Pepper wins opener

After a tricky day on San Francisco Bay at the Star World Championship

Star sailors had a tricky day’s racing ahead of them as they were towed to the Star course at Berkeley Circle for Day 1 of the Wells Fargo Private Banking Star World Championships. Competitors waited 90 minutes in the day’s gray and cold while racing was postponed due to no wind. With the start gun sounding just after 1:30pm, the work began.

The westerly breeze proved very shifty all afternoon, ranging from as much as 13 knots to as little as 5, with the pressure spread out all over the course. Racing began in an ebb, turning to a flood late afternoon.

Hamish Pepper and crew Carl Williams (New Zealand), took the first win of the 6-day series with seeming ease. “Our advantage was a good start where we were able to get clear air giving us options up the first beat," said Williams. "We stayed in phase with the shifts that were there and made it round the first mark in 5th. We concentrated on a clear run with clear air, and as the wind shut down we looked up the track and liked the right. We came up to Rohan (Lord) on the 2nd beat, took the pressure down the middle, and the right just always seemed favored to us on the last run.”

Andy Horton and Brad Nichol (USA), are in second place while Kiwis Rohan Lord and Miles Addy sit in third. Flavio Marazzi and Martin Kozaczek of Switzerland are in fourth, with Steve Gould and Greg Sieck in fifth.

Like many, the British team of Iain Percy and Steve Mitchell took their day in stride. “It wasn’t so flash,” said Percy. “We went the wrong way as the left on the first beat was the killer - we had a 30 degree windshift. We were in good company though.”

That company included Swedish favourites Fredrik Loof and Anders Ekstrom. “It was a hard day for us, we didn’t do too well," admitted Ekstrom. "Off the start we went left which wasn’t good. It’s just one race though - we have still have five to go.”

Other American teams placing in the upper ranks today include William Fields and Richard Burgess in 8th, Jim Buckingham and Mike Dorgan in 13th, and Foss Miller and Greg Newall sitting in 16.

Full results: