more about our fleet. After you fill out the fleet registration form, we can help you determine whether a Snipe or some other fleet at Corinthian Sailing Club is the best fit for you. There is no cost to a Guest and you are entitled to 5 sailing events.
Snipe Fleet Member: In order to continue after the first five sailing events, the Fleet Guest must join Snipe Fleet 001 as a Fleet Member at $50.00 semi-annual membership dues (and CSC as a Provisional, Associate or Regular Member). This allows racing in any of the non-regatta races for the next six months as either skipper or crew, all on dock instruction and all on the water sailing lessons. It also includes skipper or crew for all CSC regatta races that are not sanctioned by the Snipe Class International Racing Association (SCIRA), currently being the Fourth of July Regatta and the State Fair Regatta, as well as crew for SCIRA sanctioned regatta races at CSC, currently the Commodore's Cup in May, the Southwestern Snipe Championship in May and the Texas State Championship Snipe Regatta in October. It also allows a skipper to use a loaner boat in all the races (subject to availability and certain participation limitations).
SCIRA Member: Any Fleet Member who wishes to skipper in any regatta sanctioned by SCIRA must also be a SCIRA member. The annual fee is $35 for yourself and $40 for registration of a Snipe if you own one. SCIRA signup may be done ahead of time or upon registration at the member's first regatta of the year. At least two SCIRA sanctioned regattas will be held at White Rock Lake in 2024. This level allows participation in all SCIRA sanctioned Regattas, whether at White Rock Lake or anywhere else in the world. Over the past 25 years, Snipe Fleet sailors have participated in SCIRA sanctioned regattas in 17 different states and six different foreign countries.
Corinthian Sailing Club Provisional Member (without boat ownership): Any Fleet member, upon completing five sailing events, must also join CSC as a member. The lowest level of membership (at the rate of $30 per month) is a Provisional Member, which provides the member access to the club and its activities for a maximum of six months, after which the Provisional Member must upgrade to associate or regular membership. Upon upgrading, the provisional membership fees already paid will be applied to the member's new annual fees.
Corinthian Sailing Club Associate Member (without boat ownership): Any person not owning or leasing a boat or davit at CSC may, at any time, with the sponsorship of two current CSC members, apply for associate membership in CSC. As a CSC Associate Member, a Snipe Fleet Member have full access to the club, may use a Snipe loaner boat at any time to practice or day sail, may use loaner boats from any of the other fleets (subject to their specific fleet rules), may use a club powerboat (after receiving training), and may use the CSC clubhouse for private events, according to CSC rules and guidelines.
Corinthian Sailing Club Regular Member: Anyone who owns or leases a boat or davit kept at CSC must also become a Regular Member of CSC. Regular Members have all the privileges of a CSC Associate Member and may keep a boat at CSC in the mooring field or on a davit that the Regular Member owns or leases.
CSC Dues and Fees: Annual Membership Dues and Fees are payable on or before April 1 of each year. Any on-line payment made later than April 1 or any payment post-marked later than April 1 will be assessed a $100.00 late fee. CSC By-Laws, Article II, Section 1(d) requires each member to contribute 8 hours of service to the club. If the required service is not completed, the member will be assessed a fee of $100 which will be included in the next year's annual dues.
Payment of Membership dues:--CSC and SCIRA dues are paid through their respective websites (cscsailing.org and snipeusa.com). Snipe Fleet dues are payable through this website.
Links to more information: