The last day of the 2021 North American Championship started out with quite a long wait on the water for the 30 teams participating in it. The clouds covering the sky wouldn’t allow the breeze to fill in on the racecourse, but PRO Bruce Golison believed one race could be finished on the last day of the event.

And so it was, around 2:30pm local time a light wind picked up and the starting procedures began. The provisional leaders, Eric Doyle and Payson Infelise had a five point margin this morning and had to protect it from five teams, from second to sixth, from Andy MacDonald with Brad Nichol to North American title defender Augie Diaz, racing this year with Bruno Prada (BRA).

Another 8-10 knots of breeze day in Newport Beach, California, for the 2021 North American Championship. And another two races sailed in great conditions for the 30-boat fleet of very passionate and talented Star sailors from all areas of the United States of America.
 
Eric Doyle and Payson Infelise did not have their best performance so far, but they are still defending the lead with a decent five point-margin over the second overall thanks to the ‘throw-out’ of their 11th place in race five. Exalted Grand Master Andy MacDonald with Brad Nichol climbed up to second, after a bullet in race six, with Brian Ledbetter and Ben Wilkinson chasing one point behind on the third step of the podium – even if tied on points with Erik Lidecis and Greg Smith in fourth.
 

Newport Beach put on a nice show on day two of the North American Championship 2021. The wind was blowing from 10-12 knots during both beautiful races for the 30-boat-fleet, all from the USA.
 
It was a very eager fleet, so eager that the first start ended up in a general recall and consequently a U flag was hoisted on the Race Committee. That penalized four teams, among whom Danny and Paul Cayard who were tie for third yesterday and have drastically dropped to 11th on day two.

A light breeze day kicked off the 2021 Star North American Championship in Newport Beach, California. 7-9 knots from the south made it possible for the 30-boat fleet to finish the two races scheduled for the day, with two different winners, but an undisputed leader of the day.
 
Eric Doyle and Payson Infelise, close the first day of the North Americans in the top spot of the ranking with a second place and a bullet. The first win of the day went to George Szabo and Guy Avellon, in second overall after a fifth in the second race. In third we see Jim Buckingham and Phil Toth, making the best out of their extensive local knowledge, but at this very early stage there are two other teams tied for third: Danny and Paul Cayard – with the world-renowned skipper crewing for his son – and John MacCausland with Brian Terhaar.

A successful season for the International Star Class in 2021 continues this week with the North American Championship in Newport Beach, California, after two strong championships in Split, Croatia, for the Europeans and in Miami for the Western Hemisphere in the spring.
 
30 teams, 100% made in USA will be on the starting line tomorrow at 12:30pm local time for the first two races of the event. The level of competition is sky high with six Star world champions in the fleet, four at the helm and two as crew. One of the crew is world renowned skipper Paul Cayard acting as crew in California to sail with his son Daniel, a third generation Star sailor as his grandfather is 1969 Star World Champion and 1964 Olympic Bronze Medalist Pelle Petterson (SWE). The other crew is none other than Bruno Prada (BRA), winner of five Star World Championships, three with stellar skipper Robert Scheidt, one at the last sailed event in Porto Cervo in 2019 with Mateusz Kusznierewicz (POL) and one with Augie Diaz (USA), his skipper this week and defender of the North American title. The other world champions are Eric Doyle, John McCausland and George Szabo, sailing in Newport Beach respectively with Payson Infelise, Brian Terhaar and Guy Avellon.