2022 European Championship

July 7 - 10, 2022

DISTRICT: ISCYRA

HOST

Royal Danish Yacht Club    
Tuborg Havnepark
Copenhagen 2900 Denmark

CONTACT

Contact : Flemming Sorensen

EVENT INFORMATION

Author: Rachele Vitello - July 10, 2022

Two bullets on the very last day of the 2022 Star European Championship delivered the continental title unquestionably to Tonci Stipanovic and Tudor Bilic. It was a hard fought battle for the Croatian team who right after they christened their new Star boat here in Copenhagen, had a very bad day to start the Championship. A little disheartened, they began the climb to the top on day 2, when they finished first and third, to finalize the work today with two wins to undoubtedly earn the right to engrave their name on the 40-year-old Star European Championship Trophy.
 
"That was the only good option for us so we really pushed hard today and the plan was to do 2 bullets and really have a good first downwind, which we managed to do that in the first race. In the second race I said to Tudor, OK let's do a good start and go left and then strike as hard as we can... and again we had a really good downwind.  After that we were covering the group and trying to finish first so we we managed that and we're really happy. After the first day we were thinking that we don't have any any chance for the podium and then in the end with a good day we managed to win the gold". 
 
A day to remember for them indeed, but a great day for the whole 51 boat fleet who had the chance to sail two amazing races with winds going from 10 knots in the first start to above 20 in the last downwind of the second race. A big shift to the right had the Committee work hard to reset the course, with the wind coming from the North substituted the tedious chop with big waves to be happily surfed by the almost 700kg keel boats. A smooth start in the fifth race, was followed by three general recalls in the last one, but the sun was shining, and the soaked sailors all had smiles on their salty, weary faces.
 
After race five the overall ranking had already drastically changed due to the discard coming in place, Hubert Merkelbach and Kilian Weise (GER) were leading – a great achievement for them after loosing a race for a broken mast on day two – followed by Jack Jennings with Pedro Trouche (BRA) and only two points behind Stipanovic/Bilic. The sixth and last race confirmed the same three teams on the podium, but the Germans slipped in third after a ninth place.
“We were a bit unlucky in the second day, we broke the mast in the third race and that cost us a DNF but we managed to go back ashore, change it very quickly in between the races rushed out and for the fourth race and finished second, so that was great!! Today another second place in the fifth race after which we were actually the overall leaders, but we didn't do well in the last race so in the end we finished third. We are very happy with this bronze medal”.
 
Only happiness for the silver medalists, Jack Jennings and Pedro Trouche who seem to be liking to step on the Continental Championship podium after winning the North Americans just a month ago, their eyes are already set to the Western Hemisphere on Lake Sunapee and eventually to the 100th Anniversary Star World Championship in Marblehead in September.

2nd Place skipper Jack Jennings commented, “It’s going well for us, we wanted to just come into this regatta and have a shot to win on the last day and that's what we did and we fought hard, we had to fight during every leg. But Tonci sailed amazing today, he had two firsts so it's hard to keep up with that and I think he got us by a point and it's well deserved for him, he's definitely a champion sailor obviously, so we're very happy with second place. It was great, and it was great competing with Pedro again, we had some great downwinds and some hard hiking upwind and a fantastic last day, fast is fun!”.
 
A very well managed 2022 European Championship by the Royal Danish Yacht Club whose management got also involved in helping two Ukrainian teams to have a license to join the fleet and be able to forget about the bombings for a week of just sport among friends.
 
The Star class fleet will meet again in a little more than a month on Lake Sunapee, New Hampshire, for the 2022 Star Western Hemisphere, before the long awaited 100thAnniversary 2022 Star World Championship in Marblehead, Massachusetts in mid September.


TOP 5

1   Tonci Stipanovic          Tudor Bilic
2   Jack Jennings              Pedro Trouche
3   Hubert Merkelbach      Kilian Weise
4   Marin Misura               Tonco Barac
5   Piet Eckert                   Frederico Melo

Author: European Organizing Committee - February 16, 2022

Read the latest updates for the 2022 European Championships

  • Corona update
  • Event Schedule
  • Social Events
  • Sustainability

Read Newsletter >>

March 22, 2022

Read the latest updates for the European Championship

NOR Amendment #1 | Volunteers  | Self sailing marks 

May 31, 2022
June 20, 2022

Read the latest updates from Regatta Organizers

  • Entry is now closed
  • Pereparations for competitors
  • Measurement
  • Manage2Sail & WhatsApp
  • Accommodation options
June 27, 2022

Read up on the latest news before heading to Denmark:

1. Tour de France - Traffic Information
2. General Directions driving from the German Border
3. Camping in Skovshoved, Accommodation options
4. 56 teams are registered including 2 teams from UKR!
5. Fundraiser for Ukrainian refugee children
6. follow along with WhatsApp & Manage2Sail

Author: Rachele Vitello - July 07, 2022

The 2022 Star Europeans started today hosted by the Royal Danish Yacht Club
 

Strong breeze, sun and a very eager fleet are the ingredients that made Day One of the 2022 Star Europeans a memorable one. The wind was coming from West/North-West at 10 to 15 knots with gusts of 18, making it challenging yet compelling, for the 53-boat fleet to manage their way on the course on both races.
 
The first race was brilliantly won by the freshly crowned North American Champions Jack Jennings and Pedro Trouche (USA/BRA), they were chased by Piet Eckert and Frederico Melo (SUI/POR), the best of the day, and local skipper Jorgen Shönherr with crew Markus Koy (DEN/GER).

The second race started right on time, about 30 minutes after the end of the first one. The wind was still a bit shifty both in intensity and direction, but not so that it would affect fair racing. The best ones this time were Germans: former Star Class President Hubert Merkelbach with his crew Kilian Weise. They sailed a flawless race that combined with a sixth in the first one have them close the day in second while the overall provisional leaders Eckert/Melo closed race two in third place.

"It was a good first day but we had some ups and downs", commented Pedro Trouche back in the harbor. "In the first race we sailed very well and we managed to keep a good pace in the first upwind playing and protecting the left which gave us the lead at the first top mark and in the downwind we were very happy to hit the shifts and sail with pressure opening the advantage for the second upwind and last downwind. So we are happy with both our speed and boat handling".
 
Tomorrow, July 8th the first race is scheduled for 11,30 am (GMT+1) with two races. Same time for both Saturday and Sunday July 10th, but only one race is planned on the last day.

 

TOP 5 AFTER DAY 1

1   Piet Eckert                   Frederico Melo    5 pts.
2   Hubert Merkelbach      Kilian Weise         7 pts.
3   Lars Hendriksen         Jan Eli Gravad     8 pts.
4   Jorgen Shönherr          Markus Koy        10 pts.
5   Jack Jennings              Pedro Trouche   11 pts.

Author: Rachele Vitello - July 08, 2022

A broken mast followed by a second place for Hubert Merkelbach and Kilian Weise
A great come back by Tonci Stipanovic and Tudor Bilic best of the day
 

The day started out gloomy and grey, with cold wind blowing over 10 knots due to increase up to 15/18. You could feel the energy building up on the docks: a mix of excitement and terror for the 51-boat fleet which is very heterogeneous in age and experience, made of sailors from in their twenties to ones in their seventies and eighties, of big Star Class veteran and newcomers, of Olympic medalist wanting to prove their selves and a petite lady.
 
The Royal Danish Yacht Club Race Committee was sure the day would just be a good one for sailing, and so it proved. Two beautiful races were sailed with wind around 15 knots from the west/north-west with gusts up to 20, choppy water and some shifts to make it more interesting. The first race started out right on time after a general recall. A very fought upwind with the fleet split on the left and on the right, in the end the ones on the right were the first ones rounding, with Laser Silver Olympic medalist Tonci Stipanovic and crew Tudor Bilic arriving first with a big margin after only one leg. Behind them the other Croatian team made by Marin Misura and Tonco Barac. These two boats will continue their own race to the end, with the latter closing the gap with the first, while both extending it with the rest of the fleet.
More of a battle was raced in the rear lines, with teams swapping positions from the topmark to gate, gate to topmark until the finish. The contest for third was won by local sailor Jorgen Shönherr with Markus Koy, while Hubert Merkelbach and Kilian Weise broke their mast at the first windward mark and were out of the competition maybe for the whole day.
 
Instead they rose like a phoenix and were right back on the start line of race 4 even managing to get a second place in yet another wild race. Nothing could stop Jack Jennings and Pedro Trouche (USA/BRA) who, after a very unworthy 14th place in Race 3, dominated the last one of the day. In third it came a very inspired Tonci Stipanovic with Tudor Bilic on their brand new boat, to finish as best of the day.
 
“Today was really good, yesterday we didn’t have speed.. we had just come here with this beautiful new boat and we needed a couple of days to try to make the dream come true” says a relieved Tonci Stipanovic. “So this morning we were the first here in the harbor, at around 7:30 and we worked a lot on the boat to find the pace with a better setup. Today was finally really good!! In the first race we were leading from the beginning and in the second race we were also among the leading group fighting for the top three places so we are really, really happy with the one and three!!”. “Yesterday after sailing we had our heads exploding, we didn't know what to do, what to change, we had the same setup that we had in old boat which is very fast, so I was really unsure on what to change, but luckily we have lot of lot of experienced sailors at home, and thanks to them we changed something and today was really much better and we are hoping to continue like this”.
 
The overall provisional ranking is led by Dutch skipper Haico de Boer with Brazilian crew Samuel Goncalves, the most consistent before the discard coming in place with Race 5. Piet Eckert and Frederico Melo (SUI/POR) are second and Marin Misura with Tonco Barac third.
 
Tomorrow might be windier, another big test for the fleet, called on the water for an 11,30 start just like today.


TOP 5 AFTER DAY 1

1   Haico de Boer             Samuel Goncalves   18 pts
2   Piet Eckert                   Frederico Melo         19 pts.
3   Marin Misura               Tonco Barac              22 pts.
4   Jorgen Shönherr          Markus Koy              22 pts.
5   Jack Jennings              Pedro Trouche         25 pts.

Measurement July 5-6
Racing July 7-10