Star North Americans - Another tough day for the fleet

by Laura Beigel on 12 Oct 2014 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 Six and Seven for the top spot in the overall standings yesterday. After completing seven 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 behavior so the Silver Star Championship title is still just about anyone’s for the taking.

Race Six and Seven were sailed in an erratic North/ Northwesterly breeze that blew from 025°, 100°, and everywhere in between, at speeds anywhere from four 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 Two locals excelled in Race Day three’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 two minutes, the AP Flag was taken down then one minute later the five minute horn sounded signaling the beginning of the starting sequence for Race Six. The Race Committee set a Course 4, windward-leeward twice around with a downwind finish, with a windward mark bearing of 085°. Race Six 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 favored 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 third place John Chiarella and Bob Carleson (USA 8215), fourth place Bert Collins and Jake Doyle (8063), and fifth 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° 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°.

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 second followed by Brazilians Torben Grael and Guilherme Almeida (BRA 8210) in third, USA 8063 Collins/Doyle in fourth, and Doug Schofield and Bob Schofield (USA 8264) now in fifth. The wind had shifted almost a full 70° before it settled into its new direction and consequently, the last downwind leg of Race Six became almost a parade to the finish. ARG 8278 Zanetti/ Calegari maintained their lead for the entire fourth leg and won Race Six with BRA 8210 Grael/Almeida crossing in second, USA 803 Collins/Doyle in third, USA 8036 Rickard/Eadie in fourth and USA 8264 Schofield/Schofield in fifth.

Race Seven 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° that progressively lightened to four 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 third followed by Steve Braverman and Kevin Hetherington-Young (USA 8052) in fourth and Will Murdoch with Tim Paris (USA 7713) in fifth. 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 five.

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 second, ahead of now third place BRA 8210 Grael/Almeida, fourth place USA 8045 Campbell/Boyd, and fifth 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 two feet behind and both jibed around the offset. BRA 8210 Grael/Almeida held his third place position upwind and around the windward mark followed this time by Arthur Anosov with David Caeser (USA 8000) in fourth and Paul Cayard with Brian Terhaar (USA 8460) in fifth. 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 second place finish in Race Seven they have each earned their first Star Class Honors ever: One Silver Chevron, and one Silver Bar respectively.

Top 5 after 5 races (preliminary):

Place	Sail #	Name	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	Total
1.	BRA 8210	Torben Grael and Guilherme Almeida	4	4	[RDG-25]	14	2	2	3	29
2.	USA 8000	Arthur Anosov and David Caesar	3	10	2	2	[OCS-42]	18	4	39
3.	USA 8177	Tomas Hornos and Josh Revkin	10	8	[20]	6	4	7	8	43
4.	USA 8464	Jack Jennings and Jesse Fielding	9	[19]	4	7	17	6	10	53
5.	USA 8460	Paul Cayard and Brian Terhaar	2	21	15	3	11	[23]	5	57

               *Numbers enclosed Click here for full Event Website