MATIAS CAPIZZANO
Tough pitch to play on: eighth at the 100th Star Worlds were the Danish crew of Schoenherr/Koy – also runners-up in the Grand Masters division behind the author. In among the next 10 teams behind the Danish pair there were no fewer than five recent world champions. There were Gold Stars whichever way you looked at Marblehead… intimidating for those wearing only humble blue. Gybing a Star in a breeze is one of sailing’s great moments, as long as the noise continues steadily – a small click followed by a period of silence advising you that a new mast is now required
10-11 miles long with legs in the range of 2-2.2 miles each. Race 1 was a crazy race that possibly should have been cancelled
early on. Large wind shifts left the committee chasing ‘square’ with the ‘change of course’ utility, but half of the race ended up a fetch. Yet what tells you something is that the top three teams in that race were also the top three teams in the 2022 World Champi- onship… Stipanovic, Negri, Cayard. And only Negri and Stipanovic would change spots for the final result. In fact, there were six different race winners over the six races
of the championship and Negri, the World Champion, did not win any. However, Negri/Lambertenghi were very consistent with just one result out of the top 10, which was the case for Cayard and Stipanovic as well... More than a few races found each of the top three deeper than
mid-fleet on the first leg yet slowly clawing their way back to single digits. That is how big championships are often won. Negri/Lambertenghi also did the best job of avoiding getting caught
out by a big shift early on the first leg of the long races. With a 1km- long starting line they often started at the midline boat, thus limiting the leverage their competitors on either edge could get. This was a smart strategy and probably what made the difference for the Italians. In race 5 my crew Frithjof Kleen and I rounded the first mark 54th,
having been on the outside of a 30° persistent wind shift that hit the fleet five minutes into the race. But despite the obvious ‘frustration’ so early in the race we committed ourselves to the fight and managed to finish the race seventh. This was the nature of the regatta… you had to stay in the game no matter the frustration, as it was never over until the finish. The future of the Star is bright. Membership is growing and we
32 SEAHORSE
have another new builder in Argentina, which will help boost the fleets in South America tremendously as they fight heavy import tariffs. Next year the world championship will be in Tuscany at the
Scarlino Yacht Club. In 2024 it will be in San Diego, the yacht club that has hosted the most world championships and the home of Star legends including Gerry Driscoll, Malin Burnham, Lowell North, Dennis Conner, Jim and Mark Reynolds, Vince Brun, George Szabo and Eric Doyle. In 2025 the class will go to Split, Croatia, the home of one of the latest champions to come to the class, Tonci Stipanovic with his teammate Tudor Bilic. Tonci is a two-time Olympic silver medallist in the Laser Class and two-time silver medallist now at the Star Worlds… 2021 and 2022. The pair are the current European Champions. It is just a matter of time before the Croatians win the world championship. I love history and tradition. I also admire evolution and progress.
The Star hits the sweet spot in my opinion. Mid-October 35 teams will convene on a small lake in Michigan to race our wooden Stars at the Vintage Gold Cup. I will sail my boat, Gem IX, which won the 1964 Olympic gold medal with one of my mentors, Durward Knowles, at the helm. My son Danny will be crewing for me as usual for this event, as it is all about paying it forward. In closing out this reflection on tradition and legacy, the coolest
thing for me at this 100th world championship was to see my son Danny, the grandson of Pelle Petterson, sailing on the same boat with Jamie Buchan, the grandson of Bill Buchan. Carl (Buchan) and I are simply proud fathers, sandwiched in between the legends and the future! And that is what the Star Class is all about, because no one among us will be here for ever. But the Star boat will!
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