There were numerous general recalls disciplined by Black flag starts and notable offenders included Torben Grael & Guilherme De Almeida and Johannes Polgar & Markus Koy, both were adjudged to be on course side in Race 2. However the Brazilian duo scored two bullets today, and after counting a discard, are placed fourth after the first days racing.

Augie Diaz & Arnis Baltins from the USA top the leaderboard after four races having scored [8]-6-1-4. Augie & Arnie have been sailing together for about five years and consistent results in the top ten, boosted by a bullet in Race 3, has propelled the Americans to the top but only just. Gold Star, George Szabo racing with local expert, Patrick 'The Duke' Ducommun, is second by a single point. Reigning Star World Champions, Robert Stanjek & Frithjof Kleen, scored a 4-1 in the first two races to lead the championship but the lighter conditions did not seem to suit the German pair, scoring a 8-[30] in the final two races, to finish the day in third. There are 22 teams from Switzerland racing in the regatta, Henrik Dannesboe & Jan Bonhoeffer were top Swiss team today and had an epic duel with Torben Grael & Guilherme De Almeida in the last race. Dannesboe & Bonhoeffer nailed the start and held off the Brazilian team for three legs. However, Grael & De Almeida out foxed the Swiss pair at the very last mark to take the gun pushing the Swiss team into second.

The SSL Lake Grand Slam has a different format to other regattas with a knock-out stage. After the three days of racing, 11 teams will progress. There are few surprises after the first day, with Gold and Silver Stars peppering the top of the leader board. However, the Croatian pair, Marin Misura & Tonko Barac, recovered from a 24th in Race 1, to post 12-3-10 and take 10th place after 4 races. Croatian Ivan Gašpić racing with American Josh Revkin, had a blip in Race 3 but scored 9-5-[37]-6 to take 7th place after the first day.

Stellar Conditions on Neuchatel Lake
Mark Mendelblatt & Brian Fatih started the day well nailing the first downwind leg to extend a lead on the fleet that was never given up. Fatih has over 20 years experience in the Star Class combined with Mendelblatt’s prowess in the Laser, to literally rock the boat to victory (this regatta permits the use of ooching and pumping when the wind speed is above 6 knots and the ‘O’ flag is displayed). The all- American crew had the best results of the day, posting a 1-2-6, to top the leader board by eight points.

Brazilian pair, Torben Grael & Guilherme De Almeida scored a 6-12-1 today to take second place for the regatta. Grael & De Almeida won the last race by a landslide, showing excellent tactical acumen and super boat handling in the light. Americans, Augie Diaz & Arnis Baltins dropped to third after leading the regatta this morning. Today, the Star Grandmaster and his long term crew, posted a 12-3-[15], which leaves them a point off second place. Croatian helm, Ivan Gaspic & American crew, Josh Revkin had a consistent day on the water, scoring 3-10-7, moving up three places to fourth for the regatta. Gaspic & Revkin should be safe to make the last 11 for the knock-out stage on Saturday.

Gold Star American helm, George Szabo, racing with the local Patrick 'Duke' Ducommun, recovered from a [26]-20 to place second in Race 7, but the team has slipped from second over night, to fifth after seven races and could well be in the danger zone for the final cut tomorrow.

Reigning Star World Champions, Robert Stanjek and Frithjof Kleen, started the second day well, but like many top contenders, got the wrong side of a shift in Race 7, ending the day with a 5-8-21, dropping two places to 6th. Reigning Star European Champion, Xavier Rohart, racing with Italian boat builder, Stefano Lillia, scored an 11-5-11 today, which was enough to move the team up two places to 9th. Two French Finn sailors had a great day on the water, Jean-Baptiste Bernaz & Pascal Rambeau, scored a 10-7-10 today to move up to 8th. Polish Gold Star duo, Mateusz Kusznierewicz & Dominik Zycki, slipped two places today, their second and a ninth was spoilt by a 24th in Race 7. German pair, Johannes Polgar & Markus Koy scored a 14-4-13 to move up five places to 10th. In 11th place, and currently making the cut, is Jorge Zarif & Bruno Prada but the Brazilian duo are hanging on to the final place by their finger nails; German team, Hubert Merkelbach & Gerrit Bartel are level on points and only behind the Brazilians by virtue of countback.

Tomorrow will be the final day of racing for all the teams before the cull and two races are scheduled.

Finalists Decided
Eleven Star Sailor teams will decide the Star Sailors League Lake Grand Slam on Lake Neuchâtel tomorrow. Principle Race Officer, Sharon Bourke, called off racing at 16:00 on September 11. A fickle southerly breeze failed to establish itself and it was decided to call the qualification rounds to a halt.

The Final of the SSL Lake Grand Slam will take place tomorrow, Saturday 12th September, with three knock-out stages before the four remaining teams progress to the final. All of the rounds tomorrow are one race – knock outs.

Fairy Tale on the Lake
American helm, George Szabo with Swiss crew Patrick Ducommun have won the inaugural Star Sailors League Lake Grand Slam, winning the final to be crowned Swiss Open Champions and $25,000, a quarter of the $100,000 Prize Purse.

The win also earns the duo 3000 points towards their SSL ranking for the showcase event, the SSL Final in Nassau this December. During the four-boat final the lead changed hands three times and Szabo & Ducommun came from last place to take the lead on the final downwind leg. The win in the final was the first time the team had won any of the eleven races making up the SSL Lake Grand Slam event.

This morning, after a short delay waiting for the breeze to fill in, eleven teams sailed out onto Lake Neuchatel to contest the knock- out stages of the SSL Lake Grand Slam. Mark Mendelblatt & Brian Fatih were the winners of the 68-boat qualifying rounds and sat out the Quarter-final but were out gauging the conditions and sizing up the tactics of the opposition.

Quarter-Final
Ivan Gaspic & Josh Revkin hit the line with the pace for the first race and in free air chose to stay in the middle of the lake, whilst the majority of the fleet headed for the Grandson shore line. All but Torben Grael & Guilherme De Almeida, who banged hard right, which seemed to pay for the Brazilian duo. However there was no holding back, Gaspic & Revkin who extended at the first top mark, to eventually win the race by a hefty margin. Torben Grael & Guilherme De Almeida were second with Augie Diaz & Arnis Baltins, pulling off a phenomenal second top mark rounding, to place third. Reigning Star World Champions, Robert Stanjek & Frithjof Kleen, had a solid race to place fourth and Laser sailor Jean-Baptiste Bernaz racing with his coach, Pascal Rambeau took fifth. For the crucial sixth place, to make the cut, George Szabo & Patrick Ducommun just squeezed out Polish Gold Star Mateusz Kusznierewicz & Dominik Zycki. Also eliminated were: Xavier Rohart & Stefano Lillia, Jorge Zarif & Bruno Prada and Johannes Polgar & Markus Koy.

Semi-Final
With the breeze fading, the semi-final featured seven teams, with Mendelblatt & Fatih joining the six qualifiers. After a highly competitive start, four teams chose to take starboard tack to the Grandson shore and three on port towards the other side. Gaspic & Revkin read the conditions and played out some world class strategy in the light airs to win the race, the second in a row. Grael & De Almeida banged hard right again but it was a disastrous move, which they never recovered from. Szabo & Ducommun were fired up to take second place and Mendelblatt & Fatih took third in their opening race of the finals, after a terrific battle with Stanjek & Kleen. Diaz & Baltins, who had also chosen to go to the less favourable side were fifth but eliminated along with Bernaz & Rambeau and Grael & De Almeida.