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Ernesto Rodriguez wins Snipe North American Championship…again
But young local sailors give champion a challenge
The fleet of 34 Snipes in this year’s regatta
A Snipe sailboat race isn’t just about raw speed. The 15-foot, two-person-crewed dinghy is designed for strategy, handling, and teamwork. On August 21-24, San Diego hosted the annual Snipe North American Championships on a course held on the Coronado Roads. The regatta included a fleet 34 Snipes competing in nine races over three days. Sailors from all over the world came to test their skills, but Cuban American skipper Ernesto Rodriguez sailed in from Miami and snagged the gold for the second year in a row.
Early in his career, Rodriguez represented Cuba internationally, and was even named to the Caribbean nation’s 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics team. After settling in the United States, he connected with Miami’s Snipe sailing community. Since then, he has secured numerous titles in the Snipe class, including U.S. National Championships in 2004, 2007, 2012, 2016, 2021, 2022, and 2023. Also, North American Championships in 2009, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2024, and now 2025.
Ernesto Rodriguez and Marina Cano secure Snipe North American Championship for the second straight year.
Asked how it felt to win this year’s North American Championship in San Diego, Rodriguez said, “I was pretty excited. Especially sailing in San Diego where the conditions are really tough. There are a lot of good sailors here, local sailors especially. Young sailors under 30 are pretty strong these days. The results show. In the top five there were three or four kids under 30. Really good sailors.” Rodriguez himself has been racing for 30 years. “I’ve been around for a while,” he says. “I’m a really competitive guy, everybody is. The sailing world brings me the competition, a good environment, and good friends.”
Serving as crew for Rodriguez was Marina Cano. The tandem has competed together in multiple regattas. “She’s a good skipper and good crew,” Rodriguez states. “It was a good combination. I was lucky to have her on the boat.” Other races they have had success in were the Annapolis Colonial Cup taking first in a fleet of 40 Snipes, and the Snipe South American Championships in Chile (3rd place).
Competing in three races per day, each of which last a little less than an hour long, it’s crucial for the teams to maintain consistency. As far as battling the physical conditions: “Fortunately it wasn’t too windy. You do get tired in the middle of the day. If there were 12, 13, 15 knots [of wind] it would have been different, and I’d be saying something else.”
Regarding boat speed and tactical decision making, Rodriguez explained, “To win any regatta, you have to be fast, or have a decent speed you can rely on. You have to be able to sail well and have a little bit of luck on top of that. We put all those together. We definitely got lucky in a couple of races. We made a few mistakes here and there, but overall, we were happy with the way that we sailed in terms of tactics. It was super challenging. With the conditions so hard to figure out, we couldn’t have asked for better results.”
As decorated as Rodriguez is as a competitive Snipe sailor, he is always looking ahead. Victories are sweet, but the sails are still up, and the boat is still moving, so to speak. “I don’t think too much of what I did. I live more in the present than the past. It’s part of my motivation. I don’t really care too much about what I did in the race before. That’s what keeps me coming back to competition. If you do what you can to do better, that’s what you’re getting out of it. That’s my motivation to keep competing.”
Looking back at this year’s regatta, it was the stiff competition that Rodriguez said he will remember most about it. “Those young sailors are here and ready, and they sail super well. I think the class is going to be seeing a lot of good results from those kids. It was tough competition for everybody, including myself.”
As a Miami based sailor, Rodriguez’s feelings for San Diego sailing are spoken with appreciation. “I always love to get back to San Diego,” he said. “The reason why, is because of the tough conditions. When you sail places like here, it makes you a better sailor. On top of that, there’s good competition around you. Regardless of the result of the regatta, you’re just going to get better.”
Here's something you might be interested in.
Ernesto Rodriguez wins Snipe North American Championship…again
But young local sailors give champion a challenge
Ernesto Rodriguez wins Snipe North American Championship…again
But young local sailors give champion a challenge
The fleet of 34 Snipes in this year’s regatta
A Snipe sailboat race isn’t just about raw speed. The 15-foot, two-person-crewed dinghy is designed for strategy, handling, and teamwork. On August 21-24, San Diego hosted the annual Snipe North American Championships on a course held on the Coronado Roads. The regatta included a fleet 34 Snipes competing in nine races over three days. Sailors from all over the world came to test their skills, but Cuban American skipper Ernesto Rodriguez sailed in from Miami and snagged the gold for the second year in a row.
Early in his career, Rodriguez represented Cuba internationally, and was even named to the Caribbean nation’s 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics team. After settling in the United States, he connected with Miami’s Snipe sailing community. Since then, he has secured numerous titles in the Snipe class, including U.S. National Championships in 2004, 2007, 2012, 2016, 2021, 2022, and 2023. Also, North American Championships in 2009, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2024, and now 2025.
Ernesto Rodriguez and Marina Cano secure Snipe North American Championship for the second straight year.
Asked how it felt to win this year’s North American Championship in San Diego, Rodriguez said, “I was pretty excited. Especially sailing in San Diego where the conditions are really tough. There are a lot of good sailors here, local sailors especially. Young sailors under 30 are pretty strong these days. The results show. In the top five there were three or four kids under 30. Really good sailors.” Rodriguez himself has been racing for 30 years. “I’ve been around for a while,” he says. “I’m a really competitive guy, everybody is. The sailing world brings me the competition, a good environment, and good friends.”
Serving as crew for Rodriguez was Marina Cano. The tandem has competed together in multiple regattas. “She’s a good skipper and good crew,” Rodriguez states. “It was a good combination. I was lucky to have her on the boat.” Other races they have had success in were the Annapolis Colonial Cup taking first in a fleet of 40 Snipes, and the Snipe South American Championships in Chile (3rd place).
Competing in three races per day, each of which last a little less than an hour long, it’s crucial for the teams to maintain consistency. As far as battling the physical conditions: “Fortunately it wasn’t too windy. You do get tired in the middle of the day. If there were 12, 13, 15 knots [of wind] it would have been different, and I’d be saying something else.”
Regarding boat speed and tactical decision making, Rodriguez explained, “To win any regatta, you have to be fast, or have a decent speed you can rely on. You have to be able to sail well and have a little bit of luck on top of that. We put all those together. We definitely got lucky in a couple of races. We made a few mistakes here and there, but overall, we were happy with the way that we sailed in terms of tactics. It was super challenging. With the conditions so hard to figure out, we couldn’t have asked for better results.”
As decorated as Rodriguez is as a competitive Snipe sailor, he is always looking ahead. Victories are sweet, but the sails are still up, and the boat is still moving, so to speak. “I don’t think too much of what I did. I live more in the present than the past. It’s part of my motivation. I don’t really care too much about what I did in the race before. That’s what keeps me coming back to competition. If you do what you can to do better, that’s what you’re getting out of it. That’s my motivation to keep competing.”
Looking back at this year’s regatta, it was the stiff competition that Rodriguez said he will remember most about it. “Those young sailors are here and ready, and they sail super well. I think the class is going to be seeing a lot of good results from those kids. It was tough competition for everybody, including myself.”
As a Miami based sailor, Rodriguez’s feelings for San Diego sailing are spoken with appreciation. “I always love to get back to San Diego,” he said. “The reason why, is because of the tough conditions. When you sail places like here, it makes you a better sailor. On top of that, there’s good competition around you. Regardless of the result of the regatta, you’re just going to get better.”
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