2025 Star Class European Championship in Viareggio - Overall
by ISCYRA 14 Jun 2025 17:32 UTC
9-14 June 2025
The curtain has come down on the 2025 Star Class European Championship with the seventh and final race sailed today off the coast of Viareggio in light air and calm seas.
Despite just 5 knots of breeze and glassy conditions, the Race Committee delivered an excellent performance - trusting the wind would settle in, and successfully completing the race to close out a remarkable week of sailing.
The final race was dominated from the start by Paul Cayard and George Iverson (USA), who rounded the top mark with a comfortable lead and steadily extended their margin over the hour-long course. Holding second throughout the race were Renato Conde (POR) and Taavi Taveter (EST), newcomers to the Star Class who have shown impressive skill and consistency all week. Finishing third were Giovanni Coppo (ITA) with German crew Frithjof Kleen, while Diego Negri and Sergio Lambertenghi closed out the race in fourth after a thrilling duel to the line, edging out Tonci Stipanovic and Tudor Bilic by just one second.
With today's result, Star World Champions Negri and Lambertenghi climbed to fifth overall, a strong comeback after a challenging start to the series.
"All week I've watched Enrico Chieffi just own the left and finally today I said I think we should own the left...so we started at the pin, great on start and it was the left that paid, so we just kind of followed that all the way around and the race was pretty simple after that. We had a great last day, it's my crew's birthday, George Iverson's 66th birthday, I'm already 66, our bow number was 66, there was a lot of sixes in our destiny... We had a lot of fun!", commented Paul Cayard at the end of the day.
The final podium sees Enrico Chieffi and Nando Colaninno (ITA) at the top - having secured the title yesterday with a race to spare - followed by Stipanovic / Bilic (CRO) in second and Conde / Taveter in third. Cayard / Iverson finish fourth overall, just ahead of Negri / Lambertenghi in fifth.
The week in Viareggio was marked by steady thermal breezes, highly competitive racing, and a strong international turnout, reaffirming the Star Class's enduring prestige and the city's reputation as a premier Star sailing venue.
Hosted by Club Nautico Versilia and Società Velica Viareggina, under the authority of ISCYRA, FIV, and CONI, and supported by the Municipality of Viareggio and title sponsors G&B Ropes, Slam Telemar, and CTN, the championship closed with a warm and well-attended prize-giving ceremony at the Club, celebrating the sailors, organizers, and partners who made the event such a success.
Final results and full rankings available at: euro.starchampionships.org