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District 20 Regatta Report | Sat Feb 9th, 2013 through Sun Feb 10th, 2013 |
Walker Cup and Winter Series winners Arnis Baltins and Augie Diaz. Photo by Meredith Block. |
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Sailed at Miami, Florida, final race of the Star
Winter Series. Diaz Doubles Up With Event, Series Win. Walker Cup Win Gives Miami Local Overall Star Victory Coconut Grove, FL (February 10, 2013) - When the opening gun fired on the 2012-13 Star Winter Series Presented by EFG International, Augie Diaz and Arnie Baltins weren't on the starting line. Schedule conflicts forced the talented duo to miss the Schoonmaker Cup in November, and the rest of this inaugural Star Winter Series season, they played catchup, never scoring worse than a 2nd place in any of the remaining four regattas. "It was harrowing, and this could well be one of the hardest trophies to win in sailing," said Miami's Diaz. "There are no throwouts, and one small equipment problem or OCS and you're out." Diaz said that he would have been equally happy had he been on the wrong side of some bad luck. "When a series is this well-planned, well-run, and well-supported, you can't help but love it. We can't wait for next year." Series newcomer Jim Buckingham took second on the weekend, winning the final race in a thrilling downwind battle against Diaz as a squall skittered past the fleet. But it was Arthur Anosov, with crew David Caesar, whose third place finish would net them the overall Winter Series runner-up spot, breaking a tie with Canadian skipper Brian Cramer and crew Cam Lymburner. Event founder and chairman Stu Hebb won the third race of the weekend, showing real speed with new crew and former Irish Olympian David Burrows. Inconsistency kept Hebb out of the money, but he won something perhaps equally special; a standing ovation from the crowd and recognition by official Star Class officers of the work and vision he put into the Star Winter Series. Hebb reacted with his usual wit: "If you really want to thank me, get rid of the weigh-in rule." Hebb was most happy with Biscayne Bay and the Coral Reef Yacht Club, which he called "the real stars of the Star Winter Series" and said that the flawless conditions surprised even he. "I moved to Coconut Grove because, for 6 months it is quite possibly the best place to sail in the world," Hebb said. "Still, we've sailed 5 regattas - that's 12 days of sailing - and we have not had a day of less than 8 or more than 21 knots of wind. It is unbeatable." Hebb said he he won't have much time to relax after a busy Star season. "We should have lots of exciting news about next year's Star Winter Series coming soon. This is a formula that just works, and we want to share it with as many people as possible. That's our goal." |
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ISCYRA Central
Office 2812 Canon Street San Diego, California 92106 USA Phone: +1 619 222 0252 Fax: +1 619 222 0528 SKYPE: star.class.office office@starchampionships.org |
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