Star Class North American Championship at Tred Avon Yacht Club

Star Class North American Championship at Tred Avon Yacht Club - Day 3

by Laura Beigel 11 Oct 2014 15:20 BST 8-11 October 2014

Third time was not the charm, another tough day on the water for the Stars

For the third day in a row now, competitors at the 2014 International Star Class North American Championship endured none other than Oxford's most precarious winds as they fought one another through Races 6 and 7 for the top spot in the overall standings yesterday. After completing 7 races, Brazilian team Torben Grael and Guilherme Almeida (BRA 8210) top the leader board with a cumulative 29 points and have a 10 point lead going into the final race day of the series. Although 10 points is usually considered a comfortable margin, this particular race venue has proved itself untrustworthy many times to deliver conditions that even slightly resemble normal wind behaviour so the Silver Star Championship title is still just about anyone's for the taking.

Race 6 and 7 were sailed in an erratic North/ Northwesterly breeze that blew from 025 degrees, 100 degrees, and everywhere in between, at speeds anywhere from 4 to 12 knots, and in a flooding tide that, due to the wind direction, ran perpendicular to the Race Course. Looming rain storms in the area added another variable to the mix for the sailors to consider in their race strategy should the squall affect the wind on its approach or hit mid-race. Several Eastern Shore of Maryland Star Fleet and District 2 locals excelled in Race Day 3's conditions, using their many years of experience sailing in Oxford to carefully navigate through the fleet and around the course.

When the Star fleet reached the race area yesterday morning, the Race Committee posted the AP Flag at 11:00 am for a few short minutes to give competitors extra time to check in and view the course information. Within 2 minutes, the AP Flag was taken down then one minute later the 5 minute horn sounded signalling the beginning of the starting sequence for Race 6. The Race Committee set a Course 4, windward-leeward twice around with a downwind finish, with a windward mark bearing of 085 degrees. Race 6 began with an individual recall and no longer than 100 yards past the starting line the fleet split in two when one half tacked to port headed to the right side of the course while the other half remained on starboard sailing forward toward the left.

Ultimately the right side of the course was favoured on the first leg giving Jack Rickard and Sam Eadie (USA 8036), leaders of the right side, the momentum they needed to cross the boats approaching from the left and round the windward mark in first place. Argentinians Alberto Zanetti and Federico Calegari (ARG 8278) rounded second with 3rd place John Chiarella and Bob Carleson (USA 8215), 4th place Bert Collins and Jake Doyle (8063), and 5th place Tom Londrigan and Steve Cutting (USA 8361) close behind. At the windward mark Bob Lippincott and Michael Zuschnitt (USA 7512) were notified they were OCS at the start and they left the race course.

As the rest of the sailors raced downwind to the leeward gate, the fleet was hit with a 15 degrees right shift that gave Larry Whipple and Mike Wolfs (USA 8484) the opportunity to take over the lead as well as the opportunity for USA 8361 Londrigan/Cutting to move into second place. At the gate, USA 8484 Whipple/Wolfs rounded first just ahead of USA 8361 Londrigan/Cutting, USA 8036 Rickard/Eadie, USA 8063 Collins/Doyle, and ARG 8278 Zanetti/Calegari who proceeded to rounded in that order and head upwind for the newly adjusted windward mark at 100 degrees.

ARG 8278 Zanetti/Calegari sailed a flawless second weather leg and reached the windward mark in first, just as a new left phase breeze began to control the course. USA 8036 Rickard/Eadie rounded in 2nd followed by Brazilians Torben Grael and Guilherme Almeida (BRA 8210) in 3rd, USA 8063 Collins/Doyle in 4th, and Doug Schofield and Bob Schofield (USA 8264) now in 5th. The wind had shifted almost a full 70 degrees before it settled into its new direction and consequently, the last downwind leg of Race 6 became almost a parade to the finish. ARG 8278 Zanetti/ Calegari maintained their lead for the entire 4th leg and won Race 6 with BRA 8210 Grael/Almeida crossing in 2nd, USA 803 Collins/Doyle in 3rd, USA 8036 Rickard/Eadie in 4th and USA 8264 Schofield/Schofield in 5th.

Race 7 got off to a clean but tough start due to a small rain cell that was passing over head. The starting sequence began in a steady 6-8 knots from 020 degrees that progressively lightened to 4 knots and became more unsettled as the storm moved away. Right off the line, the majority of the fleet began working up the right side of the course and about half way upwind the breeze filled back in to its previous 6-8 knots. As the fleet neared the windward mark, the leading boats came from the middle of the course with local Eastern Shore of Maryland Star Fleet member, Championship organizer for this regatta, and novice skipper R.J. Cooper with Brain Boyd (USA 8024) at the front of the pack.

USA 8024 Cooper/Boyd rounded the weather mark in first with John MacCausland and Rick Burgess (USA 8490) hot on his tail. Another local Fleet and Yacht Club member Alan Campbell with Steve Rollo (USA 8045) rounded the weather mark in 3rd followed by Steve Braverman and Kevin Hetherington-Young (USA 8052) in 4th and Will Murdoch with Tim Paris (USA 7713) in 5th. As the fleet headed downwind, the wind began shifting to the right and Torben Grael with Guilherme Almeida (BRA 8210) took advantage of the new breeze, using it to move into the top 5.

USA 8024 Cooper/Boyd maintained their lead all the way downwind and lead the fleet around the leeward mark. USA 8490 MacCausland/Burgess rounded in 2nd, ahead of now 3rd place BRA 8210 Grael/Almeida, 4th place USA 8045 Campbell/Boyd, and 5th place USA 8052 Braverman/Hetherington-Young. The wind continued to shift further right again on the second upwind leg and USA 8490 MacCausland/Burgess was able to get farther right than USA 8024 Cooper/Boyd to gain an advantageous position and pass USA 8024 Cooper/Boyd with just a quarter of the leg left until the windward mark.

USA 8490 MacCausland/Burgess rounded the windward mark first with USA 8024 Cooper/Boyd less than 2 feet behind and both jibed around the offset. BRA 8210 Grael/Almeida held his 3rd place position upwind and around the windward mark followed this time by Arthur Anosov with David Caeser (USA 8000) in 4th and Paul Cayard with Brian Terhaar (USA 8460) in 5th. These five boats continued on downwind to finish in the same positions they rounded in. Both R.J. Cooper and Brian Boyd (USA 8024) were novices when the entered the 2014 Star North Americans but with their 2nd place finish in Race 7 they have each earned their first Star Class Honours ever: 1 Silver Chevron, and 1 Silver Bar respectively.

Results after Day 3:

Pos	Helm	Crew	Sail No	Fleet	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	Pts
1	Torben Grael	Guilherme Almeida	BRA 8210	Gua	4	4	[25 RDG]	14	2	2	3	11	40
2	Tomas Hornos	Josh Revkin	USA 8177	BH	10	8	[20]	6	4	7	8	3	46
3	Arthur Anosov	David Caesar	USA 8000	SL	3	10	2	2	[42 BFD]	18	4	9	48
4	Paul Cayard	Brian Terhaar	USA 8460	WSFB	2	21	15	3	11	[23]	5	4	61
5	Jack Jennings	Jesse Fielding	USA 8464	LS	9	19	4	7	17	6	10	[27]	72
6	Larry Whipple	Mike Wolfs	USA 8484	BisB	5	7	12	17	7	17	16	[42 DNC]	81
7	John Maccausland	Rick Burgess	USA 8490	CR	1	25	[42 OCS]	5	8	24	1	18	82
8	Doug Schofield	Bob Schofield	USA 8264	ES	8	29	[42 OCS]	4	1	5	12	23	82
9	Mark Passmore	Simon Van Wonderen	CAN 8235	WLOC	16	6	3	[22]	13	12	19	13	82
10	Will Swigart	Brian Fatih	USA 8291	CLIS	7	18	14	1	14	[19]	15	14	83
11	Derek Decouteau	Jamie Stewart	USA 8083	BI	12	23	[28]	23	6	8	7	5	84
12	Erich Mones Ruiz	Diego Peisajovich	ARG 8285	BisB	6	[27]	8	24	5	20	6	20	89
13	Mike Hecky	Arnis Baltins	USA 8395	CR	13	2	24	20	[32]	15	17	10	101
14	Bob Lippincott	Michael Zuschnitt	USA 7512	ES	24	12	21	13	15	[42 OCS]	11	6	102
15	William Watson	Roger Sharp	USA 8367	CLIS	19	3	10	18	10	26	18	[29]	104
16	Jerry Wendt	Ezra Culver	CAN 8389	WLOC	15	20	18	26	18	10	[27]	2	109
17	Steve Braverman	Kevin Hetherington‑Young	USA 8052	BH	20	[33]	23	10	16	16	9	21	115
18	R J Cooper	Brian Boyd	USA 8024	ES	29	17	5	[34]	19	14	2	31	117
19	Jack Rickard	Sam Eadie	USA 8036	WH	25	14	13	9	30	4	22	[33]	117
20	Alberto Zanetti	Federico Calegari	ARG 8278	OL	11	13	[42 OCS]	19	FD	1	26	8	120
21	Alan Campbell	Steve Rollo	USA 8045	ES	28	9	22	[42 DNF]	NS	11	13	1	126
22	Tom Londrigan Jr	Steve Cutting	USA 8361	LS	17	15	[42 OCS]	11	3	9	29	NF	126
23	Bert Collins	Jake Doyle	USA 8063	AN	18	31	9	25	20	3	24	[32]	130
24	Keith Donald	Kevin Elterman	USA 8087	AN	14	1	DG	21	28	[31]	30	16	131
25	Mark Holowesko	Myles Pritchard	BAH 8406	N	21	16	11	[42 DSQ]	9	21	33	22	133
26	Claude Bonanni	Manolo Bunge	USA 8279	TaB	22	22	7	29	21	[37]	20	17	138
27	Schuyler Benson	Andrew Parish	USA 8067	ES	23	34	30	12	22	22	[36]	12	155
28	Barbara Beigel‑Vosbury	Guy Avellon	USA 7986	AN	26	24	6	[32]	27	27	23	26	159
29	Ben Sternberg	Valentin Veytsman	USA 8358	CLIS	[42 DNF]	NS	NS	8	12	25	14	19	162
30	Carroll McCallum	Jock Kohlhas	USA 8420	CLIS	[42 DNS]	26	1	16	34	32	25	30	164
31	John Chiarella	Bob Carlson	USA 8215	Sun	30	11	17	28	31	28	[42 DNS]	25	170
32	Rick Rundle	Kyle McVane	USA 7078	CHiH	35	5	16	27	33	30	28	[42 DNC]	174
33	Douglas Smith	Chris Rogers	USA 8072	SBC	[42 ]	NC	NC	15	25	29	21	7	181
34	Steve Kling	Mike Lovellette	USA 8131	AN	33	30	29	[35]	35	13	35	28	203
35	Tom White	Isao Toyama	USA 8157	SL	[42 DNS]	NS	DG	31	23	35	32	15	206
36	Sandy McAllister	Spencer McAllister	USA 7828	ES	32	35	27	[36]	29	34	31	24	212
37	Will Murdoch	Tim Paris	USA 7713	MES	31	36	26	33	26	[38]	34	34	220
38	Richard Sears	Ken Sears	USA 7902	CD	36	28	31	37	37	[39]	38	35	242
39	Eugenio Cingolani	Celia Cingolani	ARG 8268	SMB	[42 DNF]	NS	DG	30	24	36	NF	NC	251
40	Joe Pro	Nicolaus Pro	USA 8153	NCB	34	32	[42 DNS]	38	36	33	37	NC	252
41	Daniel Della Torre	Ed Morey	ARG 8286	OL	27	[42 DNF]	19	NC	NC	NC	NC	NC	256