Star Class Honoring the Past, Leading the Future
Author: Casey Allocco, SDYC Communications Coordinator - May 24, 2019One piece of advice that sailors can typically agree on is the more time spent on the water, the better you’ll do. While that may be true for the majority of sailors, Carl Buchan has been proving so far at the Star Western Hemisphere Championship that once you’re that good, you don’t need more time.
Overall, Buchan holds the top spot on the scoresheet after three more races today. Following in second by a mere one point is Eric Doyle and his crew Payson Infelise and Brian Ledbetter and his crew Magnus Liljedahl in third.
Buchan told us about how sailing Stars runs through four generations of his family. Maybe the talent is just in their blood because it’s been a while since Buchan has raced in a big regatta. “We tried to sail locally as much as we could this spring to prepare. The last big regatta we did was the North Americas in Seattle four years ago. I’d love to just keep doing well. A lot of good people had their ups and downs. Our goal is just to have more good races and see how things play out.”
Conditions drastically improved today for day three of the regatta. It was a Chamber of Commerce day with a breeze of 6-10 knots from the west with clear, sunny skies. Sailors were psyched.
Race three was dominated by three great sailors. Ledbetter started off the day with a bullet, followed by Allan Terhune in second and Eric Doyle in third. Doyle continued to push to the top of the scoresheet, dominating his competitors by taking first followed by third place in race five.
Doyle, a known World Champion Star sailor, commented on today’s success. “I bought an older boat with a brand new mast... It took us a little while to figure things out and keep it going. We got better as time went on, changed a few things and the breeze picked up. In the last race, we totally messed up the start. I hit the pin and was going backwards, so we were lucky to pull back into third place,” he started.
“A lot of people think that in San Diego you always go right, but it was left all day. Sometimes I didn’t even hit left hard enough. Upwind and downwind you had to stay in the pressure more offshore,” Doyle continued.
When you ask Star sailors what they love about the boat, you will often get answers that highlight tradition, community and camaraderie. Buchan, after years of Championship titles and a Gold medal, is one of the many just happy to be out here sailing with his friends and family.
“I’m sailing with my son Jamie. We’ve been to lots of Star Boat regattas in San Diego and it’s one of our favorite places to come. Sailing has been a family affair. My grandfather sailed Stars and now my son, wife and daughter, we all sail. Four generations. It’s something we can really enjoy together,” Buchan commented.
After the races, sailors enjoyed cold beer and light snacks at the hoist before making their way to a social on the Front Deck. Saturday will mark the final day of the regatta and the final chance for our many talented sailors to earn their spot on the scoresheet. After the regatta, sailors and their families will gather for an evening social and prize giving.
For media inquiries, please contact Casey Allocco.
Communications Coordinator
o: 619-758-6316
e: casey@sdyc.org
For event questions, please contact Jeff Johnson.
Regatta Manager
o: 619-758-6310
e: sailing@sdyc.org
About SDYC
The San Diego Yacht Club encourages and fosters an environment that helps and continues to produce the best in the world of yachting-related activities. Founded in 1886, SDYC has become a world renown yachting community recognized for its success in bay sailing, ocean racing, cruising, angling, and its world class youth sailing program. SDYC is consistently ranked among the top 5 yacht clubs in the U.S. and is recognized by the Club Leadership Forum as one of the finest facilities of its kind in the world
Author: Casey Allocco, SDYC Communications Coordinator - May 25, 2019The Star boat is often seen as one of the finest, most challenging classes to compete in. It requires dedication and hard work to be successful. This weekend, 26 sailors made their way out to the Pacific for the Star Western Hemisphere Championship, where a handful of sailors proved just how dedicated they really were.
By the end of day three, the majority of the top five sailors on the scoresheet were already determined. On the final day, day four, the order barely budged. Carl Buchan, sailing with his son Jamie Buchan, won the last race and the series overall. Following in second was Brian Ledbetter sailing with Magnus Liljedahl. In third place was Eric Doyle sailing with Payson Infelise.
First place finisher Carl Buchan commented on his success. “It was a hard fought series. The last couple of breaks went our way and being consistent was our main strategy. The first race today we took off after the start and then just couldn’t get out of our own way. The second race we needed to pass a couple of boats and thankfully we did. Both races had a lot more position changes today and the racing was really close.”
Conditions on the Star Western Hemisphere Championship ocean venue were quite unreliable. The shifting wind direction, spotty clouds at sea, and a cool 5-8 knot breeze made it challenging for many of the sailors to hold their position.
“The races are always challenging, but this week was interesting because each day was different. I try to look at the variety of conditions as a benefit. You have to take each challenge and try to make the best of it, looking at it like an opportunity. In the Star, everybody is pretty even in the different conditions,” Buchan continued.
All of the top three skippers have an extensive sailing resume and the final results of the Star Western Hemisphere Championship really show it. However, they were not alone. Several other sailors with World Champion titles and Star boat successes were not far behind. George Szabo sailing with Guy Avellon was one of them. Szabo started off the regatta with a 6, 10, 9 and an 8 before taking two bullets and a third, bringing him into fifth overall.
Szabo explains his finishes today in the last day of the regatta. “We got up to speed and hit some shifts in the first race, finishing first. We finished third in the second race. It was a lot of fun with a few battles going on between the boats on the course… a ‘who beat who’ match race. We got over our jet lag, got used to tuning the rig again and setting the boat up. It took us a little more time than we wanted to.”
All 26 boats this week saw extremely tight competition and intense racing. According to third place finisher Eric Doyle, there are a lot of components that help make you a successful Star sailor - the two most important being dedication and hard work.
After the races, sailors gathered for beer and sandwiches before heading to the Front Deck for prize giving. First, second and third place competitors were awarded duffel bags by sponsor, North Sails. Thank you to our sponsors North Sails, Downwind Marine Sailing Supply, Ketch Brewing, and Scripps.
For media inquiries, please contact Casey Allocco.
Communications Coordinator
o: 619-758-6316
e: casey@sdyc.org
For event questions, please contact Jeff Johnson.
Regatta Manager
o: 619-758-6310
e: sailing@sdyc.org
About SDYC
The San Diego Yacht Club encourages and fosters an environment that helps and continues to produce the best in the world of yachting-related activities. Founded in 1886, SDYC has become a world renown yachting community recognized for its success in bay sailing, ocean racing, cruising, angling, and its world class youth sailing program. SDYC is consistently ranked among the top 5 yacht clubs in the U.S. and is recognized by the Club Leadership Forum as one of the finest facilities of its kind in the world.
Author: Casey Allocco, San Diego Yacht Club - April 23, 2019San Diego, CA (April 23, 2019) What sight is more beautiful than a cluster of Stars floating low in the sky over the Pacific Ocean... the Star boat that is. Sailors and spectators can enjoy the view of the International Star Class Western Hemisphere Championship from Wednesday, May 22 through Saturday, May 25. Nearly 30 Stars are headed to San Diego in less than a month and will be making their way southeast of Point Loma for a four-day series of ocean races.
Since 1934, Star sailors have been competing to earn their colored stars. Last year, first place in the Western Hemisphere Championship went to Skipper Lars Grael and Crew Samuel Goncalves from Brazil, sailed in Miami, FL. This year, the entry list is flush with several local San Diego sailors looking to fight for the silver Star.
There’s a rich history of Star sailing local to Southern California and this regatta will have the pleasure of seeing several big names appear on the scoresheet. Mark Reynolds, two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, is one of the many excited to get out on the water. “I’ve sailed in this regatta at least 25 times. I’m not sailing that much these days, but with the regatta at the SDYC, I figured it would be a good chance to get in the boat with Hal Haenel [Olympic crew] again,” Reynolds began.
Although it may seem like there’s a bias, home-town advantage, the regatta isn’t always a SoCal shoe-in. “Even though the San Diego Star fleet can be argued to be the best in the world over the history of the class, I think it took almost 50 years for a local to win the Star Worlds when it was held here,” explained Reynolds.
Amazing Star sailors from all over the world will be competing in the Star Western Hemisphere Championship. Two races are scheduled for each day that will contribute to the overall score of the event. Shall the number of races exceed five, the worst score will be thrown away. After the races on Saturday, the sailors will participate in an Awards Party.
Some of the other prominent Star sailors participating in next month’s event include:
SDYC Commodore Jerelyn Biehl comments, “With our deep history with the Star Class, SDYC is proud to host this silver Star event and continue our traditions. Many of our past and present Star sailors will be in attendance and we expect a large spectator crowd to watch these iconic boats battle it out on the Pacific Ocean.”
Following the Western Hemispheres is the Star World Championships in Italy this June.
Author: Casey Allocco, SDYC Communications Coordinator - May 23, 2019It’s been a slow start for the Star Western Hemisphere Championship as unfavorable conditions swept through San Diego on Wednesday, postponing the start of the regatta due to high wind and seas. On Thursday, twenty-six sailors launched their vessels and eagerly headed out past Point Loma to the ocean venue ready to sail. However, the extremely light winds didn’t help pick up the pace.
The current overall standings show Carl and Jamie Buchan in first with 5 points, Allan Terhune and Ian Coleman in second with 7 points, and Ben Mitchell and Patrick Powell in third with 12 points.
Star sailing legend Carl Buchan has quite the extensive sailing background, proving his experience by standing in first place overall. Fellow Olympians John Dane and Brian Ledbetter did not stray too far behind, all making it in the top five on the scoresheet at the end of day two. However, their sailing resume and success didn’t stop them from facing the other intense competitors on the water.
Behind Buchan in race one was Ledbetter followed by Chuck Driscoll and Jim Oberg. After race two, Ledbetter currently stands in fifth. “Today we had a second in the first race and a 12th or 13th in the second. It was really light, but at least the sun came out unlike the last couple of days. Hopefully we’ll try to be a little more consistent tomorrow.”
As race two began, the breeze settled down to about five knots, making for extremely slow and tough sailing. Finishing race two in first was Mitchell, followed by Allan Terhune and Ian Coleman in second and Jim Buckingham and Craig Moss in third.
Mitchell, holding third place overall, also commented on today’s races. “During race one, we came in 11th which was okay because we were OCS at the start and had to turn around. [Race two] was a long, light aired and frustrating race for everyone. We were about third or fourth most of the way around the race course… We got just about six lengths from the finish line before we heard the race committee announce the two hour mark in the race.” Fortunately for Mitchell and his crew, it was decided by the jury to include race two on the scoresheet.
After the races, sailors enjoyed cold beer and sandwiches at the hoist, followed by a buffet dinner on the Front Deck and a Legends Talk featuring Malin Burnham, Mark Reynolds and Eric Doyle, hosted by John Dane.
The forecast for the next two days shows conditions improving, promising more exciting racing for the competitors. Tomorrow, sailors can enjoy a complimentary breakfast, a keg at the hoist following racing, and an evening social before preparing for the final day of the regatta.
For media inquiries, please contact Casey Allocco.
Communications Coordinator
o: 619-758-6316
e: casey@sdyc.org
For event questions, please contact Jeff Johnson.
Regatta Manager
o: 619-758-6310
e: sailing@sdyc.org
About SDYC
The San Diego Yacht Club encourages and fosters an environment that helps and continues to produce the best in the world of yachting-related activities. Founded in 1886, SDYC has become a world renown yachting community recognized for its success in bay sailing, ocean racing, cruising, angling, and its world class youth sailing program. SDYC is consistently ranked among the top 5 yacht clubs in the U.S. and is recognized by the Club Leadership Forum as one of the finest facilities of its kind in the world.
