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FEATURED REGATTAS: April 12, 2008
Kusznierewicz the Crusher
By Lynn Fitzpatrick
08-04-12

It was all grins for Polish heartthrobs Mateusz Kusznierewicz and Dominik Zycki (POL) as they crushed the rest of the fleet during the second race of the 2008 Star World Championship. Marin Lovrovic Jr. and Sinisa Mikulicic (CRO) approached the weather mark from the middle left with a nice lead over Kusnierewicz/Zycki. As they bore off for the offset mark, they took a peak at the board to see if their bow number was among the 25 boats that were black flagged. Relieved that they were not among the nearly quarter of the fleet sent marching home, they got down to business. Lovrovic/Mikulicic went high and Kusznierewicz/Zycki went low and 2.1 miles later Kusznierewicz/Zycki had a three boat length lead as they rounded the leeward gate and headed back up wind.

Call it Black Saturday for many who had hoped to win the 2008 Star Worlds or go to the Olympics. Among the twenty five crews who have already qualified for the Olympics John Dane III and Austin Sperry (USA), Marc Pickel and Ingo Borkowski (GER), Ian Percy and Andrew Simpson (GBR) and Hamish Pepper and Carl Williams (NZL) were black flagged. Among the teams who have mounted quadrennium long campaigns from countries that are still trying to qualify for the Olympics and who were also black flagged were Rodrigo Zuazola and Robert Riegel (CHI), Eivind Melleby and Petter Morland Pedersen (NOR), Maurice O'Connell and Ben Cooke (IRL), Max Treacy and Anthony Shanks (IRL) and Peter Bromby and Lee White (BER). Thankfully, the Irish can breath a sigh of relief, because the young lads who came onto the scene this season Peter O'Leary and Stephen Milne (IRL) carried the baton for their county. There were many other very talented crews who were tagged after the race committee went to the black flag following the first general recall. The second starting sequence ended with the AP going up, and many aggressive competitors charged the line during the third attempt at the start.

With the fleet thinned out immediately behind them, Kusnierewicz/Zycki and Lovrovic/Mikulicic pulled away and Diego Negri and Luigi Viale (ITA) followed around the left gate while John MacCausland and Kevin Murphy (USA) and Freddy Loof and Anders Ekstrom (SWE) tried to make up ground by rounding the right gate. Peter O'Leary and Stephen Milne (IRL) executed a picture perfect left gate rounding inside the father and son team of Carl and Jamie Buchan (USA) to snag sixth.

The sun came out for the final beat as Kusznierewicz/Zycki sailed their final beat alone for the second day in a row. Having to defend against some formidable veterans, Lovrovic/Sinsa slipped back in the 8-10 knot breeze from the SE, but were able to cover Negri/Viale and cross the finish line in second place. MacCausland/Murphy, who showed off their starts and speed in the practice race, finished fourth. The Irish youth, O'Leary/Milne posted yet another impressive finish in Miami and took fifth.

If anybody is interested, Kusznierewicz/Zycki are sailing a Folli that is the sister ship to Dane/Sperry's trial horse, 8230. It's likely that both teams are shipping their trusty steeds to Qingdao shortly after the 2008 Star Worlds hosted by Coral Reef Yacht Club. Countries that are leading the charge toward qualifying for the 2008 Olympics are Switzerland, Ireland, Japan and Croatia.