Honoring the Past, Leading the Future
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President's Message
Dear Star sailors,
Next month, we will celebrate our World Championships in Scarlino, Italy. Our first World Championship was in 1923. Here we are 100 years later in 2023, still sailing one of the most prestigious racing events in the World. The last time the World Championship was in this area of Italy was 1999. In 1999, we enjoyed some of the best sailing in the world. We are all greatly anticipating another fabulous event. If you are trying to decide, I highly recommend packing up your boat, point the car to Scarlino, and start driving.
If you are reading this newsletter then the odds are high that you already love the Star. We have a long and distinguished history but must take action to ensure we have a long and distinguished future. Participation in sailing (and other sports like golf) is declining and our beloved boat is not impervious to this trend. Our members grow older and we must push for new members to keep our Class strong. In the next month, we will be preparing a plan to take on this challenge. We will be calling on everyone to play a role. What is your role? What can you do? If you have ideas to share, please send them to me or Jerelyn or Mike Hecky. Many of you are already doing a lot, we thank you for your efforts. Now is the time to increase our activity and make sure our Class remains strong.
Tom Londrigan
ISCYRA President
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From the Central Office
Following up on the comments from our President Tom Londrigan, we are making every effort to ensure our members renew their dues and new members join. We ask all sailors to remember to renew your dues at the beginning of the year and ensure that those sailing in district and other major events are also members - skippers and crews.
At the beginning of the year it was announced that SLAM will graciously give a customized jersey to all members for 2023. The deadline to ensure your name is on that list is August 20. All paid members as of this date will receive a jersey with their name & country. Distribution will start at the Worlds in Scarlino for all competitors and then we will manage the remaining members through distribution from District representatives in Europe and South America, and the Class office or Executive Director for North America.
Thanks for supporting your Class. Both the office and Mike Hecky are always available to speak with you if you have questions or need assistance!
Mike Hecky Jerelyn Biehl
Executive Director Class office
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NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING
16 September 2023
1800 hours
Yacht Club Isole di Toscana
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Once in a Lifetime
100 years of Stars on the Chesapeake
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The 89th Annual Miller Series held by Gibson Island Yacht Squadron on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay outside of Annapolis saw great success celebrating 100 years of stars sailing on the Chesapeake Bay. The regatta ran from June 23rd-25th. Twenty-four teams came to Gibson Island with fifteen competing for the District 2 Championship.
Most boats showed up Friday morning for a ceremonious long-distance race to be sailed at 1pm that afternoon, however, the weather did not permit the race to happen. Friday night a celebratory event was held at new star class member Bob Dunigan’s house where fun was had by all.
Saturday morning racing was briefly postponed due to light conditions but after a forty-five-minute delay all twenty-four boats were towed out to the course by Sandy Point Shoal Light House. Two races were held Saturday in around 6-10kts of breeze. With Ben Sternberg and Will Christensen winning the day posting a 1,3; Alan Campbell and John Foster in second with a 2,2; and Bert Collins and Will Harding in 3rd with 5,1. Conditions were variable and there was a fair amount of flooding current. PRO Greg Cukor made the right call quickly after the second race to get everyone towed in as storms and a downpour entered the area to give all the sailors a freshwater bath. All boats were required to stay in the water and the mooring field worked out beautifully.
Sunday morning saw more light air and a tow to the course. A brief westerly tried to fill but eventually after a wait the southerly sea breeze prevailed, and the fleet saw a great 8-12kt S/SE breeze allowing for another two great races. John MacCausland and Guy Avellon won the day with a 2,1 with a fast Robert Lippincott and James Golden recording a 1,6. At the end of the day the top 4 boats were separated by 1.5 points. Robert Lippincott finished the regatta in third, with Alan Campbell second, and Ben Sternberg in first for the win. Congrats to Ben and Will for taking home the top Miller Series Trophy award. Alan Campbell and John Foster, being the first District 2 boat, won their first blue star and were very excited to do so at such a great event. Their victory was celebrated with a ceremonial toss into the harbor.
Thank you to Tom Price, Greg Cukor, and Commodore Elizabeth Savage as well as the entire Gibson Island Community for putting on a wonderful event where we had participants coming from Michigan, Chicago, New York, Florida, and Canada. Housing was provided for all those that needed it and a lot of new friendships were made. Thank you to all those who traveled to make this regatta a good one. I think everyone who attended was blown away by the hospitality provided and cannot wait to come back to such a great event and iconic venue.
RESULTS
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2023 Major Regatta Calendar
watch the Star Class website for updates.
| 2023 |
World Championship |
Gold |
Sept 16-24 |
Scarlino, ITA |
| 2023 |
Youth European Championship |
Silver |
Sept 27-Oct 1 |
Attersee, AUT |
| 2023 |
Western Hemisphere |
Silver |
Sept 10-14 |
Cleveland, OH, USA |
| 2023 |
Eastern Hemisphere |
Silver
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July 4-9 |
Warnemuende, GER |
| 2023 |
European Championship |
Silver |
Oct 24-29 |
Cannes, FRA |
| 2023 |
North American |
Silver |
May 29-June 3 |
Vancouver, BC, CAN |
| 2023 |
South American |
Silver |
Nov 30-Dec 3 |
Rio de Janeiro, BRA |
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DOYLE SAILS
By sailors. For sailors. Handcrafted in Salem, MA by world champion sailors.
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STAR WINTER SERIES - 2023-2024
| Date |
Event |
| Dec 2-3, 2023 |
Commodore's Cup |
| Jan 5-6, 2024 |
Levin Memorial |
| Jan 5-7, 2024 |
Schoonmaker Cup |
| Feb 8-9, 2024 |
Walker Cup |
| Feb 8-11, 2024 |
Midwinters |
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HOST the Star Worlds in 2026, 2027 or ??
The CMC is looking for potential hosts for upcoming Star Worlds. It would be great to see a Worlds hosted in these Districts:
4 - Great Lakes
7 - Brazil
9 - France, Switzerland & Monaco
10 - Northern Europe
13 - North Sea
15 - Iberian
17 - Donau Alpen
18 - Argentina & Chile
If you have a great venue that can host, please submit a bid form to the Star Class office before September 1. The CMC will be meeting in Scarlino at the World Championships and would like to consider all venues that are interested.
For more information, contact your Hemisphere officers or the Star Class office.
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SZABO & AVELLON WIN NORTH AMERICANS
Vancouver, BC - On the final day of the 2023 Star North American Championship, hosted by Royal Vancouver Yacht Club, the 30 teams woke to sunny clear skies with the hope of early westerlies and completing two races in English Bay. However, as the saying goes, “it never does this here”, Mother Nature had other plans, just like in the previous days.
The race committee expected a flood tide all day with breeze coming in at 10-12 knots from a bearing of 260. The low pressure system offshore thwarted expectations, the easterly breeze deteriorated as the west breeze materialized to the left of 260 and week below 10 knots.
While 6-8 knots of breeze is normally enough to get a race going, a 2-3 knot current flooding into English Bay is challenging. Race committee scouted versions course locations and after one hour postponement, orange flag went up at 12:45 for a 12:55 start.
The first start attempt was AP’d at 22 seconds to go. The line was already covered with Stars holding station on or over the line. Race committee added a 6 degree favor to the signal boat end of the line. The start was all clear at 13:04.
On the first beat, the fleet headed left to escape current. The boats were so close to shore that a barking dog on Spanish shoal chased the Stars passing by. Some of the teams hit the sand bar with their keel, a true local phenomenon and authentic English Bay experience.
At the first leeward mark rounding, the replace committee signaled a change in course, moving the weather mark to 245 and shortening the leg to 1.1 mile. Heading to the second weather mark, the fleet hit the beach on the left side of the course, tacking and sailing along the shoal. Most boats approached on port tack layline, sailing over the offset mark which was lowered to aid boats that were swept down current after rounding the weather mark.
Indicative of how crazy the course conditions were, Will Stout and Parker Mitchell (USA) missed the finish, sailed aimlessly to starboard in dying breeze, and struggled to get back into a good lane to recover and finish. They eventually finished last, making a good story for their throw out.
Winning today’s only race was Doug Smith and Ed Wright (USA). They were followed by Carl Buchan and his son, Jamie Buchan (USA) in second and George Szabo and Guy Avellon (USA), the series winners, in third.
NA website
North American Results
Photo Gallery
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MARIN MISURA AND TONKO BARAC ARE THE
2023 EASTERN HEMISPHERE CHAMPIONSHIP
It was all decided in the very final race for the best five teams fighting to conquer the Silver Star. One race was won by the junior German team Jan Borbet and Jesper Spehr, followed by Giovanni Coppo and two-time World Champion crew Frithjof Kleen (ITA/GER) in second and finishing in third Ard van Aanholt and Steyn van Driessel (NED), all of them out of the final rush for the title.
Jorgen Shoennherr and Markus Koy, the leading contenders for the championship, finished fourth in the final race, securing a place on the podium. However, it was Marin Misura and Tonko Barac from Croatia who clinched the fifth spot in the race, propelling them to the top and crowning them as the winners of the 2023 Star Eastern Hemisphere Championship at Warnemünder Woche.
Expressing their joy, Tonko Barac commented, "We are thrilled about this victory, as it marks our first major regatta win. It's a significant achievement for us, and we are especially delighted for Marin, who has come close to winning a major event multiple times. This success will provide us with great energy and motivation to continue improving. Just 15 days ago, we were competing against incredible teams in Lake Garda at the Frida's Cup, which served as the beginning of our journey. We would like to express our gratitude to all those teams because their competition also played a role in our triumph."
Piet Eckert and Frederico Melo (SUI/POR), who had led the rankings for most of the week, faced a setback with a controversial OCS (On Course Side) penalty yesterday and an 11th-place finish today, ultimately securing third place overall.
Following the conclusion of the 2023 Star Eastern Hemisphere Championship, the Star Class Continental events will take a brief hiatus before returning in September with the Western Hemisphere Championship in Cleveland, Ohio, from September 9th to the 14th. Subsequently, the most significant event of the year, the 2023 Star World Championship, will take place in Scarlino, Italy, from September 16th to the 24th.
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Star Legacy Foundation
Created by Star sailors, The Legacy Foundation will create an endowment and scholarships to help support the Star Class' continued growth. The Legacy Foundation helped with the first U30 Worlds and is supporting the commemorative 100th Anniversary of the Star World Championship book. Donors to the 100th book project will receive a complimentary copy with minimum donation of $1,000 USD. The Legacy Foundation has made it easy for you to donate: 1) to the general fund or, 2) to the 100th book project. See donation buttons below:
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