Star Class Honoring the Past, Leading the Future
Teams arrived early for the first event of the season, tuning and training a couple days before the first race. A cold front on Saturday morning ushered in strong winds averaging in the high twenties with gusts up to forty knots. The winds settled in the afternoon, but a little too late for the RC's taste. Sailors prepared themselves for a long day on Sunday with a 10:30 am start.
Sailors awakened to a 15 - 18 knot noreaster. Race one was a double triangle with a reach to the finish. The American-Brazilian team of 2019 runner-up World Champion skipper Augie Diaz & reigning World Champion crew, Bruno Prada, leading the first race wire to wire. Race two was a modified Olympic with with reigning Bacardi Champions, Doyle & Infelise, leading from finish to start, with Diaz & Prada in second and 2019 Midwinter Champion, Paul Cayard, sailing with Phil Trinter a close third.
The final race mixed things up a bit with winds settling and the RC sending the fleet on a windward-leeward course. Going into a tight final race, Doyle & Infelise were called over early and restarted, while Diaz & Prada were behind after a bad start. Cayard & Trinter nailed the final start, caught the first shift, and extended by playing the shifts perfectly up the first windward leg, leading wire to wire.
Cayard & Trinter took the overall win, Diaz & Prada second, and Doyle & Infelise, despite being over early in the final start, were able to pull ahead to put themselves in a position to be on the podium without a drop race. Other notable performances were given by Miami's Peter Vassela & Brian Fatih, Taylor Canfield sailing with Annapolis's all-star crew Arnis Baltins, and Californians Scott Bernard & Craig Moss.
The Schoonmaker was an excellent warm-up for teams headed to the Star Sailor's League Finals in Bahamas in a few weeks - Paul Cayard & Trinter, Arnis Baltins & Taylor Canfield, Doyle & Infelise, and two-time finals winner, crew Brian Fatih who will sail with Sweden's Freddy Loof in Nassau. Good luck guys!
Next Star Winter Series event, the Commodore's Cup, is December, 7th - 8th
Results: https://yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=9567
Source: Miami Star Sailing
