1979 World Championship - Marstrand, Sweden
The following results are from the Star Logs. Starting with 1977 frequently only yacht numbers were given. The last time both yacht numbers and yacht names were given was 1989. In later years sometimes, fleet designations were omitted. In these cases some of the more obvious fleet designations were supplied. Also from time to time only last names were supplied. First names, where known, were added.
Results
Place No. Skipper Crew Fleet Daily Places Pts. 1 6489 Buddy Melges Andreas Josenhans S. L. Michigan 4 1 1 5 11 wdr 35 2 6042 Bill Buchan Jr Douglas Knight Puget Sound 2 3 10 16 9 dsq 61.7 3 6281 Peter Wright Todd Cozzens S. L. Michigan 38 28 5 3 3 4 63.4 4 6251 Peter Sundelin Hakan Lindstrom Sandhamn 3 6 26 1 - 10 65.4 5 6378 Giorgio Gorla Alfio Peraboni Lario 5 4 18 36 10 6 69.7 6 6458 Pelle Petterson Stellan Westerdahl Kattegatt 1 15 6 18 18 9 71.7 7 6456 Eckart Wagner Jorg Moessnang Zugspitz 7 22 36 2 5 21 81 8 6494 Valentin Mankin Alexandr Muzichenko Moscow 15 5 35 13 6 16 83.7 9 6497 Ding Schoonmake Tog Rogers Biscayne Bay 6 8 7 26 12 dsq 88.7 10 6410 Flavio Scala Mauro Testa Garda 45 18 3 14 38 1 93.7 11 6409 Hubert Raudashl Karl Ferstl Haydn 21 34 9 7 23 5 94 12 6322 Bo Binkhorst Rob Douze Holland 9 11 21 19 8 dsq 98 13 6241 Alexander Hagen Vincent Hoesch Gluecksburger 13 17 31 11 - 3 101.7 14 6468 Thomas LundqvistHakan Berntsson Stockholm 23 23 12 9 7 - 104 15 6150 Tom Blackaller Ron Anderson WSFB 51 2 2 38 1 dsq 107 16 6457 E. deSouzaRamos Peter Erzberger Guarapiranga 8 38 8 12 16 35 109 17 6460 William Gerard Paul Cayard Santa Barbara - 14 15 32 31 2 119 18 6478 David Forbes Stephen Forbes Pittwater 26 33 23 8 14 22 123 19 6415 Stig Wennerstro L. Roslund Vinga 41 26 43 23 2 7 124 20 5377 Bengt Larsson Goran Tell Stockholm 25 27 61 6 20 19 126.7 21 6383 Jens Christenen Morten Nielsen Danish 33 12 19 17 29 20 127 22 6477 A. B. Kimball Gunter Haack Los Angeles Hbr 10 25 27 10 54 25 127 23 6290 David Howlett John Boyce Solent - 16 24 22 32 11 135 24 6037 Jon Albrechtson S. Christenson Vinga 42 21 4 27 30 26 136 25 6305 Paul Louie Chuck Lawson English Bay 20 13 17 39 25 33 138 26 6375 Heinz Maurer Peter Herzog Interlaken 28 29 16 - 22 17 142 27 6431 Ben Staartjes Kobus van den Berg Holland 27 36 11 15 33 34 150 28 6449 Uwe Mares Kid Borowy Kiel 31 7 20 47 17 - 152 29 6223 Joachim Griese Juergen Homeyer Kiel 11 24 38 25 24 - 152 30 6455 Uwe von Below Franz Wehofsich Hamburg 16 - 22 4 - 8 157 31 6249 Flemming Hansen Niels Andersen Danish 39 9 28 - 27 30 163 32 6464 Tryg LiljestrandCarl Blomquist Los Angeles Hbr 12 43 13 42 34 32 163 33 6346 Peter Tallberg Mathias Tallberg Finland 49 30 33 45 21 14 173 34 6356 Ant. Gorostegui Victor Gorostegui Laredo 29 20 25 51 39 36 179 35 6220 Hartmut Voigt Uwe Heinzmann Aachen 18 44 - 31 36 24 183 36 6228 Horst Nebel Dieter Wacker Zugspitz 24 35 65 33 35 27 184 37 6276 Ortwin Semmerow Rolf Schok Berlin 36 32 39 20 28 - 185 38 6051 Paul Henderson B. Brymer Lake Ontario, C 19 - - 21 13 28 190 39 6471 Olle Johansson B. Andersson Onsala 54 19 41 - 26 23 193 40 6384 Joham Schroeder Ulf Schroeder Kattegatt 47 41 29 63 40 18 205 41 6190 Robert McNeil R. Johnson WSFB 22 - 14 - 47 15 216 42 5575 Barton Beek William Munster Los Angeles Hbr 46 - - 28 4 31 216 43 6239 Marcello Adorno Daniel Wilcox Rio de Janiero 14 57 44 37 52 41 218 44 6250 Kim Fletcher William Kreysler San Diego Bay 32 46 40 - 59 13 220 45 6437 Albino Fravezzi Oscar Dal Vit South Garda - 10 53 34 15 - 221 45 6493 Heinz Nixdorf Josef Pieper Moehnesee 59 50 30 49 55 12 226 47 6466 Bengt Hellsten G. Schultz Los Angeles Hbr - 39 42 29 42 45 227 48 6195 Jochen Schwarz Dieter Wuerdig Starnbergersee - 45 37 44 19 46 231 49 6297 Mogens Nielsen Mogens Pedersen Danish 30 31 50 41 51 - 233 50 6345 Alan Warren Robin Pullinger Solent 17 48 62 24 38 - 239 51 6144 Ludwig Buedel Erwin Pamp Chiemsee 56 51 47 35 44 42 249 52 6487 F. Nabuco J. Zarif San Paulo 55 47 48 56 43 29 252 53 5624 S. Scheuregger H. Braun Ammersee 43 52 63 30 - 38 256 54 5593 Werner Landau Daniel Wyss Zuerichsee 46 56 46 57 53 37 266 55 6389 Sune Carlsson Leif Carlsson Rasta 58 61 66 43 41 40 275 56 6307 Wolfgang RichterPeter Richter Guarapiranga 37 62 60 58 45 47 277 57 6300 Swen Karlsson Lars Andersson Aros 35 - 36 55 48 - 281 58 6357 William Parks Warren B. Cozzens S. L. Michigan 66 37 32 40 dns dns 284 59 6403 Josi Steinmayer Bernfried Osterwald Überlingersee 52 - 51 66 50 39 288 60 6439 Tim Owens Robert Cox Lake Macquarie 40 40 45 49 - - 293 61 6355 Dierk Thomsan W. Mehner Gluecksburger 65 58 56 53 56 43 296 62 6162 Al Strohmayer F. Hehinger Salzburg-Mozart 62 61 55 - 49 44 301 63 6066 Josef Urban Jochen Peters Traunsee 53 42 54 48 - - 306 64 6245 Lars Berg Richard Berg Sandhamn 70 66 70 61 46 50 321 65 6501 Peter D. SiemsenTorban S. Grael Guanabara Bay 50 49 49 65 - - 322 66 6110 Arnold Winkler F. Rossi Rapperswil 36 65 52 69 - - 329 67 5643 Fernando Pombo Luis Vina P. de Santander 68 53 58 64 60 - 333 68 6160 Francoise BrenacYves Taylor Nice - 60 - 50 37 - 335 69 6155 Erwin Joras J. Hain Ijsselmeer 71 67 64 67 61 48 337 70 6061 Max Juchli Willi Spellbrink Bodensee 48 55 57 70 - - 339 71 5235 G. Calegari A. Zametti Buenos Aires 63 68 69 - 62 49 341 72 6347 Horst Loos G. Beck Chiemsee 69 54 67 68 57 - 345 73 6179 Willy Schloeser B. Juergens Rursee 61 59 59 62 - - 350 74 6413 Phillip R. BakerColin Bate Pittwater 64 66 68 44 - - 351 75 6068 Lars Engelbert Lars Unger Stockholm 60 - - 46 - - 373 76 6381 Franco de DenaroJ.Pezzotti Sebino 57 - - 52 - - 376 77 5579 Harald Wirth R. Herber Carinthian 72 69 - 71 63 - 384 78 6280 Johm W. Allan John Ahlquist Wilmette Harbor 67 - - 60 - - 394
Regatta Report
from the 1980 Star Class Log by Todd Cozzens
Buddy Melges won his second straight World's with the same crew (Andreas Josenhans), hull, keel, mast and sail pattern as the year before. Even the layout of this year's Widgeon had only minor refinements from that of the '78 prototype. The background for victory was not San Francisco Bay but the Kattegat of western Sweden off historical Marstrand Island. Located in the midst of an archipelago of rocky islets, the course evoked memories of the Berkeley Circle in that the powerful confluences of North Sea currents sweep around the obstructions in a perplexing and incalculable pattern.
The last time the regatta was sailed here was in 1970 when Bill Buchan came on strong in the end of a mostly heavy air series to gain his second gold star. This time, he came on strong in the end of a strange series of light, medium and sometimes gusty winds which was interrupted by a race that fell short of the 3 ½ hour time limit by 10 seconds and a full day of nothing but general recalls (12 in all), and he ended up second overall.
The 78 boat fleet was so loaded with some of the world's greatest sailing talent that such veterans as John Albrechtson ('76 Tempest gold medalist), David Forbes (the Star Class' most recent gold medal winner), and local winner of many Star events Stig Wennerstrom could all barely make the top twenty-five.
It was a regatta of "almosts" and "maybes". Peter Sundelin, the young but well-sailed eastern Swede, almost surprised them all by winning the whole thing but a nervous attempt to overtake Melges on a crucial reach ended in contact between the two yachts and in eventual disqualification for Sundelin. Johann Schroeder was the young Swede who, with his father crowing in their brand new boat, maneuvered magnificently around the fluky course on the second day only to end up, as the Swedes say, 10 seconds late and a kroner short.
But the real loser of this regatta's version of "the one that got away" was the entire 78 boat fleet when they simultaneously and repetitiously jumped the gun thirteen times in a row on what amounted to the finest day for racing (12-14 knots sea breeze with clear skies). Later that day, I.R.C. Chairman and former Class President Frank Gordon gave his famous "sermon on the rock" when the competitors returned to the dock. Apparently the word got through because during the two races on the next day there were no general recalls. But in the first race of that day, nine boats were disqualified for starting early including Buchan, Schoonmaker and Blackaller all of whom were serious contenders for 2nd place overall.
The scene around the measuring area, set up adjacent to a rather odorous fish processing plant, was one of the usual anxiety and confusion. Three of the Americans as well as a few Brazilians had to spend a day and a half in Gothenberg retrieving their boats from customs. Some, such as Melges, Schoonmaker and Mankin were completely immersed in finishing off their brand new boats. Other boats had been shipped from as far away as Australia (three entries) and Argentina (one entry).
By Wednesday before the first race, several crews had already arrived and were in the water practicing. There were team coaches complete with their own runabouts, meteorologists and uniforms from every country except the U.S.A. and Brazil. The unmistakable air of "Olympic fever" was later overcome by the fact that the winner did not have one of his own countrymen crewing nor was he given the supposed advantage of a third person telling him where to go or what the wind would do.
Except for a few minor concavities in the keels of some of the German-made boats, the measuring proceeded smoothly despite the usual procrastinators who measured their boats just before closing on Saturday morning. Fortunately, the only people doing anything "fishy" were inside the processing plant.
The tune-up race, which is traditionally more of a practice session for the race committee than anyone else, was no exception this time and by the end of the light and shifty race about thirty boats had dropped out probably surmising that their precious pre?regatta time would be better spent clearing up those last minute problems with fittings, sanding, etc. One of the great Swedish Star veterans, boatmaker Sune Carlsson, was the winner but it seems he caught the mythical tune-up race jinx as his final placing was a disappointing and inconsistent 55th.
The morning of the first race seemed boisterous and gusty as the wind funneled around the island where the boats were moored. By the time the race began, the breeze dissipated to a soft 6-8 knots and there was a chaotic scene of crews rushing to change to more suitable sails. Before the first weather mark, the lead changed many times as first the breeze would fill in from the left, favoring the boats on that side of the course, and then die and come in from the right. Leading the pack were Eckart Wagner and Ding Schoonmaker.
The lead continued to change hands several times as the leader found the going tough in trying to cover his opponent, and at the same time tack favorably through the very shifty breeze and difficult current. On the last beat, Pelle Petterson, lurking well behind in 16th place was determined enough to go all the way to the port tack layline and while taking advantage of a slight current advantage, was whisked all the way up to a hundred yard lead over the whole fleet and an eventual daily first. Though every local source claimed before the regatta that no one had ever figured out the Marstrand current, one could not help but think that Pelle had indeed learned something in all the time he has spent on the course tuning and racing his Twelve-metre Sverige.
Pelle's secret did not escape unnoticed. Each day thereafter found more skippers opting for the left side of the course with the right side continually proving to be a disadvantage. In the first race Wright, Blackaller and Scala all found the latter to be unhappily true. Melges, who had previously been something less than great in light air, ended up a strong fourth and he was later to comment that this was his most difficult and important race. Buchan, one of the few early leaders to stay near the top, finished second with Sundelin hot on his tail.
The first attempt at a second race began to show that this was not an ordinary world's. Albino Fravezzi, one of several Italians who are increasingly showing their great boat speed and smart tactics, sailed fast enough to make the time limit but a little too fast he had already been disqualified for an early start. To compound his misery, he finished between the wrong finishing marks. Quite a distance behind was Johann Schroeder from Stockholm, whose every effort short of paddling failed to make the time limit by 10 seconds. The only happy ones were those stuck back in mid-fleet or worse.
The first of two races the next day got off smoothly after one recall. Blackaller, Buchan and Gorla came in from the left side to meet Melges, who had played it up the middle, at the first mark. Then came Mankin, Uwe Mares and Wright, who touched the mark and lost 20 boats in the re-rounding. On the second beat Melges and Blackaller immediately tacked for the left corner, Melges leading after a small lift and consolidating with a few of his patented well-timed tacks. After two races it looked pretty much as it ended up, with Melges holding only a slim lead over Buchan. The weather for this day was reminiscent of San Francisco: 15 knots with a confused short chop.
The trend to go left was in full swing by this race. The problem now was having the boat speed and pointing ability to stay free of bad air. John Albrechtson, hitting the left corner the hardest, led Blackaller at the first mark. John was able to hold off Tom and Melges until the jibing mark, where Blackaller came over him in a puff. Albrechtson returned on an equally rewarding puff to regain a slim lead at the leeward mark. There he tacked immediately to go left, but had to sail to leeward of ten reaching boats. By waiting a minute longer, Melges and Blackaller avoided the bad air.
Melges stayed on port just a little longer than Blackaller to take the lead while another tacking battle developed between Wright, Scala and Albrechtson. Buddy hung on to win the Paul Smart Trophy, and at the mid-week presentation he gave a heart?warming and thoughtful speech about the late Commodore Smart's lifelong contributions and dedication to the l.S.C.Y.R.A. and the sport of yachting.
At this point Melges was sitting on a comfortable lead with a fourth and two firsts. Buchan and Schoonmaker were the only other two who had sailed with any consistency. Blackaller, however, assuming that he would eventually throw out his disastrous first race, had two daily seconds. Thus Melges' basic strategy was now to stay to the left but to prevent Blackaller from beating him by too much.
There were even more boats starting at the port end of the line this time. In addition, the current was running its swiftest in the same direction as the wind. With a 10 knot breeze barely enabling crews to mini-hike, many boats arrived at the pin end too early and were forced either into the mark or to leeward of it. Among these were Blackaller, Corla and Schoonmaker. Wright reached the pin end early enough to jibe onto port tack and recross the boats which were still trying to head reach around the mark. Eckart Wagner, Paul Henderson and David Howlett had picture perfect starts and all stayed on port tack for some time. Howlett had pointing problems and was forced into Eckart's bad air and he then went to the right too early.
This enabled Wright and Heinz Maurer of Switzerland to continue to the left side in clear air. Henderson, who had 100 meter lead by now, tacked to cover Melges who was farther to weather Eckart was the next to go and he tacked about 50 meters short of the port tack layline. Wright and Maurer both were on the port layline and it worked again because they came into the weather mark just behind Eckart Wagner who was followed by Sundelin and Melges. On the reaches, Wagner, Wright and Sundelin moved into a virtual tie and 150 meter lead over the rest of the fleet.
Eckart made the same mistake as Albrechtson on the next beat as he tacked onto starboard too early and Sundelin, powered by his own sails on one of Sune Carlsson's boats, used his slight edge in boat speed to catch Wagner as Wright stayed close in pursuit. But Eckart would not relent and he played two shifts favorably toward the end of the leg to regain his lead. Though starboard tack was much longer on the downwind leg, Sundelin immediately jibed to port; and whether it was his speed or more wind or current advantage was difficult to determine, but he clearly had a solid lead coming into the leeward mark. Sundelin had no trouble on the last beat in winning his first set of gold chevrons, and now loomed as the only real threat to Melges' second gold star because both Buchan and Schoonmaker had mediocre races.
Something had to go wrong the next day because for the first time, it was sunny and warm with a near perfect 12-14 knot steady breeze. Because of the sharp contrast with the day before, just about everyone soon found out that there was little or no adverse current and that it would be an ideal day to start at the pin end and go left. It was a sound philosophy except for one problem: everyone else planned to do the same thing! Though the race committee tried just about everything, i.e. lengthening the line, favoring the committee boat, etc., they were unable to keep the major, indistinguishable body of the fleet from being early.
After the first few recalls the mass psychology had set in that seemed to compel each skipper to think to himself, "I'm not going to let this so-and-so to windward of me reach over me, and I refuse to let this other guy get a safe leeward on me." At last, with most of the afternoon gone, it seemed as if the fleet finally got off the line but little did they know that only seven boats had crossed correctly and that the l.R.C. was considering giving DSQ's to the other 71. Finally it was agreed that everyone should get a good night's sleep and begin afresh in the morning. Later, Frank Gordon admonished the fleet that there would be no general recalls and that spotters would be placed "dangling from the highest yardarm of the committee boat" to catch the violators.
The next morning the breeze settled in at 12 knots from the west. Sure enough, it was the most perfect start of the regatta as the committee boat was slightly favored. A huge mass of boats assembled at the weather mark with Wennerstrom, Blackaller Wagnef and Thomas Lundqvist near the top. By the jibe mark, things had spread out a little as Melges, Sundelin and Wright jibed behind the leaders but just in front of a huge pack of boats. Sundelin chose the correct tactic of being the aggressor as he trailed Melges by two boat lengths.
As Melges faced aft to free a snarled mainsheet block Sundelin seized the opportunity to attempt a windward overtake. Unfortunately, he executed the manoeuver a little too anxiously and came too close to Melges. As Melges reacted with the proper countertactic, contact occurred which would later result in Sundelin's disqualification. Meanwhile, Blackaller took over the lead early into the second beat as a gusty 25 shift hit the fleet turning the major portion of the leg into a very close reach. Mankin and Melges were caught slightly on the wrong side of the shift, enough so that Peter Wright and Barton Beek could catch them. As the puffs came in on the downwind leg, Mankin showed incredible technique as he easily overcame Melges and Wright. The wind lightened up somewhat on the last beat and Blackaller won handily over Wennerstrom with Wright in third.
The last race began that afternoon in much the same conditions as the morning race except that the breeze was steadier. The committee boat end was more favored than ever and the fleet bunched up as everyone attempted to gain the initial advantage. Buchan, Petterson, Schoonmaker, Scala, Blackaller, Binkhorst and Lundqvist all had early starts and received DSQ's. For Buchan it would not have mattered as he finished second overall anyway. But for Schoonmaker and Blackaller it cost them a shot at third or fourth place.
Petterson and Scala were later reinstated as they sufficiently proved to the jury that they were mistakenly identified as premature starters. Alexander Hagen, the talented young West German, battled Scala, Blackaller and Buchan for the lead at the first mark. Melges, who had already clinched the gold star, fouled out and quickly retired. A thrilling seven boat tacking duel ensued in which the lead changed hands several times. As it turned out after the second beat, the right side was favored and Scala was the quickest of all the boats who went that way. All three of the Italians were very fast throughout the series, able to point very well without loss of hull speed.
With his usual excellent downwind technique, Bill Gerard caught Hagen and moved into second place on the fifth leg. Wright fought off surges by Gorla and Raudaschl to finish a couple of boat lengths behind Hagen. It was a rather uneventful end to a very eventful series. After all the protests and reinstatement hearings were settled, the award presentation was given at midnight at the Marstrand Society House.
And in traditional Swedish style, the hosts decided that they had to leave the sailors with more than just memories of fine sailing in the North Sea and hence the very lovely dancing girls left everyone with a memorable image of beautiful Marstrand Island.
