Star Worlds 2009: A Pressure Cooker for Sailors and Committee Alike

by Lynn Fitzpatrick

H.P. Hylander was under more pressure today than each of the six teams that have a shot at winning the 2009 Star World Championship. There were zephyrs on the water in the morning when the Star fleet left the harbor and they danced around for hours.

Hylander, the PRO and Regatta Chairman, stood on the Race Committee boat with a Bluetooth phone in his ear, a radio in his hand, binoculars and a hockey puck draped around his neck. He had lots of helpers aboard the RC boat and wind scouts two miles to the south and to the west; the logical directions from which the wind would fill.

Sailors began to shed their neoprene as they baked in the hot Swedish sun.

Occasionally, Hylander's dialogue with his local weather scouts was broken up by calls to meteorologists.

Powerboats cut their engines and drifted.

Sailors took turns snoozing. No cloud formations took shape on any horizon.

When there was wind enough in the starting areas for the Stars to move, Hylander would hail the weather mark boat. Nothing.

Sailors started to hedge their bets and drift toward the Varberg shoreline.

Nothing.

One by one sails were taken down and rolled on decks.

Nothing.

Finally at 1600 the sailors were sent home for the day.

Said Exalted Grand Master, Pelle Petterson, when the racing was cancelled for the day, "This is wonderful. I get to sail a Star for another day."

A prize giving dinner is scheduled for 18:30 this evening and the final race of the 2009 Star World Championship will be sailed on Saturday or Sunday, whenever Hylander is satisfied that the 86-boat fleet can sail a fair race.

Results after 5 races and one discard in the six race regatta. Five races constitute a series. The race scheduled for Friday, August 7, 2009 was not sailed due to lack of wind. The race is scheduled to be sailed on Saturday or Sunday, the reserve days for the regatta.

1. Pepper/ Monk (NZL) - (11) , 9, 1, 11, 5 - 26
2. Szabo/Peters (USA) - (54) 1, 3, 20, 3 - 27
3. Marazzi/De Maria (SUI) - 3, 3, (35), 1, 20 - 27
4. Loof/ Tillander (SWE) - 2, 5, 15, (23) 7 - 29
5. Campbell/ Liljedahl (USA) - (14) 14, 4, 8, 8 - 34
6. Polgar/Kroeger (GER) - (31), 22, 7, 4, 2 - 35
7. Kusznierewicz/Zycki (POL) - 1, 12, (50), 18, 6 - 37
8. Mendelblatt/Strube (USA) - 8, 4, 2, 26, (35) - 40
9. Schlonski/Kleen (GER) - 9, 17, 11, 5, (32) - 42
10. Grael/Seifert (BRA) - (30), 6, 14, 14, 12 - 46

Star Worlds