2018 European Championship

August 7 - 12, 2018

DISTRICT: ISCYRA

HOST

Flensburger Segel Club    
Glücksburg Germany

CONTACT

Regatta Chair : Claus-Otto Hansen
+49 171 3210415
District Secretary : Helge Spehr
+49 172 4237506
Author: Rachele Vitello - August 09, 2018

The 2018 Star Europeans Championship officially started yesterday evening with theOpening Ceremony at Flensburger Segel-Club, but it was today that the battle on the water had its first go today.
 

Conditions on the first day of sailing were just right, with wind ranging between 8 and 12 knots, only a little shiftier than expected. With an unusual sun and clouds mix for this summer day, the 71 boats started together on one big start line. The unsettled wind direction made it difficult to decide the favorite side, and there were lots of positions’ changes in both races.
 

The first one was won by American skipper Augie Diaz with Brazilian crew Bruno Prada, followed by Russian Georgy Shadyuko and Aleksei Borisov, and Swiss Jean-Pascal Chatagny and Serge Pulfer. The second one went to Norwegian Star World ChampionEivind Melleby with Brazilian crew Guilherme de Almeida, second spot to SwedishErik Dahalen and David Nogén and third to another Swiss team, Urs Hunkeler withAlex Gouda.
 

At the end of the first day former World Champions Augie Diaz (USA) and Bruno Prada (BRA) are the provisional leaders, followed by Lars Grael and Samuel Gonçalves (BRA) and third is the German team skippered by Ulrich Vater with crewKarsten Morf. Roberto Benamati from Italy is fourth and Irish Olympic Star sailorPeter O'Leary with Philipp Rotermund - who grew up in Flensburg - are fifth. 
 

From today to Sunday the 142 sailors will sail five more races under the strict command of Flensburger Segel-Club PRO, Claus Otto Hansen, who, alongside his Race Committee, decided that tomorrow’s first start will be at 14,30 local time (GMT+1), as some really strong winds are expected to hit the bay in the morning.

RESULTS

Author: Rachele Vitello - August 10, 2018

Day 2 of the 2018 Star European Championships on the Flensburg Fjord was marked by thunderstorm Nadine. Race director Claus Otto Hansen had already asked all 142 sailors the day before to secure the ships well for the night and set the earliest possible start for today at 2.30 pm, later postponed at 4.30 pm to let the storm pass; morning off so for the whole fleet. 

Surprisingly much water had been pushed out of the fjord overnight by the westerly wind, so that some boats woke up in the mud this morning. Water filled back in just in time to let the boats dock out and head to the racecourse.

The wind dropped somewhat in the afternoon, but there were still strong gusts at the top of the fjord, so that the race became a hard fight, especially because of the short and steep waves.

A few mast breakings and only 41 boats crossed the finish line - thus the reason why PRO decided to call it a day and postponed Race 4 to tomorrow at 12.00 (GMT+1).

British riders Ante Razmilovic and Brian Hammarsley, got the bullet in today’s tough conditions, followed by Croatians Marin Misura and Tonko Barac and Austrians Christian Nehammer with Florian Urban.

However, the overall leaders are still Augie Diaz (USA) and Bruno Prada (BRA), followed by Brazilian Lars Grael and Samuel Gonçalves (BRA), with Irish brothers Peter and Robert O'Leary making the third place.

 

All results in m2s:

https://manage2sail.com/de-DE/event/ef9cd82d-c0b9-460b-8fe5-bb334c011af1#!/results?classId=94114451-6a39-46c4-9441-a554392c1365

Author: Rachele Vitello - August 11, 2018

Only one race was sailed this morning in Flensburg, for the 2018 Star European Championship, and it was a tough one indeed. The 71 boats left the shore for the early warning signal at 10am and started with 20 knots of wind, that gusted up to over 30 at the first windward mark as another thunderstorm approached the racecourse.

 

From there on it was a real battle on the water, and only 33 team could manage to finish race 4. The winners are the O’Leary brothers from Irlans, followed by Lars Grael and Samuel Gonçalves (BRA) and third were Augie Diaz (USA) with Bruno Prada (BRA).

 

The provisional podium is the same one as yesterday, with Augie Diaz (USA) and Bruno Prada (BRA), followed by Brazilian Lars Grael and Samuel Gonçalves (BRA), with Irish brothers Peter and Robert O'Leary making the third place.

 

Tomorrow the PRO will try to get two races done, starting at 10 in the morning, and hopefully no thunderstorm will hit Flensburg Fjiord for one day.

Author: Rachele Vitello - August 12, 2018

American Augie Diaz and Brazialian Bruno Prada are the winner of the Robbe&Berking Star European Championships 2018, tied to Lars Grael with Samuel Gonçalves (BRA) who are second. Bronze medal goes to Irish brothers Peter and Robert O’Leary.

 

This is the podium of the 2018 Star European Championship, where six of the seven races were sailed even though two of the four days of racing have been quite rough with very strong stormy winds. The PRO Claus Otto was excellent in deciding the right time to give the starts, postponing on Thursday and anticipating yesterday.

 

The winners of today’s races were two German team, the first bullet went to Star Class President Hubert Merkelbach with Marcus Koy, and the second one to Olympic Star skipper Robert Stanjek with crew Leif Bähr. But nothing could stop Augie Diaz and Bruno Prada, not even the early start they had in race 5, that cost them to go back and re-start. Not even one mistake by the runners-up was made, Lars Grael and Samuel Goncalves, who discard a seven and are tie to the winners. A Championship well played by the Irish brothers O’Leary, who proved to be excellent team on tough conditions, winning yesterday’s race with winds gusting up to over 30 knots.

 

Augie Diaz:
“We had really some tough days of racing, we are happy we were eventually able to recover after the first early start.”

Bruno Prada:
“The regatta was decided on the last downwind of the last race, we had to be fifth to win the race tied with Lars, and we just managed to finish one boat length ahead of Eivind Melleby who was sixth. So we are super happy and lucky for the last puff.”

 

Best junior team were the German Dominik and Simon Fallais

Best senior team in the Ü65 ranking were the Hungarians Tibor Tenke and Miklos. Bezereti.

 

Hubert Merklebach, ISCYRA President:
“It was really a Championship for the tough sailors, the only non stormy day was today with 15-16 knots of nice breeze. Flensburger Segel Club did a fantastic job to manage the event, they’re used to have international regattas, and proved it this week. Everything went well with a great program, even on the social side with dinner in the old Silver factory of the main sponsor, Robbe&Berking, amazing Championship”.

 

The Star sailors are not done for the summer with the Silver regattas, next week the North American will take place in Los Angeles, with probably very different conditions.

Author: Rachele Vitello - August 08, 2018

71 international teams from 15 Nations are ready in Flensburg, Germany, to attend the 2018 Star Class European Championship, hosted by Flensburger Segel-Club from tomorrow to Sunday August the 12th, with a total number of 7 races.

 

Racing starts tomorrow, August the 9th, at 12.00 local time (GMT+1), but tonight at 18,30 the Official Opening Ceremony will take place at the Yacht Club after registrations and weight-ins are finished.

Two races per day and only one on the last day of racing, Sunday, when the 2018 European Champions will be crowned. Last year’s champions, Torben Grael and Arthur ‘Tutu’ Lopes (BRA), won’t be on the start line of this Championship, but Torben’s brother, former ISCYRA President and Star World Champion, Lars Grael will be, with his loyal crew Samuel Gonçalves (BRA). Not far from here, in Troense, Denmark, just a little more than a year ago, Lars and Samuel were fighting until the last race to win their second Star World Championship. They finished second while the title went to Eivind Melleby (NOR) and Joshua Revkin (USA). Eivind is in Flensburg trying to win the Continental title once more after winning it in 2016. he is not sailing with Josh but with Brazilian crew Guilherme de Almeida, who won Bronze at the European Championship in 2015 in Gaeta with Torben Grael.
 

On the start line we’ll also find Russian Georgy Shayduko, who won Silver Olympic Medal in Atlanta in 1996 in the Soling Class, right behind German sailing superstar Jochen Shuemann, he’s moved to the Star ever since and was selected to represent his country in Athens and Bejing, but couldn’t eventually attend the Games. There is Jack Jennings here from the United States, with crew Frithjof Kleen from Berlin, Frithjof won the title with Eivind Melleby in 2016 in Warnemunde, Germany - not so far from here - and in 2013 in Båstad, Sweden, with Diego Negri (ITA). Diego and his crew Sergio Lambertenghi (ITA) are missing from this event, they were second last year in Diego’s home water, Sanremo. The other American skipper, Augie Diaz with Brazilian crew Bruno Prada, won bronze medal then, and they’re here trying to move on the highest step of the podium, after winning silver medal fro two years in a row in 2016 and 2015.
 

A gold star shine on their mainsail as they won the Star World Championship together in Miami in 2016, but quite many golden star will be sported on this highly competitive fleet. We’ve already mentioned Lars Grael with Samuel Gonçalves and Eivind Melleby; then there is Robert Stanjek (GER) and Frithjof Kleen - here on different boats, they won it together in Malcesine in 2014 - Roberto Benamati (ITA) champion in 1991 in Cannes and then there is a pleasant return in the Star fleet, Enrico Chieffi (ITA), who won the Worlds in Rio de Janeiro in 1996 with Roberto Sinibaldi, is here with Manlio Corsi.  
 

Racing starts tomorrow at 12.00 European Central Time (GMT+1) and you can follow the action here:

Official event website https://2018euro.starchampionships.org/
ISCYRA official website https://starclass.org
ISCYRA facebook https://www.facebook.com/ISCYRA

IGC Grants Star Class European Championship as Test Event

the 2018 Star Class European Championship authority, as a “test event”, to modify ISCYRA Rule 34.3.1. as follows   “… no course may be shortened using RRS 32.2 (the Flag S rule) but a course leg or legs may shortened or lengthened utilizing RRS 33(b) (Charlie “+” or “-“) within the parameters established by ISCYRA Rule 34.3.7.”