2025 Star World Championship in Split, Croatia - Day 1
by ISCYRA 8 Sep 17:58 UTC
7-13 September 2025
The 2025 Star World Championship officially got under way today in Split, Croatia, with 101 boats from 20 nations lining up on the starting line for Race 1 of the six-day championship.
The stunning setting of the Split Channel, combined with a light but steady breeze, delivered a classic Star racing day in true European style.
The Race Committee stuck to schedule, and with 7 knots of breeze filling in, the first and only race of the day started around 2.15pm. The course - true to Star tradition - was long and tactical, featuring 2-nautical-mile legs for a total of four legs: two upwinds and two downwinds, testing the fleet's patience, tactics and endurance. Several boats were OCS at the start, underscoring the tight competition and eagerness of the fleet.
The first upwind leg saw many of the class's Gold Stars - former World Champions - struggling in the light breeze and choppy water. None of the big names cracked the top 20 at the first mark. Meanwhile, Urs Hunkeler and Ivan Müller (SUI) had a clean and fast beat, taking the early lead.
In the first downwind, experience began to show. Both World Champions Paul Cayard with Frithjof Kleen (USA/GER) and Diego Negri with Sergio Lambertenghi (ITA) began to climb the ranks, rounding in the top 15. Still, the Swiss duo of Hunkeler/Müller extended their lead with excellent boat speed and positioning.
The following legs saw steady progress from the top contenders, but the Swiss lead remained unshaken. Hunkeler and Müller crossed the line in first, setting the tone for a strong championship campaign. Behind them, Silver Star team Piet Eckert and Frederico Melo (SUI/POR) secured second, followed by Ante Razmilovic and Brian Hammersley (GBR) in third.
"We are so happy for the win, we started on the right side and kept on following the wind shifts and our lead got stronger", commented Urs Hunkeler. "We haven't attended a World Championship since 1999 and we thought Split was a good idea and it was!! It is the first race we have ever won in a Star World Championship.. so happy!!".
"It was a good day for us, a great way to start such a championship, it was actually really tricky, we had a tight start and then found some really good breeze on the left side and that gave us a lot of leverage and then we tried to control the fleet.." commented Piet Eckert. "Such a really good day for us, we've been sailing together for the last six years, we feel like an old couple.. (laughs) but it feels really good, I love every second of it".
Rounding out the top five were Jack Jennings and Pedro Trouche (USA/BRA) in fourth, followed by Brazilian team Fabio Prada and Antonio Moreira, and Swedes Tom Löfstedt and Johan Tillander (SWE) - with Löfstedt impressively returning to racing at age 71 after a year-long injury break.
The Opening Ceremony, held last night at the iconic Galerija Meštrovic and sponsored by Croatel, was the talk of the boat park this morning. Sailors, coaches, and officials were treated to a spectacular evening overlooking the Adriatic. Croatel is also supporting the event by sponsoring the live streaming, broadcasting all races from today through to the final race on Saturday, bringing the action from Split to sailing fans worldwide.
Tomorrow, the second race of the series is scheduled for 1.00pm, with forecasts suggesting similar or slightly lighter conditions. With five races still to go, there's plenty left to play for - and plenty of Star class drama still to unfold.
Full results, photo and video galleries available at worlds.starchampionships.org