Paul Cayard Wins Second Star World Championship 37 Years After First
Sailing legend and San Francisco native Paul Cayard won his second career Star world championship this past weekend in Split, Croatia, topping a 101-boat fleet. Cayard sailed with German crew Frithjof Kleen, who won his third Star title as a crew. Cayard’s sailing career needs no introduction: multiple Olympic Games, multiple world championships, involvement in multiple America’s Cups — his résumé is long.
Cayard won his first Star world title in 1988 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Since then, Cayard has come close to the title, finishing on the podium multiple times. Most recently, he was third in the 2022 Star Worlds, and fourth in 2024.
Six races were sailed to decide the title in Croatia, with each competitor afforded one drop. Cayard and Kleen finished 10th in the first race, and then 35th in the second, a result that would eventually become their drop. The duo took control of the regatta in races three and four, recording back-to-back bullets to climb to the top of the podium. From there, they held on to the top spot with a ninth place in race five and a seventh in the final race.
Cayard and Kleen finished with a final net tally of 28 points, three ahead of Polish skipper Mateusz Kusznierewicz and his crew Bruno Prada with 31. The second-place boat tallied fewer total points than Cayard and Kleen (58 to Cayard’s 63), but Kusznierewicz’s being forced to keep a 15th-place finish after a 27th in race four proved to be the difference.
Per the Star Class’s official press release, Cayard and Kleen needed to battle back from rounding the windward mark in 14th in the final race in order to fend off the first three boats behind them in the standings. The duo battled back to a seventh-place finish, just enough to win the title.
“Big emotions for sure,” says Cayard, per the Star Class’s official press release. “You know, it’s really hard to believe. We made it very difficult on ourselves, and of course that’s kind of the way I do things. But we stuck together through the tough times. Every team here had to deal with challenges, and we had a few yesterday and today, but we came back because we sailed smart and trusted each other. It’s surreal to win 37 years after my first title. With a long career in sailing, America’s Cups, [and] round the world races, the Star has always been a constant for me. Winning it again is incredibly special.”
Good Jibes #209: Heather Richard on Sailing the World With Your Kids
This week we join Heather Richard, currently in Tahiti, to chat about exploring the world with her kids. Heather is a USCG 100-Ton captain, sailing instructor, racer, cruiser, and charter owner who raised her three kids on her 43-ft sloop.
Tune in as Heather chats with Good Jibes host Moe Roddy about what it’s like living in a maritime co-op, the benefits of raising your kids in the sailing lifestyle, stories from cruising 5,000 miles with her kids, how we can make sailing more inclusive for everyone, and how rich your life is when you’re exploring the world.
Here’s a sample of what you’ll hear in this episode:
- How community boating informs an inclusive approach
- Heather’s early sailing background
- What’s Passiflor’s theme song?
- What is Heather focused on as a board member at the Spaulding Marine Center?
- Raising kids on the water
Learn more about Heather at FineDayForSailing.com.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and your other favorite podcast spots — follow and leave a 5-star review if you’re feeling the Good Jibes!
Fix It Right: Fiberglass Basics for Boat Owners at the Sausalito Boat Show
Notice to Mariners: Mare Island Causeway Bridge Work Due to Commence in December
The Mare Island Causeway Bridge (mile 2.8) is scheduled for major work from December 2025 through late 2026. The work will affect vessels trying to navigate up or down the Napa River, though concessions are being granted to accommodate a couple of events.
Carl Hausner, chief, Bridge Section of the USCG Southwest District, outlined the dates and times that the bridge lift span will be secured in the closed-to-navigation position.
The lift span of the bridge will be secured in the closed-to-navigation position Mondays through Thursdays, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Fridays, 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 12 noon to 5 p.m., Dec. 22, 2025, through late March 2026. The bridge will resume normal operations outside these time frames.
The lift span of the bridge will be secured in the closed-to-navigation position Mondays through Fridays, 5 a.m. to 1 p.m., and 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., late March through June 30, 2026. The bridge will resume normal operations outside these time frames.
The lift span of the bridge will resume normal operations for the following events:
Bottle Rock: May 22, 23 and 24, 2026.
Sausalito Yacht Club 7th Annual Cruise to Napa Valley Yacht Club: May 28, 29, 30 and 31, 2026.
Temporary underdeck platforms will be installed below the lift span bridge deck, reducing the vertical clearance in the open and closed positions by four feet. In the event of an emergency, the lift span can open with two hours’ advance notice given to the bridge operator.
There was no schedule that could be made to take into account all mariners’ concerns. It would greatly extend the time frame for the project and cause more delays and economic impacts for all, including the City of Vallejo.
If you wish to comment on this revised schedule, please do so by close of business, Sept. 30, 2025. Comment will be received at [email protected].
Thank you to Kirby Long of Napa Valley Marina for forwarding the information. Kirby also created the easy-to-read schedule below. We suggest you save it for easy reference.
Latitude 38 Joins Grand Marina Tenant Appreciation Party
It’s always great to be on the waterfront connecting with sailors. Latitude 38 joined Grand Marina’s annual Tenant Appreciation Party, which featured sailors plus a Southern buffet lunch of ribs, cornbread, and collard greens, an open bar with vodka Jell-O shots for the adventurous, and live music. Dessert was provided by an ice cream truck, and prizes were given out to several lucky attendees.
As often happens at events we attend, noteworthy connections were made — so different from connecting on the web! Susi Battaglia stopped by the booth to explain her history with Latitude that began when Susi and her family attended church each Sunday with Richard Spindler’s family when he was 8 years old. Richard is the founder and first editor/publisher of Latitude 38.
Another unexpected drop-in was Tom Dilworth, whose travels aboard his 1967 Ericson 30, Ellie, were amazingly featured in this month’s Latitude in Changes on page 84. Tom and his wife tell the story of their last five years part-time cruising from San Diego to Alaska. Tom and his family have made Grand Marina their winter stopover this year.
We added two Latitude 38 baseball caps to the raffle prizes, won by Sandy Crisel from the 55-ft Symbol MV Farniente and Jonny Kaplan from the 28-ft Compass SV Wanderer. [The book Wanderer, by Sterling Hayden, happens to be the former publisher’s favorite book and one of his pen names.]
Our special thanks go to our hosts Cheri Berggren, harbormaster, and Ray Corral, dockmaster, who have created a wonderful sense of community among their tenants.
Speaking of meeting in person, will we see you at the Sausalito Boat Show this weekend?
- General Sailing
- Cruising
- Current News
- Chartering
- Sponsored Post
- Community Sailing
- West Coast Sailing
Don’t Miss the 3rd Annual Sausalito Boat Show
Join us at Clipper Yacht Harbor on September 19-21 for the 3rd Annual Sausalito Boat Show. Use Code: L3825 for $5 off your tickets. Buy tickets here.