At the 2022 Lipton Cup in Santa Barbara, the Santa Barbara Yacht Club (SBYC) asked us to celebrate 100 years of Stars sailing in Santa Barbara by having our District (CA) Championship there in 2023. The weekend of August 5-6, 2023, 16 boats gathered for what would be a predominantly light air affair.
The best breeze all weekend was found in the first race Saturday, with the wind dropping slowly over the course of the day. Day one saw Paul and Danny Cayard out in front as one of only a few boats that could manage consistent finishes. Charlie Buckingham/Payson Infelise and Eric Lidecis/Greg Smith were in hot pursuit. Most of the rest of the group were hoping for a sixth race so they might get rid of a big number on their scorecard.
Sunday dawned even sunnier and lighter than Saturday and the Race Committee worked hard to grind out three more light air races. George Szabo/Isao Toyama went 4, 1, 1 Sunday to take the championship by only 2 points over the Cayard’s. The throw out and consistent finishes Sunday by Nick Madigan/Mark Strube and Will Stout/Parker Mitchell moved them well up the final leaderboard to 3rd and 4th respectively. Fifth place was taken by Charlie Buckingham/Payson Infelise.
No novice sailor, but a relative novice to the Star boat, the Green Star was earned by Andrew Mason sailing with his dad Scott as crew.
From the race management to the shoreside hospitality, the entire event was managed with aplomb by the SBYC staff and the many volunteers. A larger fleet than normal created some strain on the facility but Race Director Brad Schaupeter, Regatta Chairman Rob Grant, and Rear Commodore Jeff Berkus’ efforts, among others, ensured it all ran smoothly. As a Class we are proud of our shared heritage of 100 years of Stars sailing in Santa Barbara and look forward to many more.
