Ideal Miami conditions welcomes Star Winter Series

Published on January 4th, 2015

The four-event Star Winter Series presented by EFG continued to build with the Levin Cup hosted by Coral Reef Yacht Club on January 3-4.

PRO Rich Raymond described the conditions for the 26 teams on Biscayne Bay as “Miami perfect weather.” Saturday’s winds were 15 knots, while Sunday’s topped at 12 knots and died off near the end of the last race. Because of race conditions, Rich used only “hot dog” courses, no triangles either day.

Participation was up almost 20% over last year’s regatta, with 28% of competitors being international–evidence that the series continues to gain in reputation among serious Star sailors throughout the U.S. and elsewhere.

What accounts for the charisma of the Star fleet? Sailors provide the answers. Luke Lawrence: “It is the greatest boat to sail with a keel. I love the complexity of the boat. And this fleet is the coolest.” Magnus Liljedahl: “It’s just a great boat. Stars have more sail area than any other competitive boat.” According to Paul Cayard, “I’ve been competing in Stars since 1977, which is a lifetime in racing with other Star sailors. It’s a tight group of friends.” Cayard summed it up this way: “My highest accomplishment in sailing is being Magnus’s friend.”

After two days of races, the overall finishes reflected skill, experience, and the physicality and athleticism of youth. First overall was Paul Cayard (an America’s Cup skipper and Star World Champion) and Magnus Liljedahl (winner of Olympic Gold). Second place went to skipper Luke Lawrence with crew Josh Revkin , both of whom are just 24 years old. Finishing third were Brazilians Lars Grael and Samuel Gonçalves. Claiming first in the Grand Masters were CRYC’s Augie Diaz and with crew Arnis Baltis.

Complete results – Star Winter Series – Star class

Miami Star Winter Series (4 events)
– Schoonmaker Cup: November 22-23, 2014 (up to 5 races)
– Commodores Cup/District 20 Championship: December 13-14, 2014 (up to 5 races)
– Levin Memorial: January 3-4, 2015 (up to 5 races)
– Walker Cup: January 8-9, 2015 (up to 4 races)
– Star Midwinters: January 8-11, 2015 (up to 8 races, includes Walker Cup)

Report by event media. Photos by Marco Oquendo.