Honoring the Past, Leading the Future

President's Message

As we approach the holiday season, I am reminded of how fortunate we are to have the Star Class in our lives, not just for the sailing but more importantly, for the camaraderie and lifelong friendships it provides. As I reflect on the year, I have been blessed, as have most of you, by the opportunities to enrich my life in many regattas over several continents. No other Class comes close! That’s why it is called the “STAR” Class. 

In early December, I had the privilege of competing in the South American Championship in Rio de Janeiro.  The Guanabara Bay, surrounded by the Sugar Loaf and under the watchful eye of the Christ the Redeemer on “Corcovado”, is an iconic stadium in which to compete. Stars have sailed on these waters since the late 1940’s when the 7th District was established, the first outside of the USA. Iate Clube do Rio Janeiro has a long history with the Star and was a great host. I had the honor of sailing with Bruno Prada, a 5-time World Champion crew and it was great to connect with the Star family in Rio. I had the opportunity to visit one of our great Presidents, Peter Siemsen (1987-1990). Peter presented the Star World Championship trophy to me in 1988, and our paths crossed many times over 30 years, in the Star Class and several America’s Cups. I told him that I think of him often while performing my duties for the class and that I try to live up to the standard he set. Legend! 

Class leadership in Brazil is committed to rejuvenating the class and offering opportunity for sailors of all ages to get involved. Equipment is a hurdle, but a plan is being designed. I congratulate Robert Scheidt on his win with Frida, but more importantly, Robert desires to give back to the class he loves and his country. Along with Marcello Bellotti, Maurizio Bueno, Wagner Bojlesen and many others, Robert will help with the project.  

Exceptionally, the CMC has decided not to raise dues for 2026. This is because in 2024 and 2025 we had $25 increases. The class is now in financial stability and as a “reward”, we will take a break on dues increases for 2026. However, proper fiscal management of dues in all organizations is to have low but consistent increases that mirror coast of living increases. We intend to resume small dues increases in 2027. As with sails and hulls, the Star Class will collect a $50 royalty on each new Star mast or boom sold starting January 1, 2026. 

Starting in 2026, the Log will be mailed to all paid members as of April 1 of the year. Any member who pays dues after April 1, will have to pay the shipping cost for his or her Log. 

I want to congratulate and welcome all the incoming Class officers. I appreciate your commitment to the Class and look forward to working with all of you! 

The next town hall will be on April 11, 0800 PDT-1700 CET.  If you have subjects you would like addressed, please send them to office@starclass.org 

I want to take this opportunity to wish you, and your families, a happy holiday season!  

Paul Cayard
President, ISCYRA

SPOTLIGHT ON FLEETS - Social Media Format


We’re really happy that your fleet wants to take part in Spotlight on Fleets!

To prepare your feature, we’d need a few things from you:

1 - Click on the button down here, and fill in the Google Form

2 - A short introduction about your fleet — where you’re based, when it was founded, how many active sailors you have, etc.

3 - A few curiosities or key moments that make your fleet unique (memorable regattas, local traditions, special events…).

4 - Your goals or vision for the future of your fleet.

5 - Some photos (high quality if possible): group shots, sailing moments, or anything that represents your community.

6 - Optional: Quotes or short statements from members or the fleet captain — what the Star Class means to you.

Once we have everything, we’ll create the post and share the draft with you before publishing it on our channels.

Star Class Communication Team

• Friday: Two opening races followed by an after-race gathering with a great atmosphere.
• Saturday: A thrilling race with gusts exceeding 20 knots from the southeast.
• Sunday: Two final races with winds up to 18 knots, allowing crews to put their skills to the test.

1. Martín Ferrero (U30) and Javier Siro 
2. Héctor and Hugo Longarela  
3. Fabián Mac Gowan and Ariel Simonet

Get in touch with Quantum’s Star experts and get their latest tuning insights and tweaks that helped sailors go faster throughout the 2025 season. 

The 2025 season saw strong performances from our Star class sails, continuing the momentum from last year, including: 

• 2024 Star Worlds, 1st 
• 2025 Western Hemisphere, 1st 
• 2025 North Americans, 2nd 

Already looking forward to your next race? Our One Design Sale is on right now through October 18th!  

George Szabo | gszabo@quantumsails.com 
Alexandre Paradeda | alexandre@quantumsails.com 
Carlo Fracassoli | cfracassoli@quantumsails.com  

Winter is here, and so is the sailing in Miami! As many of you are aware, we had a couple of boats in the Maryland area for the summer and fall. That was a successful experiment; our boats were used all summer in their local events, and it seems everyone was happy.

Thanks to Zach Hansman and Muffin Man Transport, we brought the boats down south to prepare them for the winter series and the lead-up to Bacardi. All the boats are going through a thorough check and getting some improvements made to them by the generous efforts of Brandon DePalma.

This winter, we are busy working with Bacardi to support their U30 program for Bacardi 2026. We currently have 6 boats and are still looking for more boats that we can use. If you have a boat that is race ready and are willing to loan it to the SEA Program for this partnership please contact the Danny Cayard and SEA Program. We are targeting 4 additional boats to help their U30 teams.

Locally, we are very excited to have started 2 new long-term teams with our boats for the winter series. With that, we look forward to continually improving the program and enjoying the sailing here in wonderful Miami.

Hope everyone enjoys their holidays,

2026 Major Regatta Calendar