Timeless design, classic lines, yet powerful and athletic to sail: The Starboat was and is the class of the great sailing champions. The two-man keelboat took part in 18 Olympic appearances between 1932 and 2012. Dennis Conner, known as "Mister America's Cup", used to say when asked about his favourite boat: "The Starboat, what else?"
Impressions of the Starboot
After its wistful Olympic farewell gala a decade ago in the British waters of Weymouth, the star has retained its lustre. In Marblehead, USA, in the second week of September, the sailors at the Eastern Yacht Club will be celebrating an incredible 100 years of world championship history. Around a dozen German sailors will be at the start in the field of almost 100 Stars.
Among them was defending champion Frithjof Kleen, who won the 2021 World Championships off Kiel for the second time as a foresailor. His helmsman was the Italian Diego Negri. He had already won two World Championship silver medals and one bronze. But it was only with the German that he made it to the top of the podium. Kleen had already won the World Championship title in 2014, back then together with Robert Stanjek.
The same Frithjof Kleen is now in the same boat as none other than Paul Cayard for the anniversary World Championship (see interview at the end). The US American knew exactly who he wanted when he called him last year and brought him on board for the historic World Championship season: 34 years after his first title in 1988, five-time America's Cup participant Cayard from San Francisco wants to go for gold again with the Berliner at the age of 63.
This is just one example of how the Star continues to be a magnet for top sailors from many disciplines. The Star Sailors League (SSL) has played a large part in this with its high-profile regattas in recent years. The World Championship organisers are expecting more than 15 former title winners on the starting line.
The almost seven metre long and rather narrow Star boat with its oversized mainsail and the now flexible mast was conceived by the American Francis Sweisguth in 1910 and built in 1911 in a first edition of 33 boats. The bent-spar construction with a bulbous keel bolted underneath quickly won many fans not only in the USA but also overseas. It was the Hamburg gentleman sailor and Nazi opponent Walter von Hütschler who gave the initially rigid mast a new lease of life. After entering the class, which became Olympic in 1932, he invented the flexible rig - nicknamed the "German Rigg". With its adjustment options, this brought new challenges for the sailors.
Known in the sailing world as "Pimm", von Hütschler became Starboat World Champion in 1938 and 1939. Before that, in 1936, the Berliners Peter Bischoff and Hans-Joachim Weise had won Olympic gold off Kiel on their "Wannsee". Although the class remained Germany's favourite discipline, it was not until 1972 that local sailors achieved their second Olympic coup: Willy Kuhweide and Karsten Meyer won bronze ahead of Kiel. In 1984, Achim Griese and Michael Marcour won silver on "Manatee" in Los Angeles.
"I'll never forget that feeling when we crossed the finish line in the last race. The pressure was immense, the joy boundless," recalled Griese.
Golden German stars
Since 1922, German sailors have won the title a total of seven times at 98 Starboat World Championships to date. The helmsmen Walter "Pimm" von Hütschler and Alexander Hagen (both Hamburg/NRV) and Frithjof Kleen as foresailor (Berlin/VSaW) have even managed this twice. The German World Championship successes at a glance:
- 1938:Walter "Pimm" von Hütschler/Joachim Weise
- 1939:Walter "Pimm" von Hütschler/Edgar Beyn
- 1972:Willy Kuhweide/ Karsten Meyer
- 1981:Alexander Hagen/Vincent Hoesch
- 1997:Alexander Hagen/Marcelo Ferreira (BRA)
- 2014:Robert Stanjek/Frithjof Kleen
- 2021:Diego Negri (ITA)/Frithjof Kleen
Germany won a total of three Olympic medals in the Star boat. DSV athletes won World Championship titles more frequently: after Walter von Hütschler, Kuhweide and Meyer were able to lift the biggest World Championship trophy of all Olympic classes into the sky above Caracas in 1972. In 1981, Alex Hagen and Vincent Hoesch won ahead of Marblehead. At the age of 26, Hagen was the youngest World Championship winner in the history of the class.
The helmsman from the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein achieved a second golden World Championship coup with the Brazilian Marcelo Ferreira again in 1997 off Marblehead. Hagen was unsuccessful twice at the Olympics, but campaigned for more fitness and less weight in the Star boat: he campaigned for a limitation of the sometimes excessive foreship dimensions. Hagen developed a formula that assigned the helmsmen a maximum weight for their foresailors and this eventually found its way into the class rules.
Another top international sailor, Paul Cayard, explains the enduring fascination as follows: "The Star has always attracted the best from all classes. The competition is tough. The boat is a challenge with its rig, which is complex and simple at the same time. Complex in the search for the perfect setting for every condition. Simple because it is in use from five to 30 knots with the same sail."
Hubert Merkelbach from the Bodensee-Yacht-Club Überlingen also appreciates this special sailing feeling, and has done so for over four decades now. The 2014 European champion and former president of the international Star class's verdict: "The design of the boat with its large sail area is demanding in terms of trim and sailing technique, and sailing is always maximum fun in all wind forces." As a tactical keelboat, the Star is narrow, but with its ten metre high, heavily tapered mast and almost 30 square metres of sail area, it has a lot of power in all winds. But above all, says Merkelbach: "Although the design is over 100 years old, the Star boat has been continuously developed further."
Two-time Olympian, boat builder and Olympic coach Marc Pickel, the father of the P-Star, has also contributed to this. Before Weymouth, nine of the top ten crews sailed such a boat. Star boats from the Folli brand are also in demand. Paul Cayard is now travelling to Marblehead with a P-Star and a Folli.
The all-rounder, who has enjoyed hero status in Italy since his America's Cup stint with "Il Moro di Venezia" in the early 1990s, is ready to attack. For the anniversary World Championship, the crews were allowed to choose their own numbers for the mainsail. Former world champions display the year in which they won their title. From 11 September, Cayard and Kleen will be sailing the "USA 1988" under the five-pointed gold star, which the class grants exclusively to its Olympic and world champions. Cayard has earned it once so far, Kleen twice.
"There is a chance that we can do it again, but the others are also strong," says Kleen. Nevertheless, his judgement of his new helmsman Cayard is tantamount to a challenge to the competition: "Paul is a different animal. He has extremely high standards and is very ambitious. He pushes all the time."
Paul Cayard: "Captivated by the star"
YACHT: Paul, you brought Frithjof Kleen on board - why him?
Paul Cayard: Frithjof is a great foresailor and he is the reigning world champion. I'm lucky that he sails with me!
When did you first get into a Starboat yourself?
To prepare for the World Championships, I started as a foresailor at my home club, St Francis, in 1977 (Red.:Cayard finished fourth in the 1978 World Championship as William Gerard's co-skipper).At that time, the best of the best were sailing in the Star: Dennis Conner, Tom Blackaller, Bill Buchan, Buddy Melges, Ding Schoonmaker, Pelle Petterson, Eckart Wagner. Although I also sailed Lasers and 505s, I was captivated by the Star.
The three most attractive character traits of the star class?
The rig. The regattas. And the venues.
Who is the most successful star helmsman of all time?
That's probably Lowell North. He has won four world championship titles and also Olympic gold. He sailed the boat at a time when development work was still decisive for victory. As an engineer, he was extremely innovative, especially in the development of sails and rigs. However, Bruno Prada also deserves a mention as foresailor, as he is the only person to have won five world championship titles!
Has starboat sailing helped you in other assignments such as the America's Cup, the Ocean Race or now as Executive Director for the US Olympic team?
Definitely. Because I am convinced of the principle of cross-training in all areas of life, including sailing. For example, I got my feeling for generating speed when sailing dinghies. In match racing, I learnt how to apply the rules skilfully. And in sailing, I had to deal with risk management. In short, every boat class teaches you characteristics that also help you in other disciplines.
Will the Starboat stay forever?
Yes, it's the best standardised design ever!
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
