Canadians win Silver Star Championship in a PStar
by Lynn Fitzpatrick on 19 Apr 2010
Richard Clarke and Tyler Bjorn (CAN) head for the finishing line, clear ahead - 2010 Western Hemisphere Star Championships Fried Elliott
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Richard Clarke and Tyler Bjorn (CAN) have won the 2010 Star Western Hemisphere Championship held in Nassau, Bahamas. The Canadians dominated in Montagu Bay’s heavy winds and frothy seas during the early races in the series. Their sixth place finish in Saturday’s fifth race in light air clinched the series, yet they sailed the final race, because, as Clarke said, 'We need the practice.'
'We had a gear that nobody else had, and were incredibly fast on the reaches and runs,' said Clarke, of the team’s PStar.
Clarke was at the helm of what he described as a misguided missile during the windy practice series. 'We fouled, crashed into people, broke whisker poles, ripped sails and cut Andrew Campbell’s head open in an out of control incident. I was even swept out of the boat in a jibe and was rescued. It was pretty humbling to have to go to the bar and apologize for making so many mistakes, but it was apparent that we had speed. Our goals for the championship were to stay clean, keep it simple and do things early. I’m still learning and I was definitely scared with all of the rigs that were falling around us.'
Clarke and Bjorn have competed in three regattas together. This Silver Star victory follows their impressive second place finish in the North Americans and fourth place finish in the Bacardi Cup. 'Our teamwork continues to improve and we get better every day. The PStar is plug and play and easy to sail even with limited time in the boat. I’m such a beginner that I leave the tuning to Tyler. When it comes to rake and other adjustments, I’m not allowed to touch them yet,' jokes Clarke.
Bjorn, who has been racing Stars for over a decade, was pleased with their progress and commented, 'We had some crazy moments, and the one constant so far has been the PStar. The quality in workmanship really showed. We had three straight days of 20 knots plus and we didn’t have any breakdowns. All systems worked well and she felt really fast.'
This is the first hemispheric championship win for the PStar. Jon VanderMolen, who has been the driving force behind building Stars in North America that can compete against the European boats, was delighted with the news that North Americans, Clarke and Bjorn, won using a PStar. VanderMolen said, 'This win validates everything that we have been trying to do. The PStar is clearly a winner and I am very proud that the PStar and North Americans won the Western Hemispheres.'
Clarke and Bjorn have been chartering their PStar and have one on order that will be delivered in the fall. They are shipping their championship winning PStar to Europe for the upcoming spring and summer Olympic classes and Star regattas. Unsure that he wants to give up is lucky charm, Clarke said, 'We’re slowly falling in love with this boat. She’s pretty special.'
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