2025 World Championship - Split, Croatia
September 8-13, 2025
Regatta Report
The historic city of Split, Croatia welcomed the sailing world for one of its most iconic and prestigious events: the 2025 International Star Class World Championship, organized by Sailing Club Mornar (JK Mornar) in cooperation with the International Star Class Yacht Racing Association. Set in the heart of Croatian sailing, this edition promised to blend tradition, excellence, and tight racing on the waters of the Split Channel. Split hosted 101 teams from 20 nations, all eager to etch their names into the legacy of a championship that first began in 1922. The schedule kicked off with the Official Practice Race and Opening Ceremony on Sunday, September 7, where sailors, officials, and guests gathered in full tradition.
This year's championship saw a remarkable level of experience and excellence on the water, with 14 past Star World Champions returning to compete. Among the skippers were John Kostecki (USA) 2024 title holder, Diego Negri (ITA), Mateusz Kusznierewicz (POL), Robert Stanjek (GER), George Szabo (USA), Eric Doyle (USA), Enrico Chieffi (ITA) who won the European Championship right here in 2021, and Class President Paul Cayard (USA). On the crew side, champions included Austin Sperry (USA) 2024 winner with Kostecki, Sergio Lambertenghi (ITA), Frithjof Kleen (GER), Bruno Prada (BRA), Samuel Goncalves (BRA), and Pascal Rambeau (FRA). With such a high-caliber field, the 2025 Star World Championship in Split poised to deliver an unforgettable week of world-class racing.
“The Star Class honors tradition while embracing the future,” said Paul Cayard, President of the International Star Class. “We’re seeing young talent rise through the ranks, racing shoulder to shoulder with the legends. To welcome over 100 teams, more than a century after the first Worlds, is a testament to the enduring strength of the Star. We are thrilled to bring the World Championship to Croatia for the first time, a country with deep passion for sailing, great sailors and spectacular conditions.”
Among the 101 competing teams were 12 Under-30 skippers, a clear sign of the Star Class's appeal to the next generation of sailors. In addition, five women were on the starting line, both at the helm and as crew, marking a significant step toward greater inclusivity in a class historically dominated by men.
The Star World Championship is celebrated for its traditional and demanding race format: one long race per day, sailed over a four-leg course of approximately 2 nautical miles per leg, with each race lasting no less than 1 hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours. It’s not just about speed, it’s a test of tactics, strategy, endurance, and patience. Lead changes are frequent, and close battles unfold throughout the fleet, keeping both sailors and spectators on edge right up to the final maneuvers. As the Star Class celebrates over a century of racing heritage, the 2025 edition in Split promises a perfect blend of history and world-class competition. With the stunning Croatian coastline as a backdrop, and with an elite field of sailors from all generations, this year’s championship will be one to remember.
Day 1, Race 1
The 2025 Star World Championship officially got underway today in Split, Croatia, with 101 boats from 20 nations lining up on the starting line for Race 1 of the six-day championship. The stunning setting of the Split Channel, combined with a light but steady breeze, delivered a classic Star racing day in true European style.
The Race Committee stuck to schedule, and with 7 knots of breeze filling in, the first and only race of the day started around 2.15pm. The course, true to Star tradition, was long and tactical, featuring 2-nautical-mile legs for a total of four legs: two upwinds and two downwinds, testing the fleet’s patience, tactics and endurance. Several boats were OCS at the start, underscoring the tight competition and eagerness of the fleet.
The first upwind leg saw many of the class’s Gold Stars struggling in the light breeze and choppy water. None of the big names cracked the top 20 at the first mark. Meanwhile, Urs Hunkeler and Ivan Müller (SUI) had a clean and fast beat, taking the early lead. On the first downwind, experience began to show. Both World Champions Paul Cayard with Frithjof Kleen (USA/GER) and Diego Negri with Sergio Lambertenghi (ITA) began to climb the ranks, rounding in the top 15. Still, the Swiss duo of Hunkeler/Müller extended their lead with excellent boat speed and positioning.
The following legs saw steady progress from the top contenders, but the Swiss lead remained unshaken. Hunkeler and Müller crossed the line in first, setting the tone for a strong championship campaign. Behind them, Silver Star team Piet Eckert and Frederico Melo (SUI/POR) secured second, followed by Ante Razmilovic and Brian Hammersley (GBR) in third.
“We are so happy for the win, we started on the right side and kept on following the wind shifts and our lead got stronger”, commented Urs Hunkeler. “We haven’t attended a World Championship since 1999 and we thought Split was a good idea and it was!! It is the first race we have ever won in a Star World Championship, so happy!!”.
“It was a good day for us, a great way to start such a championship, it was actually really tricky, we had a tight start and then found some really good breeze on the left side and that gave us a lot of leverage and then we tried to control the fleet,” commented Piet Eckert. “Such a really good day for us, we’ve been sailing together for the last six years, we feel like an old couple, but it feels really good, I love every second of it.” Rounding out the top five were Jack Jennings and Pedro Trouche (USA/BRA) in fourth, followed by Brazilian team Fabio Prada and Antonio Moreira, and Swedes Tom Löfstedt and Johan Tillander (SWE), with Löfstedt impressively returning to racing at age 71 after a year-long injury break.
Day 2, Race 2
The second day of racing saw the full 101-boat fleet return to the water for Race 2 after a 90-minute wait ashore. Despite a light and uncertain forecast, the Race Committee docked out at 12.30pm, taking a chance that paid off handsomely, by early afternoon, a solid 12-knot easterly filled the racecourse, accompanied by a moderate chop across the Split Channel. The race started at 2.30pm in excellent racing conditions. While a few boats were individually recalled, a general recall was avoided, thanks to the Vakaros RaceSense system, which reliably detected all OCS boats in real time, allowing the fleet to get away cleanly.
The first upwind leg quickly became a tactical battleground. While many of the fleet’s Gold Stars favored the right-hand side, it was the teams who tacked early toward the middle that reached the top mark in front. World Champions Mateusz Kusznierewicz and Bruno Prada (POL/BRA) led the fleet at the mark, followed closely by another World Champion, Eric Doyle with Payson Infelise (USA), and the American duo Jim Buckingham and Brad Nichol.
On the first downwind, Kusznierewicz and Prada maintained their lead, but Buckingham/Nichol and the German Silver Star team of Hubert Merkelbach with Markus Koy (GER) overtook Doyle/Infelise and closed the gap. The second upwind saw another tactical reshuffle, Merkelbach and Koy read the shifts best, rounding the second top mark in first, followed by Kusznierewicz/Prada and the Italian World Champions Diego Negri with Sergio Lambertenghi (ITA), who had played the middle of the course to perfection.
The Italians then executed a flawless final downwind leg, surfing into the lead and crossing the finish line in first place, followed by Merkelbach/Koy in second and Kusznierewicz/Prada in third. “Challenging day today with some shifts, we had forecast for a right trend and unfortunately the it didn't come, otherwise we would have had a great lead at the top mark”, commented Diego Negri. “Luckily we were not far from the leading group so thanks to a very good downwind always in phase we managed to go back to the top three, we had very good speed and so we could win the race”.
“We loved the race very much, being second in the regatta is always fantastic, it feels very good and the wind was very good until close to the finish line where we had a big shift, but up to this was very nice breeze and we had good speed, we sailed tactically well and it was a very close race, so close we might have even won the race, but congrats to Diego, he deserved it”, said Hubert Merkelbach.
Negri / Lambertenghi are leading the overall ranking after two races, followed by Piet Eckert with Frederico Melo (SUI / POR), second yesterday, finished 12th today, and provisionally in third Nick Heuwinkel with Jesper Spehr (GER), the 2025 Bacardi Cup winners in the U30 category.
Day 3
Race 3 was scheduled for today, though conditions proved more challenging. The forecast was calling for a strong southerly breeze, possibly too strong to race, with a chance of showers over the course area. The decision not to send the fleet out to race was made based on updated weather models and safety considerations.
Day 4, Races 3 and 4
Day 4 delivered a true test of skill and stamina, with two full-length races sailed in a building northwesterly breeze ranging from 10 to 16 knots, and a choppy sea state that, at times, became very demanding for the fleet of 101 teams. After heading out on schedule, sailors had to wait briefly as a system of clouds brought a light rain over the race area. Once the breeze settled, Race 3 started around 2,30pm, with the committee boat end of the line and the right-hand side of the course appearing strongly favored. Teams that committed to the right saw immediate gains, reaching the top mark ahead of the pack.
Among them were Paul Cayard and Frithjof Kleen (USA/GER), who rounded the first mark in third place but with a great downwind leg rounded first at the gate and chose the favored right-hand mark. From there, the duo never looked back, extending their lead with precision to take a convincing win.
Without much delay, PRO Marko Mišura and his race committee launched Race 4, which turned into a masterclass from Cayard and Kleen. The American-German team led from start to finish, showing tactical clarity and impressive speed as they increased their margin on each leg, securing their second bullet of the day and stamping their authority on the event.
“I feel very blessed, I don't ever remember winning two races in the same day at the Star World Championship and I've been racing since 1978, so it's a day I'll never forget and you know we were just in a in a good zone mentally, we had a bad race on the second race, so in a way it reduced a little bit of pressure, we felt like we weren't in contention with Mateusz and Diego and we just took it easy on the starting line not to be over early but we were very fast obviously. We just found our way to some clear lanes and it all actually ended up feeling pretty easy, and maybe that's the lesson, to just take the tension out of the day and enjoy the sailing and let the boat go fast”, commented Paul Cayard.
The U30 team with Nick Heuwinkel and Jesper Spehr, winner of the 2025 Bacardi Cup in the U30 category, climbed the overall ranking after four races, due to their great consistency. Cayard /Kleen are second and Mateusz Kusznierewicz with Bruno Prada (POL/BRA). Race 5 will be a pivotal moment in the championship, as the discard will come into effect, allowing each team to drop their worst result so far.
Day 5, Race 5
The fleet of 101 boats took to the water for the penultimate showdown in Split, battling through shifting breeze and intense tactical decisions that reshuffled the leaderboard ahead of tomorrow’s grand finale. The day began with a scheduled one-hour delay, anticipating a later arrival of the sea breeze. Patience paid off. By 3.00 PM, the Race Committee had hoisted the flags for Race 5 in a 10-knot wind from 260, setting the stage for a classic Star Class battle across the Split Channel.
Unlike previous days, the left-hand side of the course proved to be the winning move. Those who committed early were rewarded handsomely, including 2022 World Champions Diego Negri and Sergio Lambertenghi (ITA) and Mateusz Kusznierewicz with Bruno Prada (POL/BRA), the five-time Bacardi Cup champions. The two teams rounded the first top mark in first and second, respectively, followed by the American-German pairing of Scot Barnard and Killian Weise in third.
At the downwind gate, Negri/Lambertenghi and Kusznierewicz/Prada held onto their lead, with European Champions Enrico Chieffi and Nando Colaninno (ITA) advancing into fourth. On the second upwind, the top contenders consolidated their positions. At the final top mark, the order remained unchanged at the top, though Austrians Hans Spitzauer and Christian Nehammer (AUT) made a strong move into third position. The final downwind saw no changes at the front, with Negri and Lambertenghi taking a confident race win, followed by Kusznierewicz/Prada and Spitzauer/Nehammer, solidifying the battle among the world’s best heading into the decisive last day.
“We’re really upset with our performance yesterday, with ourselves more than with our results because we missed so many opportunities and we didn't read properly the racing area and after the regatta it was so easy to understand what happened. So today we were planning to clean our minds and deliver a great race, we wanted to arrive where we are now, we closed the gap. Our plan for tomorrow is to do a great regatta and try to win it, and I mean that's the only thing we can control, we cannot control the position of the other sailors”, commented Bruno Prada.
“Today was beautiful, it's been beautiful sailing all week, we waited for the breeze a little bit, but that's ok as we're out there and it's beautiful, very picturesque and the race today was wonderful. The breeze came in and we got a little unfortunate approaching the line and the got into a very big light spot, very disappointing, but we have good speed upwind and we sailed pretty well and we made a few changes to the boat today to help us downwind, we've been awful downwind a little bit embarrassing, but we're better now so we just kind of hung in there and we passed a lot of boats on the last run to have a have a very good finish. It's so much better to go forward through the fleet than to go backwards like we've been doing the last few days!! So yeah, tomorrow's a big day, I guess just like every other one,” said Eric Doyle.
With five races now completed and the first discard applied, the overall standings heading into tomorrow’s final race remain wide open. Paul Cayard and Frithjof Kleen (USA/GER) currently lead the championship by 4 points over fellow Americans Eric Doyle and Payson Infelise, with Mateusz Kusznierewicz and Bruno Prada (POL/BRA)just 7 points behind the leaders. Diego Negri and Sergio Lambertenghi (ITA) are also in striking distance, trailing by 11 points overall. With one race left to sail, the championship remains very much undecided, and anything can happen on the final day in Split.
Day 6, Race 6
After six fiercely contested races across the waters of the Split Channel, Paul Cayard (USA) and Frithjof Kleen (GER) have been crowned 2025 Star World Champions, sealing the title on the very last race of the championship in one of the most thrilling finishes in recent years.
The final day dawned with anticipation, clear skies, and a classic Croatian sea breeze. By 2.20pm, the Race Committee had the 101-boat fleet under way in a steady 8–10 knots from 260°, setting the stage for a showdown between the top four teams, with the added pressure of the young U30 Germans Nick Heuwinkel and Jesper Spehr also in the mix. As expected, strategy played a key role right from the start. Diego Negri and Sergio Lambertenghi (ITA) chose the left side of the course, sailing closely with Mateusz Kusznierewicz and Bruno Prada (POL/BRA). Eric Doyle and Payson Infelise (USA)held the middle, while Cayard and Kleen took it out to the right.
At the first top mark, it was Negri/Lambertenghi leading, followed by home favorite Tonci Stipanovic with Tudor Bilic (CRO) and the Italian duo Enrico Chieffi and Nando Colaninno. Doyle/Infelise rounded fourth, Heuwinkel/Spehr fifth, and Kusznierewicz/Prada sixth. Crucially, Cayard and Kleen were back in 14, a dangerous position given the championship on the line. But the veteran pair showed their resilience, picking off boats on the first downwind to close the gap. They knew they had to limit the number of boats between them and their closest rivals: no more than 11 behind Negri, 4 behind Doyle, and 7 behind Kusznierewicz.
At the gate, the pressure mounted. The margins were razor thin. But by the second top mark, it became clear, they had done just enough. The buffer was narrow, but it was there. The championship was within reach. As Negri and Lambertenghi powered ahead to win the race, followed by Stipanovic/Bilic, Kusznierewicz/Prada, and Chieffi/Colaninno, the eyes of the fleet turned toward the battle further back. Cayard and Kleen crossed the line in seventh, securing the title by a slim three point margin.
“Big emotions for sure,” said a visibly moved Paul Cayard at the dock. “You know, it’s really hard to believe. We made it very difficult on ourselves, and of course that’s kind of the way I do things. But we stuck together through the tough times. Every team here had to deal with challenges, and we had a few yesterday and today, but we came back because we sailed smart and trusted each other. It’s surreal to win 37 years after my first title. With a long career in sailing, America’s Cups, Round the World races, the Star has always been a constant for me. Winning it again is incredibly special.”
“It’s very special to win this with Paul,” added Frithjof Kleen. “This whole journey has meant so much. I want to thank our amazing team, our training partners, our coach, and especially our families. I’m very happy, and I think we’re ready to celebrate tonight!” It is Cayard’s second Star World title, 37 years after his first, and Kleen’s third as a crew, a well-earned reward for a team that has fought hard over the last three seasons, finishing close in 2022 and 2024, and now finally taking the top step of the podium.
The 2026 Star World Championship will be held in Miami, Florida, from November 12–21, continuing the legacy of one of sailing’s most historic and prestigious titles.
