Star Class Honoring the Past, Leading the Future
2017 Schoonmaker Cup – Miami Star
Winter Series kickoff
Once again, the Star Class descended
upon Biscayne Bay in Miami at the Coral Reef Yacht Club for the 2017-2018
edition of the Star Winter Series, five regatta events that are scored and
awarded both separately and cumulatively. The Star Class comprises a storied
cast of characters, with Class standouts making their presence felt in high
quality events up to and including America’s Cup participation, and many are
regular winter visitors to Miami.
The first event of the series was
held this past weekend, November 11 – 12, 2017, for the Schoonmaker Cup, named
for Class 1975 World Champion and Miami native J.M. “Ding” Schoonmaker. With a
number of Gold (signifying World Champion) and Silver (Continental champ) stars
on sails in the 24 boat fleet, good competition was a given.
Saturday dawned clear and the CRYC
Race Committee, led by Star Class stalwart Sharon Bourke, had the course set up
(with the famous Vertical Offset windward mark configuration!) for an on-time
start Saturday morning. Wind direction was steady coming from Virginia Key at
60 degrees, with flat water and relatively predictable oscillations. With what
might be a first for the series events, it was a clean start on the first
attempt! The line was square, the fleet used the entire length, and there was a
good split to the fleet all the way up to the first mark of a four-leg
Windward-Leeward course. The team of Jack Jennings and Frithjof Kleen pulled
off the win in the race, followed by Mark Mendelblatt with Brian Fatih, and the
team of Arthur Anosov and current World Champion crew Josh Revkin.
The breeze began to pipe up a bit,
but the direction held steady after the first race 10 degree left shift, so the
Committee set up a triangle – W –L /Finish course. Once again, a clean start,
and the team of Arthur and Josh found their way to the finish line first.
Race three of the day saw the RC
maintaining the course configuration, and after yet another clean start (in the
STAR Class???), once again Jack and Frithjof end up with the bullet.
Sunday’s forecast was for the cold
front settling into South Florida with more easterly winds steady from 19 – 22
knots with gusts to near 30, which when combined with flat water in a Star boat
can end up as a pretty expensive day! Sharon did a great job canvassing the
competitors, many of whom are preparing for the Star Sailor’s League finals in
Nassau in early December, for their preferences in these predicted conditions,
and the verdict came in negative for a variety of reasons.
The Club bar opened shortly
thereafter, awards were presented (full results here), and the Star Winter Series will continue
on December 2-3 with the Commodore’s Cup.
Jennings/Kleen Win First of Miami Star Winter Series
photos by Barbara Burdette
