USA Olympic Laser sailor turned Star helm Mark Mendelblatt with crew Mark Strube gained an early advantage by winning today's first race at the Star European Championship, part of Rolex Baltic Week, here at Neustadt, Germany.

The Baltic was in fine mood for today's race with a 12 knot northwesterly and brilliant sunshine coinciding for the midday start on the Bay of Lübeck. With 80 examples of the two man Olympic keel boat competing, a long line was set, crews hiking hard as they powered away from the line up towards the weather mark off Neustadt.

Mendelblatt/Strube crossed the line-up midway up and headed out on one long tack to the left, tacked once and then was able to lay the weather mark. This was enough to get him into first place. While the Americans were convinced the left was the correct way to go, Swedish champion Frederick Loof was equally convinced the right side of the first beat would pay.

“We were a bit cautious in the start - we were slow and had to work our way back up the fleet,” said Loof, who started up at the committee boat end but was beaten out of the blocks by Brazilian triple Olympic Laser medallist Robert Scheidt, who also appeared to think right was right. “It was so puffy, up and down all the time, so it was just work, work, work and then try to get through,” continued Loof.

Heading in from port Mendelblatt/Strube were first to the weather mark ahead of Italy's Diego Negri/Lugi Viale and the USA's Andrew MacDonald/Brian Fatih. From here the US duo defended well as the Stars rolled their way downwind their small headsails polled out on the opposite side to their mainsails. At the leeward gate the lead trio remained the same.

The second beat saw the wind dropping and enabled Mendelblatt and Strube to consolidate their position. “We were in phase nicely going up the beat and at the top we extended a little bit when we got one or two shifts that the guys in second and third didn't get,” Mendelblatt recounted. “Then on the last run we got our own pressure and the rest of the guys were tied up with each other. We got launched at that point.” By the time they crossed the finish line at the top of the third beat, they held a lead of around two minutes.

It was a photo finish for second place between Scheidt/Bruno Prada and Loof/Anders Ekström, the Brazilians winning out in the end. Loof had done well pulling back positions on the second run, when he had seen and been able to exploit some pressure out on the left side.

George Szabo/Eric Monroe the present world no.1s in the class finished fourth with the French defending champions Xavier Rohart and Pascal Rambeau seventh. They had rounded the second weather mark behind Mendelblatt/Strube but had got on the wrong side of a shift on the second run. Leading German pair today were relative unknowns Matthias Miller and Manuel Voigt in eighth just ahead of favourites Marc Pickel and Ingo Borkowski.

Tomorrow at Rolex Baltic Week two races are scheduled for the Star Europeans while the IMS Offshore World Championship gets underway with the start of their offshore race.

For more information and photos, please contact:
Andreas Kling
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for Rolex Yachting Events
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I: www.regattanews.com; www.rolex-baltic-week.com

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