2026 Star European Championship at Medemblik, The Netherlands - Day 2
by ISCYRA 27 Aug 16:59 BST
24-29 August 2026
Another beautiful day greeted the fleet at the 2026 Star European Championship, although this time Medemblik showed a more familiar face. Grey skies and a fresh easterly breeze welcomed sailors to the racecourse in the morning, with forecasts predicting 13-17 knots. By the afternoon, however, the clouds gave way to blue skies, creating another memorable day of racing on the IJsselmeer.
The opening race started in a steady 10-knot easterly, and from the very first beat Diego Negri and Sergio Lambertenghi (ITA) took control. The two-time Star World Champion and his crew led from start to finish, never relinquishing the lead to score their first victory of the championship. Behind them, Jørgen Schoenherr and Ed Wright (DEN/GBR) continued their remarkably consistent series with another second place, while Germany's Max Kohlhoff and Ole Burzinski, World Champions in 2023, completed the podium in third.
The second race delivered a completely different story. As the sky cleared and the sun returned, the racecourse became increasingly difficult to read, with significant wind shifts reshuffling the fleet throughout the afternoon.
Robert Scheidt and Austin Sperry (BRA/USA) started in the middle of the line and rounded the first windward mark around fifteenth place. But champions know how to recover. Displaying exceptional boat speed and tactical awareness, the Brazilian-American duo steadily worked their way through the fleet before taking the lead in the closing stages to claim a superb race victory.
Jack Jennings and Andrew Palfrey (USA/AUS) finished second after another strong performance, while fellow Americans Doug Smith and Brian O'Mahony crossed the line in third.
Four races into the championship, consistency remains the defining factor. Before the discard comes into play, Jørgen Schoenherr and Ed Wright lead the overall standings thanks to a remarkably solid scoreline, followed by Jack Jennings and Andrew Palfrey in second and Robert Scheidt and Austin Sperry in third. With three races still to sail, the leaderboard remains wide open.
Despite their race victory, Negri and Lambertenghi know there is still work to do. "So far, so good," said Negri. "Yesterday we had one good race and one difficult one, and today it was the same, a bullet in the first race and around twelfth in the second. We were in the leading group both times, but this racecourse is really tricky. I still can't completely read the shifts here, and both yesterday and today we lost a lot of distance to the leaders in the second half of the race. Still, we're around the top five and very much in the game with three races to go. We are enjoying it. At least here in Medemblik it's not very common to have three sunny days in a row, so we've had great weather and great sailing. Hopefully we'll have more fun over the final two days."
With another three races scheduled between tomorrow and Saturday and the championship battle tightening by the hour, the 2026 Star European Championship is shaping up to deliver a thrilling finish.