2018 World Championship - Oxford, MD, USA
Oct 5-15, 2018
Regatta Report
Day 1 - Delayed start for 2018 Star Worlds
The opening day for the iconic and coveted Star World Championship trophy will need to wait until tomorrow as the anticipated light winds failed to be sufficient for racing on the Choptank River. All 62 teams remained on shore today rehashing strategies on dealing with the current and watching weather forecast for the week. The 2018 Star World Championship features a diverse fleet, attracting twelve countries represent 13 out of the total 15 districts of the International Star Class and 41 out of its 79 total fleets. The youngest competitor is Max Hetherington-Young at 16 years old, a total of 65 years younger than the oldest sailor in the fleet, John Chiarella at 81. The average age across the entry list is 48 years old.
Class President Hubert Merkelbach’s mission in office is to help encourage that growth. “For me, I am happy that there are younger people in the class,” said Merkelbach. “The big subject for the future and my personal mission as president is to get new people in. Providing the boats, organizing clinics and having heroes such as Paul Cayard (USA) and Torben Grael (BRA) racing alongside should encourage new sailors to join our events, or at least we hope so.”
The entry list includes one brand new class member – Manu Hens from Belgium – sailing with Edoardo Natucci (ITA). “I have been to one regatta in the Star, last weekend in Lake Garda,” said Hens. “I have been dreaming about sailing Stars since I was 16 when I saw them for the first time at Keiler Woche. I was amazed by these boats. I think the Star is the most beautiful One-Design boat I ever saw. “I talked to Augie (Diaz) for some information about the boat and told him I wanted to start properly with a good crew and he introduced me to Edoardo Natucci. I crave to be one of the Star sailors and I am so happy to be sailing with all of these legends. It’s a dream come true.”
Day 2 - Postponed again
After winds yesterday failed to arrive for the opening day, today proved equally frustrating. After a one hour shoreside postponement, the Race Committee tried for a noon start but the wind never properly settled, and after a two hours waiting under the unusually (for the season) warm sun, PRO Bill Stump sent everyone back ashore postponing the first race of the 2018 Star World Championship to tomorrow, yet again.
Local legend and 2013 Star World Champion John MacCausland is no stranger to the dynamic conditions on the Choptank River. “I think there is some weather in the area that seems to be slow moving,” explained MacCausland. “It seemed that as the clouds began to rise and ‘burn off’ with the heat we thought that was going to be the end of the breeze and it was.”
MacCausland sees the forecast as more of a guideline. “We prepare each day by checking the weather forecast which might give you an idea what to look for and of course just try to go as fast as possible. There are tell tale signs like breeze on the water and knowing how deep the water is on certain sides of the course then using that as leverage through out the race as the variables change.”
In addition to John, eight other Star World Champions are competing this week for the 2018 title. For over a century now, the mere depth of talent in the fleet for which the Star World Championship is internationally recognized. John MacCausland’s 2013 Star World Championship crew Phil Trinter is also racing this week in Oxford. Phil has been a member of the International Star Class for over 30 years now and with his two Star World Championships, and several Silver Star titles, he is one of the most successful crews on the water.
“More than anything the key to success in the Star is time in the boat and learning what it takes to make it go fast,” said Trinter. “With the controls on the mast and the backstays you learn how to shape sails. With it also being a very physical boat, being big and athletic is the next step. Campaigning to work on boat development, sail development, and mast development is all part of it. It is a physical boat and it’s a boat that requires both the skipper and the crew to know how to make it go fast and it is honestly the baseline for me for learning how make all the other boats I sail go fast. So for me, coming back to the Star is always checking back in with the fundamentals. Sailing Star’s is the best sailing.”
The only crew to rival Trinter with his accolades is Brazilian sailor Bruno Prada. With his 2 Olympic Medals, 4 International Star Class World Championship, and 4 Silver Star titles, Prada is the most winning crew in the 107 history of the International Star. “I spent so much time trying to understand the boat and perfecting my crew work to get to this level. This is for sure the boat I like to sail most,” said Prada. “I first tried to find a good skipper to learn from because they know a lot about the boat, then I began sailing with many different skippers. My advice is to find a good skipper to teach you about the boat and to sail with different skippers to learn new perspectives and ideas.”
Prada, sailing with Augie Diaz (USA) this week, says racing Stars takes priority over all other boats. “I love the boat and sailing the boat. It is still very competitive especially because we have the Star Sailors League and we were able to hold a lot of the top sailors in the Class after it was removed from the Olympics. I love sailing against the best.”
Tomorrow, on Race Day 3 the Race Committee and competitions will make another attempt at racing. First warning for Race 1 will be at 12:00 and Race 2 is scheduled to follow. Local sailor Alan Campbell seems optimistic that racing will finally begin tomorrow. “I think it will still be a bit light tomorrow but the cloud cover should hold and we will see a gradient breeze throughout the day. I think it will be sailable conditions.”
Day 3 - Reigning Champs Lead
The breeze finally made its appearance on the Choptank River on day three of the 2018 Star World Championship. The 62 boat fleet completed two races but only one can claim the traditional daily prizes. Reigning World Champions Eivind Melleby (NOR) and Joshua Revkin (USA) took both bullets, as to let everyone know they’re not ready to hand back one of the oldest trophies in sailing.
Brazilian Olympic Finn sailor Jorge Zarif with crew Guilherme de Almeida are following the leading pair in the provisional ranking, and in third spot the 1988 Star World Champion Paul Cayard (USA) with crew Arthur ‘Tutu’ Lopes (BRA). “We have to keep doing more of what we did today and we should be pretty good,” said Eivind Melleby. “We like the race area, it’s nice and shifty. Today a little bit stronger wind than we had expected as it was building throughout the day. It was a very tough first upwind in the last race. We thought we were going well off the starting line with no problems then we got caught in the middle of the race course when the others on the left hand side were having a big lefty that never made its way to us. We did most of the climbing back in the first run downwind by staying in the pressure in the middle and we were fast. It’s our downwind speed that keeps us out of trouble. We made all the gains downwind today.”
In Race one, Melleby and Revkin, after a good start, were the first to round the weather mark followed by Argentinian Hector and Hugo Longarela and by the Brazilian Olympic Finn sailor Jorge Zarif with crew Guilherme de Almeida. The same order was seen at the leeward gate, while in the second upwind leg, Danish Jørgen Schönerr and Jan Eli Gravad made their way to third spot by staying on the left side of the racecourse, the most favorable throughout the day. On the last long downwind leg, the top three positions were confirmed and as Melleby and Revkin could celebrate their first win, the happiest sailor was probably Brazilian Jorge Zarif, who doesn’t get to sail the Star very often due to his Olympic campaign in the Finn class.
“We managed to have two decent starts and we did well, “said Zarif. “Unfortunately we could not keep the lead in the second race but overall it was a good day and we are happy. The Star is great and the guys in the fleet also. It’s always nice to sail at this high level and it is really fun. The Star World Championship is six races long and has a large fleet, so our strategy is to try to be consistent and finish in the top 10 in each race. I hope we have more wind like today for the rest of the week so I can continue to work the boat in the breeze, as I feel more familiar to this condition.”
The second race started right after the finish of the first one, and the competitors had an extra element to take in consideration, the current flowing in the bay at a pace of 20 meters per minute. This tricked Diego Negri/Sergio Lambertenghi (ITA) and Jorge Zarif/Guilherme de Almeida (BRA) at the second upwind mark. While they were high on the lay line fighting the current, perpendicular to the wind direction, Melleby/Revkin tacked earlier and could stay a little lower and take advantage of it. The Norwegian/American team kept the lead until the finish line. They were followed by Paul Cayard (USA) with Arthur Lopes (BRA) and the Brazilians Zarif/de Almeida in third place, respectively third and second overall after two races.
“Finally the event got underway and it was nice to have some breeze, everyone was getting a little antsy after a couple of days with no sailing”, said Paul Cayard. “For us it was nice to get the rudder sorted out yesterday, it was preventative maintenance, we weren’t sure it was going to break but I think it was a prudent thing to do. We are happy with the day, our speed is pretty good, we were fast up and down wind. We could have won the last race, we lost by a few meters to Eivind, but there’s still a long way to go and it’s certainly not over. We’ll try to stay consistent and keep our heads up as this is a very tricky place.”
Results, Top Ten (2 Races)
1 – Eivind Melleby NOR – Joshua Revkin USA, 1-1; 2 points
2 – Jorge Zarif – Guilherme de Almeida BRA, 2-3; 5 pts
3 – Paul Cayard USA – Arthur Lopes BRA, 8-2; 10 pts
4 – Diego Negri – Sergio Lambertenghi ITA, 6-6; 12 pts
5 – Jørgen Schönerr – Jan Eli Gravad DEN, 3-13; 16 pts
6 – George Szabo USA – Roger Cheer CAN, 14-4; 18 pts
7 – Peter Vessela – Phil Trinter USA, 7-11; 18 pts
8 – Andy McDonald – Brad Nichol USA, 13-7; 20 pts
9 – Augie Diaz USA – Bruno Prada BRA, 5-16; 21 pts
10 – Eric Doyle – Payson Infelise USA, 24-5; 29 pts
Day 4 - Leaderboard Changes
Day four started with rain, a 14 knot breeze from north east, and choppy seas, all caused by tropical storm Michael making its way up north. The flags of the 12 nations representing the 60 teams waved vigorously while the teams got dressed in their wet-weather gear and docked out towards the racecourse. The mischievous breeze didn’t last through both of the races sailed today, and died down to 6-8 knots by the second start of the day. Near the end of Race 4 the wind dropped even more on the last downwind leg after shifting of almost 180° and forced the competitors to finish going upwind.
Today’s bullets go to Jorge Zarif with Guilherme de Almeida (BRA) conquering the windy third race of the series, and to Paul Cayard (USA) with Arthur Lopes (BRA) for the tricky fourth one. Both teams occupy the top spots of the overall ranking, with Zarif/de Almeida leading, and Cayard/Lopes in second. Reigning World Champions Eivind Melleby and Joshua Revkin were disqualified in Race 3 today, dropping the team into 18th overall. The Norwegian/American team got disqualified by the jury after protesting the Brazilians Zarif/de Almeida for not avoiding a collision which resulted in damage (rule 14).
“We did a great job together setting up the boat for the conditions which we watched closely yesterday and today,” said Arthur Lopes. “Knowing the wind was dropping all day today we focused on always tuning the boat for the changes and talking to each other about the other boats on the race course. I push Paul pretty hard to make sure I know what he wants to do and hear from me. We do a great job and we are always on the same page about what the next step is.”
Race three began with a frenzy and the fleet was eager to start in the newfound windy conditions, so eager that the Committee hoisted the black flag after two general recalls for the third start attempt. Augie Diaz (USA) with Bruno Prada (BRA) had a good start, were first to the weather mark, and then stayed on the left side of the course. They rounded the left mark at the downwind gate in first place. Zarif/de Almeida followed close behind rounding the right one instead, then tacking to the left to grab the lead half way upwind. The Brazilian duo kept their lead to the finish and won their first bullet of the series. Behind them in second Eivind Melleby (NOR) and Joshua Revkin (USA) crossed the line followed by the Danish Jørgen Schönherr with Jan Eli Gravad in third.
“We started with a good 12-14 knot breeze in the first race then slowly throughout the day the wind died more and more“, said Jørgen Schönherr. “In the second race today we were leading at the weather mark and we were top three around every single mark but on the last leg the wind died and shifted to the right and we lost about 20 boats then the wind died completely. We finished 3rd in the first race and we were happy with that. We have a good all around speed both up wind and down wind and we try hard to be conservative. Most of the time today the left was favored going upwind. On the last upwind we could see dark clouds near by and feel the weather changing so we decided to protect the right side a little more to be conservative. We work hard to get a free lane where you have clear air. That is the most important piece to us.”
With tropical storm Michael in the picture, the second race of the day started off with very different conditions. Light breeze and strong currents pushed by the storm made their way into the bay. After a general recall, PRO Bill Stump immediately hoisted the black flag yet again. That didn’t stop the whole fleet from taking a risk and piling up all together in the pin end of the line then staying on the left side of the course. Some fresh faces showed up first at the upwind mark, like the locals Allan Terhune Jr with Ian Coleman (USA) and the Argentinian Fabian MacGowan with Ariel Simonet shortly behind the Danish Schönherr/Gravad.
Those three teams led the fleet moments before the wind started to slowly die and shift on the racecourse. The first downwind leg was a bit of a gamble with a 25° right hand shift but Class President Hubert Merkelbach with crew Markus Koy played the shift right and took over the lead. A few course changes later and a tricky last downwind leg that actually finished with the fleet sailing upwind, Paul Cayard and Arthur Lopes crossed the line first with a respectable margin over Merkelbach/Koy in second, then Tomas Hornos with Pedro Trouche (USA) in third. “In Race 4 we started in the middle part of the pin half of the line, “Allan Terhune said. “Our whole goal was to start and be able to go straight as long as we could and it worked most of the time. Then the next step was to figure out how to line up for the pressure coming down the course.
“That strategy worked well even in the last run until we didn’t line ourselves up with the new pressure very well. We got into the most trouble when the wind died and shifted about 90 degrees on the last 1/4 of the leg. It was surely painful for us to watch but we still sailed a great race and we’re really happy. We were going much better than we were yesterday and for only our 5th day in the boat together this year we got about 9th in the first race and had the chance to win the second race so that’s great for us. Of course we’re bummed it didn’t work out in the end, but still a good day.”
Current Results (Top 10 of 60; 4 races)
1. BRA 8210, Jorge Zarif/Guilherme de Almeida, ICRJ/YCP, – 2 – 3 – 1 – 4 ; 10
2. USA 8466, Paul Cayard/Arthur Lopes, St. Francis Yacht Club, – 8 – 2 – 7 – 1 ; 18
3. GER 8446, Hubert Merkelbach/Markus Koy, BYCUe, – 9 – 20 – 5 – 2 ; 36
4. USA 8536, George Szabo/Roger Cheer, sdyc, – 14 – 4 – 13 – 8 ; 39
5. ITA 8533, Diego Negri/Sergio Lambertenghi, Yacht Club Sanremo, – 6 – 6 – 10 – 19 ; 41
6. DEN 8532, Jørgen Schönherr/Jan Eli Gravad, Køge Sejlklub, – 3 – 13 – 2 – 24 ; 42
7. USA 8459, Peter Vessella/Phil Trinter, Saint Francis YC, – 7 – 11 – 20 – 5 ; 43
8. USA 8367, Tomas Hornos/Pedro Trouche, Eastern YC/ Boston YC, – 25 – 9 – 8 – 3 ; 45
9. USA 8509, Augie Diaz/Bruno Prada, Coral Reef Yacht Club, – 5 – 16 – 4 – 22 ; 47
10.USA 8520, Andy MacDonald/Brad Nichol, Scuttlebutt Sailing Club, – 13 – 7 – 11 – 18 ; 49
Day 5 - Storm postpones Star World Championship
It was another day without racing for the 2018 Star World as the remnants of Hurricane Michael passed over the area overnight with conditions today being too much for fair sailing. Now five days into the series, this was the third time racing was not possible. While the wind left behind was only gusting to 20 knots, it was the short, steep chop with big sets rolling through that was not considered safe . So PRO Bill Stump sent everyone home and racing will resume tomorrow at 11:00 with the two last races of the series scheduled.
The Star Class is one of the oldest organization in sport history, the second oldest in sailing, and treasures its traditions. One of these is to award trophies to the winners of each race and to the provisional leaders. The trophies awarded are:
• George W. Elder Memorial Trophy – winner of Race 1 – won by Eivind Melleby & Josh Revkin
• Paul H. Smart Trophy – winner of Race 2 – won by Eivind Melleby & Josh Revkin
• Duarte Bello Trophy – winner of race 3 – won by Jorge Zarif & Guilherme de Almeida
• Bud Vanderveer Trophy – skipper with best total score after three completed races – won by Jorge Zarif
• Robert S. “Buck” Halperin Memorial Trophy – awarded to crew of yacht with best total score after 3 races – won by Guilherme de Almeida
• Straulino Memorial Trophy – Awarded to boat with best total score without discards after four races – won by Jorge Zarif & Guilherme de Almeida
• Commodore Harry G. Nye Trophy – winner of race 4 – won by Paul Cayard & Arthur Lopes
Paul Cayard, as Star Class Vice President for the Western Hemisphere, regarding the long history of the Class and its perpetual trophies that hold the names of past Star sailors and sailing legends. “I first raced in the Star World Championship exactly 40 years ago this year back in 1978 in San Francisco as a crew and finished fourth place overall. For those first ten years that I sailed in the Star Worlds we always had all of the perpetual trophies at the Championship. At that point not all of the races had perpetual trophies named after some legendary Star sailors yet, like the Heinz Nixdorf Memorial trophy for Race 5 which is rather new. There is a reason our perpetual trophies are named after people from the Class like Adler, Smart, Nye, Vanderveer, and the Mary Etchells trophy. They are a part of our heritage and we are very lucky to have it.
“It is an honor to sail in the Star Class because of its 100 year old history. We are a part of the present and the older generations know about our history. But it is important that we show the younger sailors in our class how significant this is and educate them on the history that is so rich of our Class. If we don’t do it they won’t understand what they are a part of. This is why I worked so hard with Star Class Commodore John Chiarella to make sure all of these perpetual trophies that reflect our Class and World Championship history are here for the 2018 Star World Championship.”
Day 6 - Brazilian youth wins Star Worlds
The 2018 Star World Championship faced weather delays and disruption, but ended on schedule with Jorge Zarif and Guilherme de Almeida (BRA) remaining patient through it all to claim the World title. After five days, the 60 boat fleet had sat for three of them, but suitable weather on the sixth and final day saw the Brazilians close the 6-race series with a 5-point winning margin. At 26 years old, Olympic Finn sailor Zarif is the youngest World Champion since 1981 when Alex Hagen (GER) won as a skipper at the same age.
The morning began with two races scheduled, the discard coming in play after Race 5, and a very windy forecast. Zarif and de Almeida had an eight point lead over the second place team Paul Cayard (USA) and Arthur Lopes (BRA), and even more over the third place Class President Hubert Merkelbach and Markus Koy (GER). But after a DNF in Race 5 for Cayard/ Lopes, and a discarded DSQ for 2017 World Champions Eivind Melleby (NOR) and Joshua Revkin (USA), the window of opportunity opened back up for either of the three teams to take the Championship title at the start of a thrilling Race 6.
The Brazilians fought a tough battle, always sailing within top 10 boats, losing some points in the second upwind beat, then regaining them in the last downwind to finish fourth behind race winner Tomas Hornos and Pedro Trouche (USA), just meters before Melleby/ Revkin, Eric Doyle and Payson Infelise (USA) in third. The Brazilians narrowly clinched the fourth spot from George Szabo (USA) and Roger Cheer (CAN) by half boat length. Jorge Zarif was understandably pleased with the outcome. “I feel really happy! The Star is such a traditional Class full of good people and good sailors. It feels really good to have the opportunity to put my name on that trophy.”
“It’s a wonderful experience to sail with Jorge,” said crew Guilherme de Almeida. “He is amazing. I started sailing with his father when I was 14. He took me to the club and he got me sailing Stars and now I am here winning with Jorge at the World Championship, which is a dream!”
Eivind Melleby and Joshua Revkin started strong with two wins in the first day but their run for the title was derailed after a DSQ in Race 3. “We wanted to defend the cup of course,” said Melleby. “So it is a bit disappointing that we finished in second. But we are pleased with the week because we had two 1st places and a 2nd and all top 10 finishes otherwise. So we are very happy with the results and the sailing. This was a very tough week to sail with light wind and then today with pressure that was up and down and very shifty.”
Paul Cayard sailed in his first Star World Championship 40 years ago as a crew in his hometown, San Francisco. He won the prestigious trophy back in 1988 in Buenos Aires, and remains active in the class, competing this week with Brazilian crew Arthur Lopes. “We had great results and of course we hoped to win,” said Cayard, Vice President of the Star Class. “But Arthur and I won a race and had a second, and 3rd is a great place overall. We are always excited to have the youth in the Class, Jorge is the son of a Star sailor and Josh [Revkin] and Arthur [Lopes] are both young. What we are most interested in is seeing the next generation coming along, so to see Jorge Zarif win the Star World Championship is fantastic. It says a lot for the Star Class. The week has not been easy, with the weather being greatly affected by Hurricane Michael, but in the end we had an epic last day."
While the schedule had two reserve days on October 14 and 15, the fleet began early this morning in an effort to complete all scheduled races on time. The fleet embarked on the most challenging day of racing yet and battled 40 degree shifts, an 8-10 knot breeze that built to over 20 knots by the end of the day, and the heaviest current they have seen all week. Race 5, originally scheduled to begin at 11:00 EDT, took over three hours to begin due to remnant unstable wind conditions. With a now 15-20+ knot north westerly breeze, a heavy ebb current on the course, and an aggressive fleet at the start, 9 teams were forced over the line early and earned a black flag penalty.
Greek team Emilios Papathanasiou and Antonis Tsotras took a commanding lead early on but after two major right shifts and a hard fought effort downwind, Italians Diego Negri and Sergio Lambertenghi worked their way into first place and won Race 5. After Race 5 was completed, all teams dropped the worst finishing place from their scoreline and for many of the regatta leaders that was their Race 5 finish. The leaderboard and the point spread between them had officially become unclear and the fleet began the 6th and final race in the 2018 Star World Championship blind.
With the great unknown scoreboard in mind, the top teams took a conservative approach to Race 6, started at 16:00 EDT, and kept to the center of the race course. Hornos/ Trouche took an early lead on the first weather leg with reigning Star World Champions Melleby/ Revkin hot on their trail. Race 6 was the ultimate showdown between Hornos/ Trouche, Melleby/ Revkin, and Szabo/ Cheer fighting every inch around the race course with Zarif/ de Almeida tailing behind them. Hornos/ Trouche took the final race win of the 2018 Star World Championship in a photo finish with Norwegian team Melleby/ Revkin. Zarif/ de Almeida finish in 3rd, narrowly beating Szabo/ Cheer across the line, and solidifying their 2018 Star World Championship win.
Final Results (Top 10 of 60; 6 races, 1 discard
1. BRA, Jorge Zarif/ Guilherme de Almeida, – 2 – 3 – 1 – 4 – (14) – 4 ; 14
2. NOR, Eivind Melleby/ Joshua Revkin, – 1 – 1 – (DSQ-61) – 9 – 6 – 2 ; 19
3. USA, Paul Cayard/ Arthur Lopes, – 8 – 2 – 7 – 1 – (DNF-61) – 6 ; 24
4. ITA, Diego Negri/ Sergio Lambertenghi, – 6 – 6 – 10 – (19) – 1 – 9 ; 32
5. USA, George Szabo/ Roger Cheer, – (14) – 4 – 13 – 8 – 3 – 5 ; 33
6. DEN, Jørgen Schönherr/ Jan Eli Gravad, – 3 – 13 – 2 – (24) – 17 – 10 ; 45
7. USA, Tomas Hornos/ Pedro Trouche, – 25 – 9 – 8 – 3 – (BFD-61) – 1 ; 46
8. GER, Hubert Merkelbach/ Markus Koy, – 9 – 20 – 5 – 2 – (24) – 14 ; 50
9. USA, Eric Doyle/ Payson Infelise, – 10 – 15 – 16 – (26) – 9 – 3 ; 53
10. USA, Peter Vessella/ Phil Trinter, – 7 – 11 – (20) – 5 – 19 – 13 ; 55
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