Star Class Honoring the Past, Leading the Future
Author: Rachele Vitello - April 22, 2021The Star Western Hemisphere Championship has lifted the curtains today, April 22nd, in Miami, hosted by the Biscayne Bay Yacht Club and organized by Diaz Marine and the International Star Class. It is the first Championship of the year 2021 and the first one in North America since COVID-19 shuffled the regatta schedule worldwide. Much anticipation lies in the boat park these days in Miami, all of the 21 teams are eager to start racing tomorrow, some of them have attended the Bacardi Cup a month ago in these same waters, but others are just starved for true action on the water.
It will mostly be an all-American Star Western Hemisphere, given the global travel restrictions still in place, with the exception of the Danish/German duo Jørgen Shönherr and Markus Koy, who finished 7th overall at the Europeans on Lake Garda last October; as well as German, Brazilian and Argentinian teams.
Among the American fleet we are not short of Gold Stars. Augie Diaz is here with his five-time World Champion crew Bruno Prada (and double Olympic medalist) in the very same bay that saw them winning Augie’s Gold Star back in 2016; John McCausland, winner of the World title in 2013, and more recently fifth at the 2021 Bacardi Cup, sails this weekend with Guy Avellon. John’s World Champion crew Phil Trinter, is sailing here with Peter Vessella. The third Gold Star on the race course is Paul Cayard, with crew Luke Lawrence with whom he finished third at the Midwinter Series in Miami in February.
Racing will begin tomorrow, April 23rd, on Biscayne Bay, and will resume on Sunday the 25th. It is a shorter Star Western Hemisphere Championship this year, but with a skilled skipper Augie Diaz in charge of the event and Carl Schellbach as PRO, the level of competition will be surely high and the Championship a success.
Author: Rachele Vitello - April 23, 2021The past Star World Champions wanted to prove their worth on the opening day of the 2021 Western Hemisphere Championship in Miami. The three Gold Stars on the race course claimed a bullet each, John MacCausland / Guy Avellon (USA) won the first race, Augie Diaz / Bruno Prada (USA/BRA) the second and are second overall while Paul Cayard / Luke Lawrence (USA) won the third and last one and are leading the series.
A beautiful day in Miami for the first Star Class Championship of the year 2021. After a short postponement at Biscayne Bay Yacht Club, the fleet headed out and the first signal went up at 11:15am. A steady breeze between 12 – 15 knots from the North East granted the 20 teams to sail three very regular windward – leeward courses over the blue waters of Biscayne Bay. They finished around 3pm so that they were able to fully enjoy the South Florida weather and lifestyle, particularly for the only team coming from still cold northern Europe, the Danish/German duo Jørgen Shoenherr and Markus Koy, who had a very consistent first day and are third overall (7, 3, 2).
Day two, tomorrow, looks very similar to today, with the wind rotating slightly from the South East, and the first warning signal planned for 10:55am.
Author: Rachele Vitello - April 24, 2021Day two of the 2021 Star Western Hemisphere was as perfect as day one, with clear blue sky, azure flat water and a steady 12-15 knot breeze blowing from South East. Two races were sailed today: one won by one of the few non-American teams, Jørgen Shoenherr and Markus Koy (DEN/GER), and the other won by the overall leaders of the series, Paul Cayard and Luke Lawrence (USA).
Cayard and Lawrence are showing great pace and consistency, a second and a first were their results of the day, and a third is their worst of the series so far, they retained their top spot from yesterday and surely aim to confirm it tomorrow, the last day of the event. The day’s winner for the Danish/German duo, a first and a second, who climbed a step in the ranking from yesterday, leaving Augie Diaz and Bruno Prada (USA/BRA) who are sitting in third with a three and a six on today’s scorecard – that they are able to discard because the series counts of five races. In fourth overall, John MacCausland and Guy Avellon (USA) are not too far behind from the podium and tomorrow’s two races could still shuffle things among the top teams.
The weather forecast for Sunday is predicting light and shifty winds. With five fair races in the bag and the discards in place, the PRO Carl Schellbach won’t be pressured to take decisions abruptly. Biscayne Bay though is a certainty, and it will likely deliver another brilliant day of sailing.
TOP 5
1 Paul Cayard/ Luke Lawrence 6pt
2 Jørgen Shoenherr / Markus Koy 8pt
3 Augie Diaz / Bruno Prada 12pt
4 John MacCausland / Guy Avellon 16pt
5 Peter Vessella / Phil Trinter 18pt
Author: Rachele Vitello - April 25, 2021Paul Cayard and Luke Lawrence (USA) are the 2021 Star Western Hemisphere Champions after a flawless series, leading the scoreboard since day one. Both American, but not from Miami, they know this race course so well they could be almost considered locals and they have only raced together once before when they finished third at the Midwinter Series on these very waters last February. They must have found great combination onboard, with Lawrence jumping in the front of the boat when he usually steers it, the duo ended the Championship with a win in the first race today, their third bullet of the weekend.
“It was fantastic to win the 2021 Star Western Hemisphere Championship. Luke and I sailed smart and we were fast and never finished worse than third. It’s been a long time since I’ve won a Western Hemisphere Championship so I’m super excited.” Commented Paul Cayard.
In second place the Danish/German team with Jørgen Shoenherr and Markus Koy had a very consistent weekend, dropping a seventh in the first race, they’ve always finished in the top three and recorded a win. They are only three points behind the winners and two in front of the third place team, the 2016 Star World Champions Augie Diaz (USA) and Bruno Prada (BRA), on the same boat again after a few regattas as challengers – the Brazilian superstar crew won his second back-to-back Bacardi Cup only last month with Mateusz Kusznierewicz.
Today, April 25th, the conditions were quite different from the previous days, a much lighter breeze, 6-8 knots from the South, a little rain, and a postponement on the water. Two races were sailed as scheduled nonetheless, for a total of seven very fair and fun races on Biscayne Bay for the 21 teams, all organized impeccably by Biscayne Bay Yacht Club and Diaz Marine.
