2023 Star North American Championship at Royal Vancouver Yacht Club - Day 2
by Rachele Vitello 2 Jun 13:45 BST
May 29 - June 3, 2023
Volvo Penta 2023 Star North American Championship Day 2 © Jim Davie
Day two of the Volvo Penta 2023 Star North American Championship, hosted by Royal Vancouver Yacht Club in English Bay started as a completely different day from yesterday.
Sailors and Race Committee did not have to wait through an overcast easterly wind blowing in "the wrong direction". Instead, today the predominant westerly was filling into English Bay by 11 o'clock with sunny skies and the race area was ready for an on-time start at 1205.
Race three for the series was a course three, with five legs and an upwind finish. Wind speed was at nine gusting to 12 knots. Winds were steady out of 250 for most of the race, on the 1.3 nautical mile course. Two teams jumped the gun and had to restart bringing up the second half of the fleet to the finish.
George Szabo and Guy Avellon (USA) gained on their overall lead finishing first. Scott Barnard and Kilian Weise (USA/GER) finished second, followed by Star World Champion, Carl Buchan sailing with his son, Jamie Buchan (USA), finishing third.
Race four for the series and second for the day, was set up in the same area as the first race of the day. The wind had shifted somewhat to the left and the course was set at 260, course 4 with four legs and a downwind finish.
With a few left puffs, and a flood-tide of 1 to 2 knots, it was definitely "get to the beach" tactics and go left. Coming off the line and holding your lane was key. The breeze gradually lightened to 5 knots by the time George Szabo and Guy Avellon (USA) crossed the finish line in first for the second time today. Will Stout and Parker Mitchell (USA) finished second, and Brian Ledbetter with crew Brian Terhaar (USA) were third.
Forecast for day three and races five and six look good with continued warming in the region, which is good for the thermal breeze.