Point Loman Cameron Schnoor recently was crowned champion after competing for the San Diego Yacht Club in the 2024 Junior Sabot Nationals.
A Sabot sailboat is a small, single-sail dinghy often used as a training boat for young sailors. They are suitable for a range of abilities, from beginners to competitors in regattas.
The four-day sailing event was held July 29-Aug. 1. It featured over 140 Sabots from the top yacht clubs in Southern California. The races were held in the scenic La Playa Turning Basin, located just west of SDYC at 1011 Anchorage Lane in Point Loma. It was the 75th such event, which was begun in 1948. It had not been sailed in La Playa since 1962. SDYC has now won the sailing competition 16 times.
Schnoor, age 14 and a student at Warren-Walker Middle School has been part of the SDYC Sailing Program for several years. He sails with SDYC member Dave Vieregg on several boats.
The Peninsula Beacon caught up with Cameron Schnoor after the race to congratulate him and get his perspective on sailing.
Beacon: Tell us about the Junior Sabot Nationals and what that event means to you.
Schnoor: It’s the highest level of junior Sabot sailing and what everybody strives to win. It’s everyone’s motivation for practicing through the year to win. It’s very competitive and a very hard thing to win.
Beacon: Tell us about your boat.
Schnoor: My Sabot, NorthStar, was built in the early 1970s by Brian Thomas. It started in the hands of Danny North, a Sabot legend. Our family bought it about ten years ago for my older sister and then I inherited it after she moved into high school sailing. The name, NorthStar, is a tribute to both Danny and his dad, sailmaker Lowell North, as well as to me and my family’s love for the constellations.
Beacon: How did you prepare yourself and your craft for this event?
Schnoor: It started focusing about six months ago when I locked in on training for this event. I knew that this may be my last Sabot Nationals so I needed to prepare as best as I could. Over the six months, I trained after school and on the weekends but when summer started, I trained nearly every day and competed for two months. Going into the event I tried to focus on hydrating and sleep as best I could, and then going into the last two races on Thursday, I meditated with my sister. To prepare my Sabot, my dad helped by making a few significant repairs, particularly on the mast step, realigning my leeboard, and other fine-tuning jobs. Then I wet sanded my hull, rudder, and leeboard to 1500 grit, then polished the hull and boards and made sure all my rigging was perfect.
Beacon: Sounds like this event is important beyond San Diego. Tell us about that.
Schnoor: Sabot sailing expands throughout Southern California with competitors coming from yacht clubs in Newport Beach, Mission Bay, Long Beach, Coronado, and nearby SWYC. Winning this regatta is also a big deal because some of the winners like Brian Thomas, Chuck Driscol, Danny North, Bill Hardesty, Chuck Sinks, Tyler Sinks, Jake La Dow, Peter Busch, etc. have very successful sailing careers.
Beacon: How does it feel to compete in an event of this nature?
Schnoor: It’s really fun to have a very official event every year. It’s awesome keeping the fun aspect of a youth event with ice cream pool parties and having fun with your friends. Having the balance of a competitive event on the water but being able to come back to land and swim in the pool with the sailors fighting for first place is very cool and unique. Huge thank you goes to event chairman Will Stout, his team, and SDYC for organizing a great event.
Beacon: Tell us about your association with the San Diego Yacht Club.
Schnoor: Both of my parents are members of SDYC. I’ve been lucky enough to be in the junior program since I was 5 and hanging around SDYC since the day I was born. It’s like family to me!
Beacon: Tell us about your sailing friend Dave Vieregg.
Schnoor: Uncle Dave is one of the nicest and best sailors I’ve sailed with, whether it’s sailing the J105 with Bennet Greenwald and my dad, or congratulating me on the dock, he always brings fun and laughter to the moment and is one of my biggest supporters. He and my dad have raced together for many, many years, so I’ve known him since the day I was born and he has watched me grow up. I have these men to thank for some of my biggest sailing opportunities.
Beacon: Tell us about the challenges you overcame to participate in and succeed in this race.
Schnoor: I was nervous going into the last race day of nationals. I knew that if I did well, I could win the whole thing and that if I did poorly, I’d be out of the running. The top half of gold fleet is insanely competitive, so I knew I needed to pull myself together. I talked to my sister who is a college sailor, and we ended up finding a quiet place to sit down and we meditated for about 10 minutes right before I went out. I have never been so nervous about something in my whole life but meditating helped me calm down and focus on sailing best. I don’t think I could have won without being able to take control of my nerves.
Beacon: How do you deal with the weather during the race?
Schnoor: Sailing is all about adapting to our surroundings. Whoever can adapt the fastest will do the best. Throughout the week we had about 10-12 knots of wind which are the perfect conditions for racing. The wind direction was super shifty, so the name of the game was staying in phase with the shifting breeze.
Beacon: What’s next after the Junior Sabot National’s
Schnoor: Right now, I am starting to sail 420’s with my skipper Fenton Wallace and I am starting to sail CFJs in preparation for high school sailing. I am hoping to participate in many big regattas further down the road and compete with my friends at the highest level.
