Marazzi and de Maria win European crown

The final day of the Star European Championships saw the British pairing of Percy and Simpson fall from first to third

The 2007 Star European Championships drew to a close yesterday with British sailors Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson adding European bronze to the bronze they won at the World Championships in July.

Team Percy-Simpson – the sole Skandia Team GBR entrants in the 94 boat fleet at Malcesine, Italy – had been leading the pack since the second day of the five-day regatta, but suffered with downwind boat speed in some of the lighter conditions experienced across Lake Garda.

After also sustaining boat damage when they ran aground racing close to the shore in Thursday’s second race, Percy and Simpson went into Friday’s final race with just a slender two point lead, but were unable to fend off their main rivals and finished fifth in the final race to clinch third place overall.

“It was incredibly frustrating that we only needed to pass just one more boat and we’d have been on top of the podium instead of on the third step,” Olympic gold medallist Percy commented.

“It was good to be back in our other boat again and get a result after the difficulties we had with our set-up in China, but there’s still something not quite right with our downwind approach, particularly in lighter airs, so that needs some refinement.”

The European title went to Flavio Marazzi and Enrico de Maria of Switzerland, with Sweden’s Frederik Loof and Anders Ekstrom in second, level on points with the British pair but winning on countback.

Results to follow.