No wind, no race on the opening day of the Star World Championship
The morning of the first day of sailing of the 2021 Star World Championship in Kiel, Germany, didn’t look promising. The usual chilly breeze blowing at the 1972 German Olympic venue didn’t welcome the 83 teams on their way to the boats. Soon the postponement flag was hoisted and it stayed hanging on the notice pole until 2:00 pm, when also the A flag was hoisted, calling it off for the day. No race could be sailed on the opening of the regatta.
“The wind is really not good,” Race Officer Mandus Freese told the crews at the online skippers’ briefing in the morning. “Two to three knots at the lighthouse – 20 meter high”. Unfortunately, that is how it stayed throughout the day.
“It will be a tricky week weatherwise” said two-time Olympic silver medalist Tonci Stipanovic (CRO), “we will take what we get, we are just so happy to be here sailing the Star”. About a month ago Tonci won his second Olympic silver medal in the hyper competitive Laser Class. “In Tokyo it has been so tough, the ranking changed daily, a few penalties have decided a couple of big results and I was overjoyed to step on the podium eventually. Here we want to do well, but we know the level is super high and we just have to take one day at a time not overdoing it. With Tudor (Bilic, CRO, his crew) we have been training a little at home, in Split, and we finished sixth at the Europeans there last May, we would love to finish a little better than that, if we can”, says with a smirk.
Stipanovic is not the only Tokyo 2020 Olympians racing at the 99th Star World Championship, Australian Finn sailors Jake Lilley will also be on the starting line tomorrow, Tuesday September 7th, 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.
