Star Class European Championship – 300 sailors – 150 boats

by Star European Championship on 2 Jun 2010 Star Class European Championship -The Star Class has chosen Viareggio, on Italy’s Tuscany coast for the 2010 European Championship. Viareggio is an important city for the international yachting. From 5 to 13 June, the best sailors from all over the world will arrive in Italy to compete in the Tuscan sea and to decree the Crew winner in one of the most loved and best known sailing environment.

The Star, sailing boat born a century ago, makes every race a spectacular and exciting event, thanks to its flexibility and its high-performance as Olympic class.

The event attracts all the major world-wide award-winning crews, consisting of two athletes per boat. Between crews there are big names of the sail world history: for example, just to give some names, Torben Grael, Brazilian sailor that won two gold medals with Star Class at Savannah's Games in 1996, Athens in 2004, and a bronze at Sydney in 2000 and the World Championship in 1990, in addition to winning the Louis Vuitton Cup with Luna Rossa at Auckland in 2000. Torben is the current Rolex Sailor of the Year.

His brother, Lars Grael, unfortunately without a leg in an accident during a race, won two bronze medals at the Olympic Games in Seoul in 1988 and Atlanta in 1996, and is two times South American Champion. Lars finished third and fourth is the last two Star World Championships. Robert Sheidt, current Luna Rossa's helmsman, with the Star won the World Championship in 2007, the silver one in 2008 and 2006 and the Chinese Olympics in 2008. Still, George Szabo, from USA, four times champion in the USA for the Snipe Class and world champion for the Star Class 2009 in Sweden with Rick Peters. other notable shippers include Roberto Benamatti World Champion 1991, Diego Negri , Freddy Loof WC 2001 and 2004, Xavier Rohart WC 2003 and 2005), Flavio Marazzi, and Andrew Campbell among many others.

Viareggio's Port, birth place of some of the most beautiful boats ever built, thanks to the presence of yards as Perini, Azimut-Benetti, Codecasa, Fipa, Overmarine, SanLorenzo and many more, will receive in the heart of the Darsena area about 150 boats, that will contend the title during the six regattas in front of a very big audience. The number is really impressive and never equalized in this class, it is the Largest Fleet in Class History.

Crews come from all corners of the world: 27 different nationalities of which nine are outside Europe. The best star class crews will arrive at Viareggio from Australia, USA, Russia, Brazil, Canada, Argentina, Japan, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Portugal, Spain, Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands, Croatia, Greece, Ukraine, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, Poland, Serbia, Great Britain, France, Hungary, Germany and of course Italy.

The event will be also an important moment of hangout and fun, with theme-dinners and a real 'Vela Star Village', set in the Darsena Europa, where the people will able to entertaining between stands and exhibition, informative and cultural areas.

Main Sponsor of the event are the company ACTA ENERGY and CALLEGARI: the two toscan companies have chosen Viareggio as a showcase of excellence to present to the public HIDRO, the first hydrogen tender. An important innovation that allows any boaters to navigate freely. The event has important partners including Land Rover proposed by Suncare, B2K Balena 2000, Viareggio Versilia Congressi, Mo.Ver, BE1, NYL, Sagra.

An international sailing event at the highest levels ever seen in Viareggio, under the sponsorship of the President of the Italian Republic.

The European Championship has been organized by Società Velica Viareggina, that represents the oldest association in the promotion of sailing sport of the city, organizing since almost 50 years importants International races in the ambit Star; from Club Nautico Versilia, the most important nautical club created for sailing and speedboat in the porto of Viareggio, protagonist and maker of some historical and prestigious competitions; from Lega Navale Italiana, that promotes and supports the practice of pleasure crafts and other activities about the sea, through training, organization of competitions, promotional and cultural initiatives; from the Comune di Viareggio in the ambit of the Tourism and Sports Department; from the Port Authorities - Coast Guard of Viareggio that ensure safety at sea and the maximum support on land and sea at the event, allowing proper execution of the Championship that otherwise would not have been possible.

The event enjoys the active participation of the Viareggio Porto Spa, the Comitato Circoli Velici Versiliesi and Panathlon International Versilia.

All information regarding the Championship can be found on the website dedicated to the event in dual Italian/English, in which, in addition to constantly updated news, there is a list of members, the complete program, the notice of race, the map of the location with the location of boats and all relevant information.

The website address is: www.stareuropean2010.it