Star Class Honoring the Past, Leading the Future
Author: Rachele Vitello - March 30, 2022Less than a month to go to the Star Eastern Hemisphere in Napoli from April 27th to May 1st
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International Star Class and RYCC Savoia postponed the entry dead line to April 3rd. And the ‘early bird’ discounted fee will apply until then!!
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Don’t miss this chance
Author: Rachele Vitello - April 26, 2022The Star Class returns to Naples. The International Star Class Yacht Racing Association, Reale Yacht Club Canottieri Savoia and Flotta di Capri, in collaboration with Sezione Velica Marina Militare Napoli, Circolo Remo e Vela Italia and Circolo Canottieri Napoli and under the patronage of the Italian Sailing Federation, are organizing from Wednesday, April 27th to Sunday, May 1st 2022 the Star Eastern Hemisphere Championship 2022.
Some of the most illustrious names in the sailing world will be in Naples, such as Enrico Chieffi, 1996 Star World Champion and 2021 European Champion, and Diego Negri, 2021 Star World Champion and 2011 European Champion. A total of about 50 teams will be on the starting line of the event, representing 12 nations. The program includes four days of racing, from Thursday, April 28th to Sunday, May 1st (race start scheduled at noon). There will be two races per day for a total of eight races. On Wednesday, April 27th, the opening ceremony will take place before the practice race and the crew party on the dock. The prize-giving ceremony on the terrace of the Circolo Savoia will close the event on Sunday.
Diego Negri, European Vice President of the International Star Class Yachting Racing Association, established in New York in 1911, says: "It will certainly be a beautiful sporting event, the RYCC Savoia has worked with great commitment in the past few months. The races will take place in the beautiful Gulf of Naples, in front of many people who will watch the races from the seafront. We are also satisfied with the number of participants, 50 teams confirm the excellent health of the Star Class. I'll be on the water too, I hope to confirm myself at the top after last year's World title".
The Star Class has been missing in the Gulf since 2006, when Circolo Savoia, then chaired by Pippo Dalla Vecchia, organized the same event, which attracted competitors from Europe and the USA. A very strong relationship between the fleet and Naples, a city that has written unrepeatable pages of international sailing through the action of a great member, Admiral Agostino Straulino (four world titles and ten European ones). The RYCC Savoia won a European Star in 1934 in Marseilles with members Fritz Giannini and Mario Malfitano on Orsa, a boat built in Posillipo by Basilio Postiglione's shipyard. In the 1950s, it was Nino Cosentino who gave the association success in international waters. In 1986, the then FIV president, Carlo Rolandi, a great Star sailor, organized the World Championship in Capri, which ended with the silver medal of Picchio Milone and Roberto Mottola of CRV Italia.
"The idea of bringing the Star class back to Naples was born in the fall of 2020 together with the unforgettable Pippo Dalla Vecchia just to remember Carlo Rolandi, who had passed away a few weeks earlier," says Fabrizio Cattaneo della Volta, RYCC Savoia president. "The logo of the event shows in the center the picture of Rolandi on his Star, Caprice. The initial intention was to propose, together with the Capri Fleet, the "Classic of May", for years a reference regatta on the international scene. The International Star Class did not want to miss the opportunity to join the project by assigning the Eastern Championship to Naples. I want to thank the entire Board for the commitment and the work done, first of all the Sport vice-president Enrico Milano and the Sailing advisor, Nello Oliviero”.
The event has the patronage of the City of Naples and Coni Campania. Main Partner is Porsche. Official Sponsors: Synlab SDN; Slam; Reby - K City; Saces; Gennaro Regina; Ferrarelle; Coop; Leopoldo; Mammina; Macchia Mediterranea; Fram and Villa Oliviero.
April 28, 2022Naples and the Reale Yacht Club Canottieri offered their most beautiful conditions to the champions of the Star class, engaged from today in the Eastern Hemisphere Championship. It was a great first day in the Gulf of Naples. Clear skies, a ten knot Grecale wind, two clean races with regular starts: ideal for sailing.
The best of the day is the world champion Diego Negri, who, with crew Sergio Lambertenghi, won both races, taking immediately the head of the overall ranking. In second place another Italian world champion, Enrico Chieffi with Ferdinando Colaninno: the recent Italian Open champions bring home a fourth and a second place of the day. Third are Marin Misura and Tonko Barac on Croatel Two from Croatia (5-3).
"We are happy, we wanted to start strong, and it went well," comments Diego Negri. "The conditions were spectacular, we sailed at our best with gusts up to 16-18 knots. The second race was more complicated because there were streaks of air coming in from left and right, but we interpreted the pressure well and brought home the result. The parterre is of a high level, it was important to be in front".
On Naples and the Circolo Savoia: "Here I won my first Italian Laser championship - recalls Negri - the race course is similar to Liguria, where I live. Then the organization from the sea is super, the context is spectacular with the gulf, the beautiful city and the hospitality of the Circolo Savoia that has opened its doors with enthusiasm. On the way back, pizza party on the quay: "In fact nobody wanted to leave", jokes the world champion.
Tomorrow, from midday, the third and fourth race.
April 29, 2022The Star Eastern Hemisphere Championship 2022 is in full swing. A day of great challenges in the Gulf of Naples, among broken masts, technical issues and many protests. To tame the gale and win the third race of the event, the first scheduled today, was the World Champion Diego Negri with Sergio Lambertenghi (ITA), at the end of a very tight race, in which Pietr Eckert and Frederico Melo (SUI) finished second and Marin Misura and Tonko Barac (CRO) were thirds.
The Croatians went on to win race four ahead of two German teams, former Class President Hubert Merkelbach with Kilian Weise and Daniel Fritz with Alberto Ambrosini.
A difficult day for the recently crowned Italian Champions, Enrico Chieffi and Ferdinando Colaninno (ITA), who put together a sixth and a fourth, slipping from second to third spot in the overall ranking, led by Negri/Lambertenghi ahead of Misura/Barac.
The fifth and sixth race of the 2022 Star Eastern World Championship are scheduled for tomorrow, April 29th at 12, introduced by the daily weather briefing provided by the Department of Science and Technology of the University of Naples Parthenope. The event is organized by RYCC Savoia, International Star Class Yachting Racing Association and Flotta di Capri, in collaboration with Sezione Velica Marina Militare Napoli, Circolo Remo e Vela Italia and Circolo Canottieri Napoli and under the patronage of Federazione Italiana Vela, Comune di Napoli and Coni Campania.
Author: Rachele Vitello - April 30, 2022Another day of great sailing in the Gulf of Naples for the Star Eastern Hemisphere 2022 Championship. Two more races were held today, for a total of six of the seven races scheduled, both won by reigning World Champion Diego Negri with Sergio Lambertenghi. The title is already theirs: thanks to the excellent results obtained during the week they are already mathematically the winners of this edition of the Silver Event, as the continental titles of the Star Class are called, as it assigns a silver star to sport on the mainsail of those who won them.
"It was a fantastic day, Naples gave us another amazing day with a westerly wind," said a satisfied Diego Negri, "we have interpreted the conditions in the best possible way, and especially the first race was very close among the leading teams of the regatta. Winning both races is wonderful, we must once again thank Andrea Folli for a beautiful and very fast boat, Verner Fritz for the sails, which we worked on together just two weeks ago for a perfect set up, and I must also thank my bowman Sergio, no so young anymore, who always does a great job!
In the first race with 14/15 knots of wind coming from 240, Hubert Merklebach and Kilian Weise (GER) took another second place after yesterday’s, they were followed by Croatians Marin Misura and Tonko Barac who are having a great week. In the second race, which started around 3pm, the wind dropped a bit, the course was shortened, and the competition became more open. Here the naval architect Juan Kouyoumdjian did great with Fernando Rivero (ARG), they finished second and this is their best result so far; third in the sixth race is 1996 World Champion Enrico Chieffi with Ferdinando Colaninno (ITA) at the bow.
Tomorrow the seventh and final race of the Star Eastern Hemisphere Championship 2022, organized by the Reale Yacht Club Canottieri Savoia and the International Star Class, the first signal is schedule for noon. There will be a good battle for second and third place between the top six teams in the ranking, all within just 12 points. At the moment, Misura/Barac are second, followed by Chieffi/Colaninno in third place.
Author: Rachele Vitello - May 01, 2022Four days of champagne sailing in the Gulf of Naples for the 2022 Star Eastern Hemisphere Championship. The Star is the queen class of world sailing, boasting 18 Olympic participations, including Naples in 1960. Seven races were held from Thursday to Sunday for the 45-team fleet. The winner of this Neapolitan edition of the Silver Event was the reigning world champion Diego Negri, with crew Sergio Lambertenghi. Thanks to the excellent results obtained during the week, the two won with one day to spare and were awarded the trophy on the terrace of the Circolo Savoia, organizer of the event, by the president of the Italian Sailing Federation, Francesco Ettorre, and by the number one of the Santa Lucia club, Fabrizio Cattaneo della Volta.
Francesco Ettorre, president of the Italian Sailing Federation, said: It was a fantastic event, the Star class has maintained its charm, many talented sailors have sailed in this class and still do. My congratulations also go to Circolo Savoia, I saw all the athletes happy, it means that the event has been perfectly organized".
The fight for the podium was decided today: the Italian – and past World Champion - Enrico Chieffi and Ferdinando Colaninno took second place overall, with Hubert Merkelbach and Kilian Weise (GER) finishing third, winning the only race of the day. The Croatians Marin Misura and Tonko Barac, protagonists of an excellent week, let the podium slip away from their fingers and finished fourth. Again today the Gulf of Naples offered ideal conditions for sailing, with Libeccio wind ranging from 8 to 10 knots.
The final word of the president of RYCC Savoia, Fabrizio Cattaneo della Volta: "We are very happy with the success of the event, at sea and on land everything went in the best way. Naples showed its best side with four days of wind, on the dock we opened the doors of the Club to the athletes. The Class, then, is confirmed in good shape despite the age. The Star Championship had been missing at Circolo Savoia for 16 years, we hope not to have to wait so long to see it again here".
"A beautiful regatta, the hospitality of Circolo Savoia was spectacular and also the weather conditions were very nice, with a north wind for two days, before the typical west wind of Naples," says the winner of the event, Diego Negri. "I managed to get the victory with a day to spare, it doesn't happen often: I am satisfied with what I showed at sea, I really cared about this event".
The event was organized by RYCC Savoia, International Star Class and Flotta di Capri, in collaboration with Sezione Velica Marina Militare Napoli, Circolo Remo e Vela Italia and Circolo Canottieri Napoli and under the patronage of the Italian Sailing Federation, Municipality of Naples and Coni Campania. Parthenope University has taken care of the weather reports, strategic the role of coordination of the V Zone Fiv.
