2022 World Championship - Marblehead, MA, USA
September 8-17, 2022
Regatta Report
The Eastern Yacht Club on Boston’s north shore, one of the USA’s most preeminent clubs, hosted the 2022 Star Class World Championship from September 8-17.
Marking the 100th Anniversary since the first Star Worlds in 1922, the Championship represents a significant moment in history, reflected in the attendance by sailors from around the world who will compete to write their names on the Star World Championship Trophy, titles and prizes. Following four days of inspection to ensure compliance with class rules, the practice race got underway Saturday, September 10, followed by cocktail hour, a popular post-race daily gathering throughout the Championship.
“The International Star Class Yacht Racing Association is beyond proud to be celebrating this historic achievement, the first by any international class,” commented Tom Londrigan, Star Class President. “Over the past 100 years, the role the Star Class has played in international sailing cannot be overstated. The Star has led with innovations, not least modernizing itself, while retaining its distinctive one-design hull shape. The Star’s popularity continues, spanning generations. Beloved by all ages, the youngest sailor competing here is Vincent Schrader (GER), 23 years old, with the oldest, John Chiarella (USA), the Star Class Commodore, at 85 – all thrilled to be competing. As teams made their final preparations, a look around the hectic boat park found multiple World Champions, Star Continental Champions, Bacardi Cup winners and other famous names set for some super competitive racing.
Every Star World Championship is a battle of legends and winning the 100th anniversary event will be something special, something dreams are made of. One hundred and sixty eight sailors from thirteen nations were in the quest for glory, with fourteen former World Champions in the mix. Among those installed as favorites are defending 2021 Star World Champions Diego Negri/Frithjof Kleen (ITA/GER), racing here with different teammates, Negri is back with crew Sergio Lambertenghi (ITA) and Kleen is crewing for Paul Cayard (USA).
The six-race series features a traditional one long two-hour race per day, from Monday, September 12 through to Saturday, September 17, with a lay day scheduled on Wednesday, September 14. The series discard will come into play after five races. The revered Star World Championship Trophy will be presented to the winning team, with prizes to the top five overall, along with trophies to top placed teams in the Under 30, Masters, Grand Masters and Exalted Grand Masters divisions, as well as daily and series prizes.
In tribute to the heritage of the Star Class, teams were invited to choose a sail number to mark a moment in Star history which resonated with them, and a read down the sail numbers reflects plenty of personal stories and memories. Larry Whipple chose 1922 to mark the inaugural worlds, and as one of the creators of the International Star Class Legacy Foundation, his goal is to introduce future generations to this versatile, technical and challenging boat. Like many former World Champions, Paul Cayard opted for the year he won the Star Worlds, and will race under 1988, while his son Danny chose 1969 to reflect the year his grandfather Pelle Petterson claimed the title.
From the race course to shoreside, the 100th Anniversary embraced plenty of celebrations and socials, with dinners, cocktail parties and live music. Every former Star Class World Champion alongside many other celebrities have been invited to the Gala Dinner hosted by Bacardi on Wednesday, September 14, to join teams for a night of celebration to remember. Celebrating the Star Class legacy, the official Anniversary Book, ‘100 Years of Gold Stars’ written by Carol Cronin, chronicles the story of the Star Class from the drawing board to the present day, presenting a unique history of facts, figures, anecdotes, and first-hand accounts, illustrated with stunning photos.
Sunday, September 11, Race 1
The 2022 Star Class World Championship was officially declared open by Tom Londrigan, International Star Class President, accompanied by a parade of nations and gun salute at Eastern Yacht Club.
The opening day was plagued by a light and shifty breeze, with a major left shift forcing the race committee to postpone the start and reset the course, with the second attempt abandoned. At 1530 hours, race 1 got underway with a 2.2 mile upwind leg, featuring breeze of around 4 knots and big shifts. The leading pack read the course well, but it was a dice roll for many of the 84 teams in the fleet with the changing pressure, dropping to 2 knots and up to 6 knots at times, with a strong current proving tricky.
Getting settled into their lane straight away and holding the advantage skillfully to the windward mark were Paul Cayard (USA)/Frithjof Kleen (GER), with defending Star World Champion Diego Negri racing with Sergio Lambertenghi (ITA) in second, and Tonci Stipanovic/Tudor Bilic (CRO) in third. After the front third of the fleet rounded, the wind shifted and dropped leaving the rest with nowhere to hide as they struggled to make gains towards the mark.
By the second windward mark, it was the same three boats controlling the lead but a different order, with Stipanovic/Bilic gaining a critical edge in front, Negri/Lambertenghi close behind and Cayard/Kleen in third. A change of course for the final downwind leg, saw Stipanovic/Bilic remain focused with their eyes on the finish to take the first win of the Worlds.
Hugely experienced, the partnership convincingly won the 2022 Star European Championship in July, and three-time Olympian Stipanovic owns silver medals in the Laser Standard from Tokyo 2020 and Rio 2016. “It was very hard to decide where to choose to start,” commented Stipanovic. “It was a really huge starting line and then the wind was changing all the time. I had some feeling that if the wind were to start to drop it would move to the left and in the end it happened like that, so we had a good start and played with the pressure all the time. It was for us just important to stay in the pressure, and then in the end on the left side there was more pressure. On the second upwind we were just a bit more patient than Diego and Paul. They tacked immediately on the first shift and we proceeded just a little bit to catch some more pressure and then it was game over”.
Three-time Bacardi Cup Champions Mateusz Kusznierewicz/Bruno Prada worked hard to turn round their start, riding their luck in the unpredictable conditions to work through from around 20th to finish 10th – not a position they are used to. The day’s racing transitioned to the Formal Opening Ceremony at the Eastern Yacht Club.
Provisional Top 10 Results – after Race 1
1. Tonci Stipanovic / Tudor Bilic (CRO 1991) - 1 pt
2. Diego Negri / Sergio Lambertenghi (ITA 2021) - 2 pts
3. Paul Cayard / Frithjof Kleen (USA 1988) - 3 pts
4. Marin Misura / Tonko Barac (CRO 1952) - 4 pts
5. Jim Buckingham / Phil Toth (USA 1958) - 5 pts
6. Augie Diaz / Brad Nichol (USA 8509) - 6 pts
7. David Watt / William Siemers (USA 1992) - 7 pts
8. Ingvar Krook / Christoffer Thunberg (SWE 1928) - 8 pts
9. Joshua Powell / Mark Strube (USA 8522) - 9 pts
10. Mateusz Kusznierewicz / Bruno Prada (POL 2019) - 10 pts
Monday, September 12, Race 2
A postponed start, followed by a general recall saw racing get underway at 1409 hours. The 6-knot breeze remained steady with a short chop, significant current, super close racing and some supreme performances throughout the 8 nm race. A frustrating day though for the five teams who gave themselves a points mountain to climb after adding a UFD penalty to their scorecards.
An impressive run of form gave the race 2 win to Jørgen Schönherr (DEN) and Markus Koy (GER) who controlled the fleet from start to finish and end the day in 4th overall. Anticipating the wind would go left, Schönherr/Koy opted for the port pin end start. While the shift didn’t materialize, their positioning and boat speed kept them ahead, with Negri/ Lambertenghi on their tail the whole race.
“We had a great day today,” grinned Schönherr on the pair’s ability to hold off a fleet packed with World Champions. “We had a super start and then we had a tough fight with all the gold Stars breathing on our necks. We managed to stay ahead, so we are proud of that.” A racetrack fact revealed by Schönherr is that today’s win marks only the second time he has won a race at a Star Worlds, the previous time being the final race at last year’s Worlds, where the pair finished 4th overall.
“From the start we were leading the race and we could finish it also leading which was great,” added Koy. “The key to success was that we had very good upwind speed, plus good downwind speed. We were never really under pressure speedwise, so we could sail tactically in front of the others a little bit and control them.”
Negri/Lambertenghi were ever present in attack, building on every puff in the final leg to hunt down the race leaders, as Schönherr acknowledged saying, “Diego is always fast. If we can stay connected to him we are super happy.”
Negri has a battle on his hands to defend his 2021 Star Worlds title, with a fleet full of former World Champions hoping to add another gold star to their trophy cabinet, as well as plenty of rivals wanting to claim their first at this 100th Anniversary event. In a strange twist to his title defense, Negri has been forced to take a punt on some borrowed sails as his are stuck in Ireland, although so far the loaner set are not disappointing!
2009 Star World Champion George Szabo is one of those many rivals enthused about the event, “It’s the big wigs, it’s always so much fun.” Reflecting on the change in approach when racing such a large fleet, Szabo commented, “You can’t go up the middle so much, you need to stay to the edges and also with so many boats, the water is more choppy, so you have to set the sails a little more full and a bit more loose to get out of the way sometimes. We have a two-mile plus beat, it is so much fun you can’t even find the mark for a long time. Every little shift magnifies itself across the leverage you have across this massive racecourse. It’s epic.”
Headlining the leader board though are Italy’s Diego Negri/Sergio Lambertenghi, who now count two second places, to lead over Paul Cayard (USA)/Frithjof Kleen (GER), with Croatia’s Tonci Stipanovic/Tudor Bilic in third. Post-race the racetrack rivalries turn off and the deep-rooted camaraderie turns on, with the usual Star Class spirit and socializing boosted by the evening’s party.
Provisional Top 10 Results – after Race 2
1. Diego Negri / Sergio Lambertenghi (ITA 2021) - 4 pts
2. Paul Cayard / Frithjof Kleen (USA 1988) - 6 pts
3. Tonci Stipanovic / Tudor Bilic (CRO 1991) - 8 pts
4. Jørgen Schoenherr / Markus Koy (DEN 8532) - 13 pts
5. Eric Doyle / Payson Infelise (USA 1999) - 15 pts
6. Mateusz Kusznierewicz / Bruno Prada (POL 2019) - 15 pts
7. Augie Diaz / Brad Nichol (USA 8509) - 18 pts
8. Jim Buckingham / Phil Toth (USA 1958) - 21 pts
9. Jud Smith / Remi Hutchins (USA 1957) - 31 pts
10. Larry Whipple / Anders Ekstrom (USA 1922) - 33 pts
Tuesday, September 13
Fog, rain and lack of wind forced racing to be cancelled.
Wednesday, September 14, Race 3
The day dawned sunny and breezy on what was supposed to be the lay day for the regatta. Watched by a flotilla of spectator boats, the racetrack served up classic Star Class conditions, with a 12-knot offshore breeze and chop greeting teams as they took on the 2.2nm windward leg on the first of 5 laps of the 10.8nm windward/leeward upwind finish course format. After two general recalls, not the best of starts for the five teams who struggled with the shifts off the start to earn a BFD penalty.
Breezy and shifty conditions offered plenty of opportunity for position changes. The intensity required was huge though, as the 20-degree shifts played through the fleet, with gains and losses as teams tried to keep with the pressure and make adjustments to stay in the chess match. The unpredictable breeze demanded a frequent pace change and racing style along with two course changes in a textbook challenge for Star sailors.
Whilst race 3 was for the strong wind players, control of the lead was only ever about who intercepted the shifts better between Jack Jennings (USA)/Pedro Trouche (BRA) and George Szabo/Guy Avellon (USA). Jennings/Trouche are boosted by an impressive season, 2nd at the 2022 Star Europeans and 1st at the Star North Americans, while Szabo has the kudos of a gold Star on his mainsail from victory at the 2009 Worlds. Szabo/Avellon have been working together for the past three years and most recently finished third at the 2022 North Americans.
“We had a great day. Winning that race was really interesting,” said Szabo. “We started the middle weather end of the line and just getting through that chop was tough, just keeping that bow down and get through the waves.” The shifts were key, as Szabo explained, “We were fortunate the first three shifts put us in the right spot to be in the contention at the weather mark, and we got away on the first shift on the run. The next beat was tough, Guy was watching the numbers and watching the angles and a huge part of that was making sure we were in the right place.
“Going into the finish Jack was going to have us,” continued Szabo, “but he made one maneuver to cover Tonci which looked like the right call at the time. In the end the guys lifted so much that they overstood and reached in, and we got to the mark and got them by maybe a boat length. It was a pretty entertaining day!” Laughing, Avellon added, “It was fun when we heard the gun!”
Putting pressure on behind to finish third were the 2022 Star European Champions Tonci Stipanovic/Tudor Bilic (CRO), who move up into 2nd overall. Mateusz Kusznierewicz (POL)/Bruno Prada (BRA), who count seven Star World Championship titles between them, translated the crazy narrative of the racetrack, which saw them around 11th at the first mark, into a 4th place finish and step up to third overall.
Prada reflected on a tough day, “We did a really bad start. We held a little bit to be a little bit more conservative. It was not good, we got passed from other boats. We didn’t do the right decisions upwind. We really sailed super well downwind.” “But we have reached our goal,” chipped in Kusznierewicz. “Every day we are climbing two places!” After a lackluster start, series leaders Negri/Lambertenghi fought back with a determination as fierce as their talent, steadily finding advantages to get back in the game and claim a 5th place finish. Leading the charge amongst the U30 teams are Daniel Fritz/Alberto Ambrosini (GER) in 18th overall.
Italy’s Diego Negri/Sergio Lambertenghi retain pole position after a solid 5th place score, whilst the race win to George Szabo/Guy Avellon (USA) rockets them eight places up the leader board to 7th overall in the eighty-four boat fleet.
After today’s racing, Bacardi hosted the 100th Anniversary gala dinner for around 300 guests, including sixteen former world champions. Amongst the highlights of the evening was a video presentation by Bacardi, a look back at the past 100 years with the Star Class, a silent auction, plenty of fun, entertainment and Bacardi cocktails. You get a real feel for the history of Star Cass in the boat park, and amongst the many big names at the Eastern Yacht Club is Star legend Malin Burnham. He won his first Star Worlds at 16 years old as crew for Gerald Driscoll in 1944 and scooped the honor again in 1945 as skipper with Lowell North crewing. Burnham shared some of his memories and anecdotes at this evening’s Gala Dinner.
Provisional Top 10 Results – after Race 3
1. Diego Negri / Sergio Lambertenghi (ITA 2021) - 9 pts
2. Tonci Stipanovic / Tudor Bilic (CRO 1991) - 11 pts
3. Mateusz Kusznierewicz / Bruno Prada (POL 2019) - 19 pts
4. Eric Doyle / Payson Infelise (USA 1999) - 23 pts
5. Paul Cayard / Frithjof Kleen (USA 1988) - 25 pts
6. Jørgen Schoenherr / Markus Koy (DEN 8532) - 36 pts
7. George Szabo / Guy Avellon (USA 2009) - 41 pts
8. Jim Buckingham / Phil Toth (USA 1958) - 45 pts
9. Augie Diaz / Brad Nichol (USA 8509) - 45 pts
10. Jud Smith / Remi Hutchins (USA 1957) - 45 pts
Thursday, September 15, Race 4
Strong winds kept the Star fleet postponed ashore, before easing enough to get race 4 underway at 1509 hours in 18 knots with some gusts up to 25 knots. The race played out dramatically in the roller coaster conditions, with some thrilling downwind planing, a few dicey mark roundings and a lot of fun. Broken masts ended racing for several teams, including Mateusz Kusznierewicz (POL)/Bruno Prada (BRA) whose race ended in the second downwind.
Luke Lawrence/Andrew Macrae (USA) took victory with a mass of Star World Champions hunting them down. Lawrence, the 2019 Star Junior World Champion, and Macrae were settled in their mode and thrilled to seize the win and rise up the leader board on such a challenging day. “We started kind of in the middle of the fleet, which is not my normal tactic or routine, but it seemed like the breeze was steady enough to be able to pull it off,” said Lawrence.
Playing the left-hand side of the course opened the door to round the first mark in third, from where they launched their assault, picking off Doyle/Infelise on the run and closing the gap to Jennings/Trouche, before putting the hammer down to take the lead on the next upwind. “We always had Cayard and Diego and Eric, and those guys were always right there within shouting distance,” continued Lawrence. “It was a little hairy downwind at times. This boat likes to light itself up and sail like a dinghy, so it was the perfect conditions for it.” “The downwinds were just unbelievable,” added Macrae. “It was a full send!”
Forging their path to lead the U30 division in 18th overall are Daniel Fritz (GER)/Alberto Ambrosini (ITA), from their 14, 22, 35, 32 scorecard. “Windy sums it up,” grinned Fritz on the day’s exhilaration. “It was fun. We tried to fight our way back, we got up a couple of boats.”
Despite a poor start, the pair still lead the U30 and even finishing in today’s conditions should be considered a good result. Ambrosini continued, “The day was pretty tough and pretty long. It was very physical, but we are here for this and now we will enjoy the evening.”
Hiking hard and sailing fast gave Luke Lawrence/Andrew Macrae (USA) race glory, with Paul Cayard (USA)/Frithjof Kleen (GER) coming in behind and third to Eric Doyle/Payson Infelise (USA). A 4th place was enough to maintain the overall lead for Diego Negri/Sergio Lambertenghi (ITA).
“It has been very tough, cold and windy,” commented Negri. “It was a very good race for us, we catch up from 10th and played for the top 3. Just a little shift at the very end we missed the podium for the race. But it is ok, we are still leading.” “I don’t know how many liters of salty water I drank today, but it was great fun sailing,” laughed Lambertenghi. “With the big waves, going downwind was super, super fun.”
Four races down and four different winners, evidence enough of the caliber of teams competing. The leader board reads like a who’s who of sailing talent, with plenty of World Champions, Continental Champions and Olympic honors. Just two more races to crown the 2022 Star World Champions and there is plenty of unfinished business ahead. The leader board fight is now finely balanced for race 5 and with the discard coming into play it will be a challenge for control.
Provisional Top 10 Results – after Race 4
1. Diego Negri / Sergio Lambertenghi (ITA 2021) - 13 pts
2. Tonci Stipanovic / Tudor Bilic (CRO 1991) - 19 pts
3. Eric Doyle / Payson Infelise (USA 1999) - 26 pts
4. Paul Cayard / Frithjof Kleen (USA 1988) - 27 pts
5. George Szabo / Guy Avellon (USA 2009) - 48 pts
6. Jørgen Schoenherr / Markus Koy (DEN 8532) - 55 pts
7. Jack Jennings / Pedro Trouche (USA 8464) - 55 pts
8. Jud Smith / Remi Hutchins (USA 1957) - 57 pts
9. Tomas Hornos / Mauricio Bueno (USA 1981) - 58 pts
10. Eivind Melleby / Joshua Revkin (NOR 2017) - 62 pts
Friday, September 16, Race 5
Patience aplenty has been the pattern at the 100th Anniversary Star Worlds, as every day has featured postponements, general recalls and unpredictable conditions. Friday’s race 5 was no different, with a postponement and general recall, followed by a black flag start to put the eighty-four boat fleet in restrained mode for the start of the 10.3 nm race.
Race 5, the penultimate battle of the 2022 Star Worlds, saw the 12 knot breeze easing and scoreboard pressure rising, as teams eyed each other at the start, hoping they had each chosen the optimum end. The left side of the course seemed clearly favored, but the wind turned what seemed an unequivocal advantage on its head, as it shifted to the right. Many of the leading teams were outwitted by the breeze, racking up double-digit finishes to escalate their scorecards in the wrong direction. Reading the conditions perfectly to strategically manage better than anyone else were Eric Doyle/Payson Infelise (USA), the 2019 Bacardi Cup winners, who took the race win.
“A tricky day,” concluded Doyle. “It started out quite windy, coming offshore, very shifty, big changes in pressure. It looked like there was a lot more wind to the left, and I kind of screwed up the start a little bit. I was being very cautious, black flag start, so we had to just hold back a little bit and we kind of got burned off. Then the breeze was going right quite dramatically so we played that to the right side predominantly on the first beat.”
Doyle/Infelise kept their pace downwind, passed a few teams and on the second upwind followed the pressure to the left and accelerated ahead to second at the mark. Going round the final downwind gate, they again pursued the breeze as it went left to take the advantage and the win. The 2022 European Champions and 2021 Star Worlds silver medalists, Tonci Stipanovic/Tudor Bilic (CRO), who were second overall going into race 5, thought they had the race strategy nailed by choosing the left.
It wasn’t too be, as Stipanovic explained, “We had a good fight with Mateusz for the pin end start. It was looking good after the start, the wind started to drop and slowly shifted to the left, it was what we were thinking would happen, and the right guys didn’t look so good. We were quite happy with the position but then after 4 or 5 minutes it was just slowly going to the right and I think we had a 50 degree shift.”
The duo found themselves in the mid-50s by the windward mark, and pushed extremely hard to get their heads and boat back into the game, concentrating on every puff and taking risks, secure in the position of holding a worst score of 8th. So, whatever their race 5 result, they knew it was discardable. An impressive passage of play saw the pair gear up to finish 18th overall, still in podium contention going into Saturday’s decider. The race win to Doyle/Infelise propels them into 2nd overall from 3rd going into the day, just 3 points off the leaders Diego Negri / Sergio Lambertenghi (ITA).
An impressive second place for Scott Mason/Charles Nankin (USA), who as weekend enthusiasts found themselves at the front of the fleet in a massive upgrade from yesterday’s DNF after hooking rigs with MacCausland/Sangmeister, and jump to 28th overall. Hubert Merkelbach/Kilian Weise finished in third and move up to 11th overall. “We started a little above the middle boat,” said Mason, “and then we saw boats on the right of us wheeling up and then we tacked and ducked a whole bunch of sterns and got to the right of them and just rode that righty all the way up the leg.” The pair converted their advantage to lead fleet around the downwind, upwind and final downwind leg, before eventually conceding to Doyle/Infelise.
The question now is how to fathom an advantage going into the podium deciding final day. Theoretically any of the top five teams can claim a podium spot and victory. In practice, based on form to date and with just six points’ separation, the contenders are the top four: Diego Negri/Sergio Lambertenghi (ITA), Eric Doyle/Payson Infelise (USA), Paul Cayard (USA)/Frithjof Kleen (GER) and Tonci Stipanovic/Tudor Bilic (CRO).Spanning generations, the Star Class is a heritage boat, with the thrill of racing often passed through generations of the same family. Uniquely for the 100th Anniversary Star Worlds, teams were invited to choose a sail number personal to them and we caught up with Bob Lippincott whose mainsail carries 1950. “It is my grandfather’s sail number from when he won the worlds in 1950,” commented Lippincott in reverence to Robert Lippincott who won with Robert Levin. “It is really cool to be sailing under his number and it means a lot to myself and my family.”
For Danny Cayard, Star Class history throws further back, with both his father Paul Cayard and grandfather accoladed as Star World Champions. Danny is competing with sail number 1969, representing the year his grandfather, Pelle Petterson won the Worlds in San Diego, USA. Danny’s father, Paul, has stepped onto the Star Worlds podium an incredible six times, winning gold in 1988 in Buenos Aires. For Danny’s crew, Jamie Buchan, Star Class success also extends to his grandfather Bill, who won the 1961, 1970 and 1985 Star Worlds and Olympic Gold in 1984, and his father Carl who won the 1992 Star Worlds and gold at the 1984 Olympics in the Flying Dutchman.
Provisional Top 10 Results – after Race 5
1. Diego Negri / Sergio Lambertenghi (ITA 2021) - 13 pts
2. Eric Doyle / Payson Infelise (USA 1999) - 16 pts
3. Paul Cayard / Frithjof Kleen (USA 1988) - 17 pts
4. Tonci Stipanovic / Tudor Bilic (CRO 1991) - 19 pts
5. Jack Jennings / Pedro Trouche (USA 8464) - 26 pts
6. Jørgen Schoenherr / Markus Koy (DEN 8532) - 37 pts
7. Eivind Melleby / Joshua Revkin (NOR 2017) - 41 pts
8. George Szabo / Guy Avellon (USA 2009) - 42 pts
9. Mateusz Kusznierewicz / Bruno Prada (POL 2019) - 45 pts
10. Jim Buckingham / Phil Toth (USA 1958) - 47 pts
Saturday, September 17, Race 6
A solid third place in the final race from Italy’s Diego Negri/Sergio Lambertenghi was more than enough to reward them with gold at the 2022 Star Worlds.
For Negri, winning the 100th Anniversary Championship marks a successful defense of his 2021 Worlds title, while Lambertenghi debuts his hands on the trophy. A return to light shifty conditions for the final day was the perfect conclusion for Negri/Lambertenghi. “It was really a tough Championship,” said Negri, “and today, these tricky conditions for the last race. It was not easy, waking up at 0600 to be ready for the regatta. I knew that in these conditions we are the best in the world,” continued Negri on this morning’s race expectation.
“We played this from the beginning... stay calm and we are going to win the Championship. It was great fun, a lot of intensity, I thank Sergio who was with me the last few years, always supporting me. He has been great, today especially, so I am very, very happy.” Negri already has a bucket full of Star World Championship medals, adding gold in 2022 and 2021 to his three silvers (2016, 2014, 2008) and bronze (2015). A Star Worlds victory has until today proved elusive for Lambertenghi, after two silvers (2016, 2014) and a bronze (2015).
“We started to sail together in 2013,” reflected Lambertenghi. “In 2014 we lost the Championship by just one point, and we were so close for the next two or three years. But I thought, this is not enough and I will keep continuing. I knew that last year was the right time, but I was in Kiel in ’93 and I had enough,” Lambertenghi said in reference to the 1993 Star Worlds. In Lambertenghi’s absence, last year Diego sailed to gold with Frithjof Kleen (USA). “This year we planned to come here for a holiday,” Lambertenghi laughed. “But then when you get into the competition you start playing hard and everything was perfect. We are super happy, no words.”
The final race was finely balanced with four teams in contention for the podium. The final race was a battle of the big names jockeying for position. While out of contention for a medal, Mateusz Kusznierewicz (POL)/Bruno Prada (USA) led to the first mark, chased by Negri/Lambertenghi, and Croatia’s Tonci Stipanovic/Tudor Bilic, who had their work cut out to close the points needed for a podium finish. Negri overhauled Kusznierewicz/Prada by the downwind gate, with the Croatians holding on to third. All changed at the finish with the win going to Kusznierewicz/Prada, the Croatians in second to secure silver and Italians in third to get gold.
A few boats further back Paul Cayard/Frithjof Kleen were gunning for the bronze, and with their podium rivals, Eric Doyle/Payson Infelise (USA) struggling and back in 31st, their quest was secure as they crossed the line in eighth. Stipanovic/Bilic competed at their first Star Worlds last year, wrapping up with silver, so, as Bilic said, “This year we had to win the silver again!” Going into the final race in fourth overall, 6 points behind the leaders, they were hoping for light breeze to have the opportunity to attack and challenge the teams ahead. Commenting on the challenge of racing in Marblehead, Stipanovic added, “It was really nice, we had all kinds of conditions.”
Last night Cayard/Kleen did their research on the expected current and sea breeze, seeking advice from local sailor Jud Smith and the feeling was, the left would be favored. Ashore after racing, Cayard commented, “We started three-quarters of the way down the line and went left and unfortunately the wind went right a lot and we found ourselves pretty deep on the first beat, which has been a little bit of the theme for us this regatta, as we have been on the wrong side of the first beat a little too much. We have made amazing comebacks, but it is hard to beat guys like Diego and Sergio if you are on the wrong side of the first beat all the time. We are satisfied, we got third in a very competitive fleet,”Cayard concluded.
Today’s bronze medal represents the seventh time Cayard has stood on the Star Worlds podium, and it was thirty-four years ago in 1988 that he won gold with Steve Erickson. More recent glory days for Kleen saw him secure top spot last year with Diego Negri, and previously in 2014 with Robert Stanjek. A win in the last race was never going to be enough for Kusznierewicz/Prada to make it to the podium, after their dismasting in Thursday’s race 4 and Friday’s 26th place finish saw them out of contention with an insurmountable points mountain.
“We took that hard,” reflected Kusznierewicz, as at the point of dismasting, they were in 2nd or 3rd place, which would have been enough to place them on the podium. “It is always nice to win the last race of the Championship. We are very happy.” “It is good to finish after a week that we took a lot of bad decisions and maybe some bad luck. To finish winning gives us some hope for the future,” concluded Prada.
Final Top 10 Results Overall
1. Diego Negri / Sergio Lambertenghi (ITA 2021) - 16 pts
2. Tonci Stipanovic / Tudor Bilic (CRO 1991) - 21 pts
3. Paul Cayard / Frithjof Kleen (USA 1988) - 25 pts
4. Eric Doyle / Payson Infelise (USA 1999) - 27 pts
5. Jack Jennings / Pedro Trouche (USA 8464) - 45 pts
6. Eivind Melleby / Joshua Revkin (NOR 2017) - 45 pts
7. Mateusz Kusznierewicz / Bruno Prada (POL 2019) - 46 pts
8. Jørgen Schoenherr / Markus Koy (DEN 8532) - 47 pts
9. Tomas Hornos / Mauricio Bueno (USA 1981) - 56 pts
10. Hubert Merkelbach / Kilian Weise (GER 8446) - 58 pts
Prize Giving
The medal ceremony and prize giving celebrations ran long into the evening, with trophies also presented to the winners of the age categories:
U30 (skipper aged under 30) - Antonio Carvalho Moreira/Ubiratan Matos (BRA) – 26th overall
Senior (skipper aged 30-49) - Tonci Stipanovic/Tudor Bilic (CRO) – 2nd overall
Master (skipper aged 50-59) - Diego Negri / Sergio Lambertenghi (ITA) – 1st overall
Grand Master (skipper aged 60-69) - Paul Cayard (USA)/Frithjof Kleen (GER) – 3rd overall
Exalted Grand Master (skipper aged 70 or over) - John Dane III/Tim Ray (USA) – 16th overall
