Porto Cervo, June 21st, 2019. A positive and very intense two race day for the Star fleet that had to make up for the missed race yesterday due to the wind too light and shifty. With one race to go to the end of the 2019 Star World Championship, Augie Diaz and Henry Boening are leading the provisional overall ranking followed by Eivind Melleby and Joshua Revkin tied in points with Mateusz Kusznierewicz and Bruno Prada in third place. The Championship is organized by the YCCS in collaboration with the International Star Class Yacht Racing Association (ISCYRA) and the support of Main Partner Audi and Technical Partners Quantum Sails and Garmin Marine, and it should end tomorrow with the last scheduled race. Two spare days are in line, june 23rd and 24th, if the weather should not cooperate tomorrow.
This morning the 63 teams attending the 2019 Star Worlds met on the racecourse in front of Porto Cervo well aware that the nice weather conditions would allow two long races. The Race Committee started the first procedures around 12, but the first race of the day only got underway one hour and a half later after six General Recalls. Five of these were Black Flagged attempt and they cost over 20 disqualified in the fleet, one of today’s victims is American Paul Cayard with Brazilian crew Arthur Lopes. On the next starting procedures of the day, another two General Recalls delayed the actual start of the race, that only began at 16,15. In both races the wind was blowing between 10-15 knots, while the direction, a East/South-East, was a bit shifty and caused a few changes of course.
Marin Misura, Croatian Star sailor with two Finn campaigns on his shoulders, literally dominated race four, leading from the beginning to the end. A little fight went on behind him, between the renowned Argentinian yacht designer Juan Kouyoumdjian and Italian Riccardo Improta. Juan Kouyoumdjian succeeded and closed the race in second, while in third place surprisingly finished Mateusz Kusznierewicz after taking over few boats in the last leg.
Race five saw Augie Diaz and Henry Boening always in the lead, with Diego Negri and Sergio Lambertenghi pressuring from behind. The Italian duo was able to pass the American/Brazilian team on the last downind winning their first race of this Championship. A day to remember for Marin Misura who closed the race with yet another podium, in third place.
Diego Negri, winner of race five said: “It’s been a great win today, at last Sardinia showed its typical conditions, big waves and strong breeze. We gained a few positions in both the downwinds, and went from second to first right on the last one and this helped up climbing up a little in the overall.”
The provisional ranking, considering the discard after race 5, is led by Augie Diaz and Henry Boening with Mateusz Kusznierewicz and Bruno Prada – a four time crew Star World Champion – following only four points behind tied with Eivind Melleby and Josh Revkin.
Polish skipper Kusznierewicz commented: “Tomorrow it’s going to be full on, we’ll attack, this is what we came here for, to win the Star World Championship. Augie Diaz and Henry Boening are sailing a great week, he’s always on the right side, we’re holding in there and we’re only four points behind, so it’s still possible, we will fight for our chances, we’ll be looking in front of us, not behind. We like windy conditions, so we’re happy that tomorrow it will be even windier, bring it on!”
Tomorrow, June 22nd will see the six and final race of the Championship with the Warning Signal scheduled for 12 noon. The forecast calls for a strong westerly breeze at 15-18 knots.
SSL Press Officer since 2015