2013 World Championship - San Diego, CA, USA
August 28 - Sept 8, 2013
Regatta Report
Day One Report:
Sailors faced tough conditions and high competition at Day 1 of the Star Worlds. Star sailors Lars Grael, John MacCausland, and Andrew Campbell battle to win the first race of the Qualcomm 2013 Star World Championship today. The race course offered conditions typical of San Diego with the wind at 10 – 12 miles per hour from the West North West at 285° and 3 foot waves. The Race Committee set a Course 3 with 2.1 mile long legs and fired the first signal on time at 1230 hrs.
With 5 seconds left to the start, the Race Committee postponed the race to avoid a general recall as well as make some course and starting line adjustments. Shortly thereafter, the windward mark bearing was changed to 285° the second starting sequence began. Second start had an individual recall and 4 boats were called OCS: USA 7294 Charles and Chas Beek, USA 8260 Bill Buchan and Erik Bentzen, USA 8306 Thomas Springer and Dave Wood, and USA 8361 Tom Londrigan Jr. and Rick Peters. USA 8361 Tom Londrigan Jr. and Rick Peters filed for and were denied a redress by the Race Committee to have their OCS score changed.
Although the start was the key factor in sailing a successful race, competitors had to fight for a good position on the first upwind leg. The majority of the fleet sailed to the right side of the course and reached the windward mark without much separation.
Americans Mark Reynolds and Hal Haenel were the first to round the first mark, followed closely by Andrew Campbell and John von Schwarz. The fleet saw several position changes throughout the first downwind leg, then the top boats began to sail away from the rest of the fleet. Brazilians Lars Grael and Samuel F. Goncalves were able to take the lead from Andrew Campbell in the second downwind leg after Campbell was penalized by the judges for violating Rule 42, and maintain their position all the way to the finish.
Quotes from today's race winner Lars Grael:
"We started in the middle of the starting line and we were looking to cross the fleet as soon as we had the chance. We were in a good position, but teams in the corner on the right came off a bit better. We rounded the first mark in 4th place, managed to finish the first downwind leg in 2nd. Then we were in a good fight with Andrew Campbell, but it was a pity he was penalized (rule 42) and we got the lead. In the last upwind leg we protected the right, so we decided not to cover him just do our best and it was good enough. Our plan is to be top 10. We know it is very difficult to be top 5 in each race. The fleet is very even, we have a lot of gold star winners. The level is very high. We have to make a good average and not make too many mistakes to be in the top 10. That is our goal."
Day Two report:
Race two got underway after a postponement due to fog. Winds were around 10 knots at 295 degrees. The Race Committee set a Course 3 (five legs) at 2.1 miles a leg again today. Local Gold Star Winner Vince Brun and Brian Terhaar rounded each mark solidly in the top of the fleet in today's race and now lead the series.
Today's race winners Brian Ledbetter and Greg Morton had a clear air start at the starboard end of the line with full boat speed at the gun. Ledbetter and Jean-Pascal Chatagny with Patrick Ducommun paced each other to work out into the front of the fleet with Hubert Merkelbach with Gerrit Bartel from Germany and Augie Diaz with Arnis Baltins from Florida keeping the pressure on.
Ledbetter and Morton led at every mark putting more and more precious seconds between them and the fleet. They went on to win race two by an impressive 1 minute 9 seconds. Following today's race results, 6 of the top 10 teams are local San Diego Star Sailors, including the father and son team of Mike and Matt Dorgan. This event is 13 year old Matt's first Star World Championship and he and his father are currently tied for 7th place.
A recap of today from USA 8203 Brian Ledbetter, winner of Race 2:
"It was a nice race today. The day started foggy and so the Race Committee waited because we couldn't see the weather mark. But when we finally got started, it was nice hiking breeze, we got off the line clear, and went to the right. And that actually worked out really well. There were 3 boats really close, but we got around the weather mark ahead of them, and that was pretty crucial because after that there weren't too many passing lanes during the race. So at that point we had to stay ahead, a little bit of easy covering, not too difficult, and tried to extend on the run.
"The trickiest part of the race was after we rounded the 1st mark first and the fog closed in. We couldn't see the leeward mark, so we didn't know where we were headed. But we held them off there, and we stayed ahead on the way to the finish. Our plan is to be consistent. It's a tough fleet, 60 plus boats, and if you can keep throwing single digits up on the board, you'll be close to the action. Our goal is top 10 here, and we're in that spot now so it feels pretty good."
The overall results after two races show that only 4 of the 66 teams have finishes in the top 10 in both races.
Day three reports:
Consistency is King at Star Worlds. It took three attempts for the 66 teams to begin the third race in the Qualcomm Star World Championship, with light winds and strong current as the setting for the third day of the contest. Brian Ledbetter/ Gregg Morton (USA) posted their third top ten score (9-1-3) today to now lead the field at the midway point. Americans John MacCausland/ Phil Trinter (2-11-2) and George Szabo/ Craig Moss (7-6-4) hold second and third, with todayÂ’s winner Xavier Rohart/ Serge Pulfer (FRA) moving up to fourth.
Rohart-Pulfer win race 3 and Ledbetter-Morton take the lead. French Star team Xavier Rohart and Serge Pulfer won the most difficult race the fleet has sailed so far in the series. Rohart and Pulfer battled through several large wind shifts and inconsistent pressure thoughout the race and took the lead of the fleet on the final leg of the 10 mile race.
Race 3 put the Race Committee and the Star sailors' skills to the test. The Race Committee was challenged with the difficult task of setting a square line and course in the very unsettled westerly breeze. Race 3 was postponed at 1220 hrs and the first warning signal of the day was not fired until 1340 hrs.
The eager fleet was aggressive on the starting line and with the majority of the boats over early, so regatta PRO Bill Stump ordered a general recall. Following the general recall, Stump squared the starting line better to the breeze in preparation for the next start. Shortly thereafter the Race Committee began a second starting sequence and the fleet was once again too aggressive and drew another general recall prompting a black flag.
Finally, the third attempt to start race 3 was successful. The fleet was all clear off the line and headed for the windward mark in a very light and spotty breeze. Throughout the rest of the race, the Race Committee continued to monitor the unstable wind and made every necessary adjustment to ensure the sailors had a fair race.
Race 3 according to today's winner Xavier Rohart:
"It was a very exciting race on the 3rd day. The weather was pretty light, with patchy winds. Because of thermal wind and the sea breeze everything really unstable. But it picked up during the race, especially on the downwind legs where it was difficult to avoid the wind holes. But it was the gate, every time, the leeward gate that creates the situation that you can overlap the people. So we rounded the first upwind marker 4th and managed to keep our speed downwind and overlap people on the leeward gate.
The final decision was on the last downwind, which side of the course would be favored. They (Ledbetter/Morton) chose to go more offshore, we decided to play the right, and we succeeded to have pretty good wind and nice angles at the end. Our strategy is always the same. It's very, very important to be in the front row at the start, and to be able to get to the right on the upwind. That's the basics and this strategy has played out very well."
Day four report:
Rohart-Pulfer win again, MacCausland-Trinter sail into first overall. Once again, the winner of the day is French skipper Xavier Rohart and crew Serge Pulfer. Race 4 was equally as challenging as the previous day's race, but not because of the weather. Rohart and Pulfer fought inch by inch with John MacCausland and Phil Trinter from the moment the starting gun was fired until the last couple of seconds at the finish.
With each day the competition among the Star fleet grows more intense. The fleet began the day with a starting sequence on time at 1230 hrs, but three minutes into the sequence the Race Committee postponed the race to adjust the starting line to avoid another general recall. Shortly after, the Race Committee attempted another start, but was forced to order a general recall when the majority of the fleet was over the starting line before the gun.
Finally on the third attempt, the fleet was all clear at the start but two of the Stars in particular stood out instantly. Xavier Rohart with crew Serge Pulfer and John MacCausland and Phil Trinter were the first two boats off the starting line at the gun with the best boat speed and position on the course. At this moment Rohart and MacCausland began leading the fleet up the right side of the course and their duel to win the race.
Rohart immediately took the controlling position over MacCausland and the two boats started to put some distance between themselves and the fleet. At the first windward mark rounding, Rohart rounded in first with MacCausland following closely behind. On the downwind leg, MacCausland and Rohart engaged in a one-on-one battle for the best position to round the leeward mark and gain the advantage of being the first boat to the favored side of the course.
As both teams approached the mark, Rohart was able to barely squeeze by MacCausland and round the left leeward gate mark in first. During the second windward leg, Rohart's main focus was to protect his position on the course between the MacCausland, the rest of the fleet, and the next mark. At this point in the race, there was very little distance between the two leading boats, and MacCausland was waiting for his chance to take first place.
MacCausland and Rohart continued their duel throughout the last downwind leg, onto the final upwind leg to the finish. Despite the constant fight between the two, Rohart maintained his lead for the entire race and beat MacCausland to the finish by a mere 00:21 seconds. Although Xavier Rohart and Serge Pulfer won Race 4, John MacCausland and Phil Trinter's second place finish in today's race earned them the overall leading position in the regatta.
Race Five report:
The deck got shuffled today at the Qualcomm Star World Championship, as light conditions offered opportunity and tragedy among the front runners. It was a game of shoots and ladders, as regatta leader John MacCausland / Phil Trinter (USA) climbed the rank all day while Brian Ledbetter/ Gregg Morton (USA) and George Szabo/ Craig Moss (USA) could not stop the bleeding. With five races completed, scores now include a throw-out with one final race remaining on Friday. Only Xavier Rohart/ Serge Pulfer (FRA) can catch MacCausland/Trinter for the title.
Local Star sailor Andrew Campbell and his crew John von Schwarz conquered the fickle breeze to win the 5th race in the 6 race 2013 Star World Championship series. John MacCausland and Phil Trinter continue to lead the fleet with an impressive 7 point lead, guaranteeing the team will win the regatta as long as they earn a top 7 finish in the final race tomorrow.
With the completion of five races, the sailors are each granted one throw out race, where their worst finishing place is removed from their total score. Therefore today's race was one of the most important races in the series and the combination of aggressive sailors, wind shifts and unexpected changes in wind strength made Race 5 even more challenging than the previous days races.
The 1220 hrs warning gun for the start was right on time, but similar to yesterday, PRO Bill Stump postponed at the one minute gun. Only 8 of the 66 boats in the fleet had set up at the port end of the line indicating the starting line was too skewed. The Race Committee adjusted the line for the next start but with the anxious Star Sailors pushing the line this afternoon, Stump was forced to call a Black Flag start. Five boats were identified as over early at the start and given a black flag penalty.
On the first leg of the race, sailors saw a steady 10 – 12 knot breeze and a minor wind shift 5 degrees to the right of the windward mark bearing 285°. Andrew Campbell and John von Schwarz reached the windward mark first and were overlapped with Augie Diaz and Arnis Baltins. Due to the 5° shift, the Race Committee adjusted the leeward mark and notified sailors as they rounded the mark and headed downwind. During the downwind leg, the breeze dropped to about 5 knots and shifted back to the left 5° making the leeward gate rounding an integral part of the sailors’ strategy and allowing for some big gains and losses. This time Vince Brun reached the leeward mark first with Campbell rounding close behind.
On the second weather leg, the leading 7 boats were never far apart from one another and positions changed frequently. Campbell sailed a flawless second leg and was able to both pass Brun to take the lead again and hold the other top boats at a short distance behind. As the boats rounded the weather mark and began their final downwind leg, Campbell extended his lead. Just as the first half of the fleet reached the leeward gate, the breeze dropped again to about 1.5 knots. The fleet struggled to round the marks and head back up the last weather leg. Campbell, however, still managed to maintain his lead and hold off MacCausland who was coming on strong to seal yet his 4th second place finish of the series.
Quote from the today's winner Andrew Campbell:
“It was a long race, almost 3 hours with really wild conditions. We had the whole variety with the crew over the rail and no wind at all. We got out and weren’t going to give it away this time. We led a race earlier in the week, so we were ready to take this one if they were going to give it to us. We started in the middle of the line near Corinthian, the center boat, and tacked right away. I think we sailed almost 20 minutes before we could tack back. We were just at the windward mark with Augie Diaz and Arnis Baltins and so those guys put up a good fight. We split at the bottom gate, where we were very close with Vince Brun and Augie Diaz. We got into the right hand side and it was much, much better on the 2nd and 3rd beats. We knew the right was going to be better, and we were lucky to be able to make a left turn at the bottom and get out to the right side.
On the last beat of the race, it got really light. The big thunderclouds made something change with the breeze. It was really light, really scary, lots of current, not your normal San Diego sunshine and breeze. It was light air. But we were able to grab it at the end, so we're very happy. The plan for tomorrow is to do the same thing. We're going to come home with hopefully some good hardware for San Diego Yacht Club. We're going to work really hard to put up another good score.”
Day Six report:
John MacCausland and Phil Trinter steal the Qualcomm 2013 Star World Champion title and add their name to the 92 year old Star Class' International Trophy. Andrew Campbell and John von Schwarz won their second race of the series today.
According to the local sailors, the trick to sailing in San Diego is to get a clear start, tack onto port as soon as possible and sail towards the right side of the course for about 30 minutes, then tack back onto starboard and head towards the windward mark. Today, that was not the case. In fact, it was exactly the opposite. Competitors were surprised to see some boats sail on the left side and round the windward mark in the front of the fleet. Today’s conditions were very unusual and yielded some interesting results throughout the fleet.
Augie Diaz and crew Arnis Baltins were able to position themselves well on the line and got a good start with speed and clear air. Diaz and Baltins rounded both the first windward mark and leeward mark in first place with the rest of the fleet close behind. After the fleet rounded the first leeward mark, the breeze began to die and became very spotty causing some frustration among the sailors and several position changes, some more dramatic than others.
For the remainder of the second upwind leg, there was a lack of breeze in the middle of the course and once again the breeze favored the left side. Campbell and von Schwarz were the first to reach the second weather mark in the dying breeze, with a large gap between them and the second boat. The breeze began to increase on the second downwind, giving Campbell and von Schwarz the ability to easily maintain their lead all the way to the finish.
Over the course of the championship, the Star fleet experienced some of the best, most difficult, and even uncommon conditions San Diego has to offer. The Race Committee did a phenomenal job adjusting the courses to ensure fair races for the sailors and the competition increased with each day. Several types of teams attended, such as family crews, juniors, women sailors, Continental and Hemisphere Champions, World Champions, and Olympic Champions. Among the series awards, the International Star Class gives prizes to different types of members that compete in its championships to celebrate the diversity among its members.
Series Awards
1) J. MacCausland-P. Trinter, USA 8490, 19 pts.
2) A. Campbell-J. von Schwarz, USA 8209, 28 pts.
3) M. Reynolds-H. Haenel, USA 8129, 29 pts.
4) X. Rohart-S. Pulfer, FRA 8237, 31 pts.
5) B. Ledbetter-G. Morton, USA 8203, 39 pts.
Classic Boat (under 7300 series)
USA 7209 Mark Butler and John Rudderham
Woman Sailors
1) USA 7621 Jessica Costa
2) FRA 7663 Nina Aviles
Junior Sailors (under 25 years of age)
Top Junior Skipper – Tomas Hornos
Top Junior Crew – Josh Revkin
Master (50 – 60 years of age)
John MacCausland and Phil Trinter
Grand Master (60 – 70 years of age)
Vince Brun and Brian Terhaar
Exalted Grand Master (70+ years of age)
Alessandro Pascolato and Henry Raul Boening
