No wind, no race on the opening day of the Star World Championship in Kiel on Monday.
The usual chilly breeze blowing at the 1972 German Olympic venue didn’t welcome the 83 teams on their way to the boats. The postponement flag was hoisted and then at 2:00 pm the A flag followed, calling it off for the day.
The 99th Star World Championship will now try to start Tuesday, 7 September, when Race Director Mandus Freese is ready to have two races.
The first start is scheduled for 11 am, however, the wind is looking light again, and could alter the plans.
Returning to the class is Enrico Chieffi, who at the age of 58, recently won the European Star Class title in Split together with bowman Nando Colaninno (aged 54), he is now targeting the world title.
The 1996 Star World Champion (paired with Roberto Sinibaldi) and former vice-president of the Nautor’s Swan shipyard, has recently been appointed CEO of sailing clothes brand SLAM to relaunch the company.
Chieffi came up with the idea of shortening the long and very thin section mast of the Star to make it much stiffer . . . hence the idea of a mast resting on the deck and not passing through.
He got togeher with friend and designer Juan Kouyoumdjian, who took the original drawings of the Star that won the 2008 Olympics with Iain Percy, and based on them he studied the application of the mast on deck.
Then Stefano Lillia built the new Star in his yard.
Chieffi commented, “With a crew and a boat like that, let us tell you, expectations are high!”
The Star 2021 World Championships, from 7 to 11 September, in Kiel, Germany.
