Star Class Honoring the Past, Leading the Future
Author: Rachele Vitello - November 11, 2021The 51st edition of the Star South American Championship brings together big names of the Brazilian sport, such as the greatest Olympic medalist Robert Scheidt
The first two races of the Star South American Championship will take place tomorrow, Friday November the 12th at the Yacht Club de Ilhabela (YCI), on the northern coast of São Paulo, Brazil. The competition counts on 32 athletes, 16 teams, and the races will be held until November the 15th, a national Brazilian holiday. The Continental event will have big names such as the greatest Olympic medalist Robert Scheidt, Star World Champion Jorge Zarif and other national legends of the sport.
The Star South American Championship has been held since 1952, and this is the 51st edition of the traditional competition. The last edition was held in 2019, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the title went to the duo Tomás Hornos (USA) and Pedro Trouche (BRA), here as crew for Marco Szili. Pedro also won the SSL Finals in 2018 with Olympic Finn sailor Jorge Zarif.
Robert Scheidt, who won the 2006 and 2018 editions of the South American will be joined for the first time by Ubiratan Matos. "We've never sailed together before but we had a few days before the event starts tomorrow to get used to each other, get the maneuvers right, and regulate the boat. I enter the competition without any great expectations and I hope to make the most of the competition," said the Olympic medalist in Star in Beijing 2008 and London 2012.
Robert Scheidt, a Brazilian Olympic sports idol, will face high level opponents like Jorge Zarif, who, in this edition, will race alongside Arthur Lopes. The constellation of sailors will also have World Champion sailors such as Guilherme de Almeida and Samuel Gonçalves, who will race alongside Juninho de Jesus and Pedro Lodovici, respectively.
The sailors have been in Ilhabela since last week. The time here was useful to get the teams acquainted, since many of them are racing together for the first time. The Paulista Championship was held during the weekend at the BL3 headquarters, also on the island, Jorge Zarif and Arthur Lopes were the winners.
Today and tomorrow morning will be used for the final measurements and weighing of the sailors. The initial regatta is scheduled for 12 on Friday, and the forecast is for weak to medium winds with a high chance of rain.
The athletes are very motivated and excited for this traditional Star class competition. We have Olympic, Pan-American, South American, and world champions competing in Ilhabela, the sailing capital of the country. “Each year, more sailors seek to compete in the Star, a very high level category, with technical and tight races, very important for the growth of each sailor,'' said Arthur Lopes, Star class director in the country – and crewing here for Jorge Zarif.
The Yacht Club de Ilhabela (YCI) hosted the event in 2014, in parallel with the Ilhabela Sailing Week, and the title went to the duo Lars Grael and Samuel Gonçalves. The club is not new to hosting major events like this, such as the yearly Ilhabela International Sailing Week and the Mitsubishi Cup.
Besides organizing these championships, the YCI has given support to Ilhabela's sailing athletes by admitting as members sailors Mário Sergio Jesus Jr, Juninho, Alexandre Kuhl, Brazil's first Optimist world champion, and Douglas Said, another promising national sailor.
Juninho de Jesus recently joined the Brazilian team composed by renowned Brazilian sailors such as Robert Scheidt (skipper) and the double Olympic champion Martina Grael and Kahena Kunze, recently conquering second place in the SSL Gold Cup test event in Switzerland. Other names who were at the regattas on Lake Neuchatel and have confirmed their presence at the South American championship are Henry Boening and Henrique Haddad.
“With this support, the YCI consolidates its importance for national sailing. And we are very proud of it. Hosting the South American Star Championship is one more step in the consolidation of the club's leadership in sailing, a sport that has brought so much joy and medals to Brazil. May the Star Class have an excellent Championship", said Mauro Dottori, Ilhabela Yacht Club's sailing director.
Teams confirmed in Ilhabela (SP)
Robert Scheidt | Ubiratan Matos
Jorge Zarif | Arthur Lopes
André Diomelli | Marcelo Jordão
Juninho Jesus | Guilherme de Almeida
Alessandro Pascolato | Henry Boening
Robert Rittscher | Marcelo Valland
Admar Gonzaga | Ronald Seifert
Alberto Guarischi | Pedro Tinoco
Antonio Moreira | Arcelio Moreira
Henrique Haddad | TBC
Fabiano Vivacqua | Caio Teisen
Daniel De La torre (ARG) | Maurício Bueno
Pedro Lodovici | Samuel Gonçalves
Marco Szili | Pedro Trouche
The 2021 Star Class South American Championship is organized by the Yacht Club de Ilhabela in partnership with the Ilhabela City Hall. The official sponsorship is by Mitsubishi and the support of Madalena Brewery and Regatta.
Author: Rachele Vitello - November 12, 2021The Star class event runs until Monday, the 15th, and is organized by the Yacht Club de Ilhabela, Brazil
The opening day of the Star South American Championship at the Yacht Club de Ilhabela, on the northern coast of São Paulo state, saw a fierce battle between the two Olympic athletes Robert Scheidt, here with Ubiratan Matos, and Jorge Zarif, here with Arthur Lopes. Two races were sailed and both won one race. The races were held with light to medium wind on São Sebastião Channel. The competition runs until next Monday, the 15th, and in the fleet there are Olympic, World, South American, and National champions and medalists.
Scheidt and Matos lead the championship because they won the last race of the day, in second Zarif / Lopes and in third place are Pedro Lodovici and Samuel Gonçalves, with eight points.
"It was a slightly atypical day, a northeasterly wind, weak to medium intensity, but we had good and fair races, the Star is a boat that sails well in these conditions, our battle with Jorge and Arthur Lopes was good, they won the first and we ended up winning the second by a little bit, we are very satisfied, I believe we improved a little bit from last week to this one", said Robert Scheidt, who returns to the Star after a couple of years out.
Another one who returned to the category after a long period was Jorge Zarif. The Finn and Star World Champion won last week the Paulista championship. His partner Arthur Lopes highlighted the balance that should occur until the end of the championship: ''They were good races and well disputed, especially between us and Robert Scheidt. It will be a match-race until the end".
The sailors will return to Ilhabela tomorrow afternoon from 1 pm for two more races. After the races, the Madalena brewery will offer beer tasting to the participants.
The Star South American Championship has been held since 1952 and the Ilhabela regattas marks the 51 edition. The last edition took place in 2019, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the title went to the Tomás Hornos (USA) and Pedro Trouche (Brazil).
Results after 2 races
1 - Robert Scheidt | Ubiratan Matos (Banco do Brasil) - 3 pp
2 - Jorge Zarif | Arthur Lopes (Regatta) - 3 pp
3 - Pedro Lodovici | Samuel Gonçalves (Dom) - 8 pp
4 - Mario de Jesus | Guilherme de Almeida (Vida Bandida) - 9 pp
5 - Daniel De La torre (ARG) | Maurício Bueno (Enrique) - 10 pp
6 - Admar Gonzaga | Ronald Seifert (Maricota) - 10 pp
7 - Robert Rittscher | Marcelo Valland (Born Free) - 16 pp
8 - Antonio Moreira | Arcelio Moreira (Culé) - 16 pp
9 - Marco Szili | Pedro Trouche (Viva la Vida) - 16 pp
10 - Fabiano Vivacqua | Caio Gerassi (Balada) - 19 pp
Full results here.
Author: Rachele Vitello - November 13, 2021The second day of the 2021 Star South American Championship was once again dominated by the country's greatest Olympic medalist Robert Scheidt together with Ubiratan Matos. The duo had a similar performance of day one at the Yacht Club de Ilhabela (YCI), on the northern coast of São Paulo, with a bullet and a second place.
Robert Scheidt and Ubiratan Matos lead the continental competition with six points after four races. Second place now belongs to Juninho de Jesus and Guilherme de Almeida with 13 points. The championship is won by whoever has the fewest points.
The races were once again very balanced, even with Robert Scheidt and Ubiratan Matos leading the table. The wind was more stable in the São Sebastião Channel, typical of this time of the year in the region.
“It was an incredible day with steady breeze and gusts up to 24 knots. The boat has improved a lot and we are getting better together as a team. We will make more adjustments for the final stretch of the championship, especially on the mast," said Ubiratan Matos, Robert Scheidt's crew.
Saturday's races were sailed with winds around 14 knots. The first race of the day was won by Juninho de Jesus and Guilherme de Almeida, now in second place overall in Ilhabela. “We had a good day, we are evolving as a team. It is the first time I sail with Guilherme, a World Champion in the class. I am learning a lot and we will try to evolve to have a good result in the end," explained Juninho de Jesus.
Direct rivals in the table, Jorge Zarif and Arthur Lopes bumped into a DNF and were second in the today’s second race, dropped in the ranking and are fourth overall. When the discard comes in on Sunday, it should put the pair from São Paulo back in the fight against the multi-Olympic medalist.
The boats return to the São Sebastião Channel tomorrow for two more races. The Star South American competition will be held until the holiday of November 15. Olympic, World, South American and National medalist athletes attend the championship in Ilhabela.
Results after 2 races
1st- Robert Scheidt | Ubiratan Matos (Banco do Brasil) - 6 pp
2º-Mario de Jesus | Guilherme de Almeida (Vida Bandida) - 13 pp
3º- Pedro Lodovici | Samuel Gonçalves (Dom) - 15 pp
4º- Jorge Zarif | Arthur Lopes (Regatta) - 16 pp
5- Admar Gonzaga | Ronald Seifert (Maricota) - 20 pp
6- Antonio Moreira | Arcelio Moreira (Culé) - 26 pp
7º- Robert Rittscher | Marcelo Valland (Born Free) - 29 pp
8º- Marco Szili | Pedro Trouche (Viva la Vida) - 31 pp
9º- Daniel De La torre (ARG) | Maurício Bueno (Enrique) - 32 pp
10º- Fabiano Vivacqua | Caio Gerassi (Balada) - 38 pp
Full results here.
Author: Rachele Vitello - November 14, 2021Jorge Zarif and Arthur Lopes react and go for the Star South American Championship title against Robert Scheidt and Ubiratan Matos
The final battle for the Star South American Championship is set for the last day of racing, tomorrow, Monday (15), in Ilhabela, Brazil. The world champion Jorge Zarif and the pro Arthur Lopes got back in the game today and will go on the water tomorrow with just one point behind the multi-Olympic gold medalist Robert Scheidt and Ubiratan Matos.
The discard coming in place today, put Zarif and Lopes back in the games. The boat had problems the day before, leaving the two more distant from the leaders. In the races of the day, they won one and came second in the other. The races were practically a match race against Robert Scheidt and Ubiratan Matos, who had the same result as their opponents.
"Strong wind, the east wind came in very strong. We had two very competitive races. Jorginho and Arthur ended up winning the first race, and we won the second. Very tight races, very little margin between boats. Everything remains for tomorrow, the final day of the championship, with the two last races that promise to be interesting", analyzed Robert Scheidt.
This Sunday's races were held at Ponta das Canas with an average of 20 knots of wind due to the entry of a front from the northern coast of São Paulo.
"Another day of very strong winds here in Ilhabela. Very tight races, lots of people appearing in the headwind. We had a good performance, we got a first and a second. We are back in the fight for the Championship", highlighted Jorge Zarif.
Zarif was world champion in 2018 in the United States with crew Guilherme de Almeida. In the same year, the athlete from São Paulo won the SSL Gold Cup Finals, in the Bahamas, with Pedro Trouche. Robert Scheidt, on the other hand, has three gold medals in his resume in the category. Besides the two Olympic medals, he won the 2007, 2011, and 2012 World Championships.
The final races are scheduled for 1 pm on the Brazilian national holiday of November 15th at the Yacht Club de Ilhabela (YCI).
Results after 6 races
1- Robert Scheidt | Ubiratan Matos (Banco do Brasil) - 7 pp
2- Jorge Zarif | Arthur Lopes (Regatta) - 8 pp
3 - Mario de Jesus | Guilherme de Almeida (Vida Bandida) - 14 pp
4 - Pedro Lodovici | Samuel Gonçalves (Dom) - 18 pp
5 - Admar Gonzaga | Ronald Seifert (Maricota) - 26 pp
6 - Antonio Moreira | Arcelio Moreira (Culé) - 30 pp
7 - Daniel De La torre (ARG) | Maurício Bueno (Enrique) - 33 pp
8 - Robert Rittscher | Marcelo Valland (Born Free) - 33 pp
9 - Marco Szili | Pedro Trouche (Viva la Vida) - 39 pp
10 - Fabiano Vivacqua | Caio Gerassi (Balada) - 46 pp
Full results here.
Author: Rachele Vitello - November 15, 2021After a fierce duel against Jorge Zarif and Arthur Lopes, the two-time Olympic champion keeps his leading position
The Star South American Championship was decided today, Monday 15th, a Brazilian national holiday, at the Yacht Club de Ilhabela, on the northern coast of São Paulo. After eight balanced races, the win came in the last race for the duo Robert Scheidt and Ubiratan Matos. They have been faster than their main opponents, Jorge Zarif and Arthur Lopes, since the beginning of the competition, and beat them by only two points. The bronze medal went to Juninho de Jesus and Guilherme de Almeida.
The two-time Olympic champion Robert Scheidt raced with Ubiratan Matos for the first time, and the championship marked his return to the class after more than two years away. The partnership showed regularity from the beginning to the end of the Star South American Championship. Of the eight races, the duo won three, came in second four times, and only in the last race took one sixth, which was discarded.
The two candidates for the title, were practically tied on the decisive day, but the discarding of the worst result and the average maintained by Robert and Ubiratan were fundamental for the result.
“Today was the final of the Star South American Championship, a very exciting day, with a lot happening. We even had some boat breakdowns and a yellow flag penalty in the first race. But in the end, we still managed to regroup and make our strategy in the decision. We were able to use the discard criteria of the worst result very well", said Robert Scheidt.
Jorge Zarif and Arthur Lopes won the first race of the day, taking a provisional lead. The champions, however, had to pay a penalty and made a recovery race, finishing the seventh race in second place.
It was in the last race that everything changed. With a fourth place for Jorge Zarif and Arthur Lopes, the title was in the hands of the helmsman owner of five Olympic medals, who finished in sixth place, a result discarded in the table. The final regatta was won by Juninho de Jesus and Guilherme de Almeida.
Ilhabela marked the third Star South American Championship for Robert Scheidt, the greatest name in Brazilian Olympic sport. Unfortunately, this time it is not a ‘Silver event’ as there wasn’t the minimum number of teams required to give away the silver star. The other titles were in 2006, with Bruno Prada, and 2018, with Arthur Lopes. Both were in Rio de Janeiro. And the first for Ubiratan Matos, one of the prominent prowlers of Brazilian sailing, not only in monotype but also in the ocean.
“Bira (Ubiratan Matos) did a great job this week and the result was worth it. He dedicated himself a lot to the boat, especially during the mast change," added Robert Scheidt.
The 51st edition of the event started on Friday, November the 12th, and gathered 10 teams formed by experienced athletes in Olympic Games, Pan-American Games and World Championships not only in the Star class, but also in other classes.
“The championship was very competitive, and the title was well deserved by Robert and Ubiratan. There were four days of strong wind and good sailing conditions in Ilhabela. After almost two years without the event due to the pandemic, we were able to organize the races. I cannot forget to thank Mitsubishi and the Yacht Club de Ilhabela, our main sponsors. Without their support, this championship would not have been possible,'' explained Tutu Lopes, competitor and organizer of the Star Class in Brazil.
The 2021 Star South American Championship was organized by the Yacht Club de Ilhabela in partnership with the Ilhabela City Hall.
Final results (8 races and 1 discard)
1 - Robert Scheidt | Ubiratan Matos (Banco do Brasil) - 11 pp
2 - Jorge Zarif | Arthur Lopes (Regatta) - 13 pp
3 - Mario de Jesus | Guilherme de Almeida (Vida Bandida) - 20 pp
4 - Pedro Lodovici | Samuel Gonçalves (Dom) - 26 pp
5 - Admar Gonzaga | Ronald Seifert (Maricota) - 31 pp
6 - Daniel De La Torre (ARG) | Maurício Bueno (Enrique) - 42 pp
7 - Robert Rittscher | Marcelo Valland (Born Free) - 47 pp
8 - Antonio Moreira | Arcelio Moreira (Culé) - 50 pp
9 - Marco Szili | Pedro Trouche (Viva la Vida) - 55 pp
10 - Fabiano Vivacqua | Caio Gerassi (Balada) - 68 pp
Full results here.
A WhatsApp group will be created for participants to communicate information as well as being posted on the SA Star Championship site.
