To get a perspective on the significance of the Star Worlds race going on in Oxford this week, serious sailing experts point to the fact that many of the America’s Cup winners first tested their skills on these twenty-three-foot boats to prepare for that ultimate test. With a design going back to 1910, all competitive sailors have a special reverence for the Star class as well as the men and women who travel the world to win one of the sailing community’s most demanding and coveted prize.
The fact that this truly international event, with more than sixty boats entered from around the globe, finds itself on the Mid-Shore after being hosted in places like Miami, San Diego, and Buenos Aires, has delighted tiny Oxford with hundreds of sailing crew and fans planning to attend. But no one in Talbot County is more thrilled than Bobby Lippincott.
The grandson of a Star boat designer, with family members winning silver and gold awards going back to the 1940s, with one annual race actually called the Lippencott Memorial, this native son of Oxford, finds himself in a once in a lifetime opportunity, after years of painstaking training, demanding travel, and expenses, to compete in his hometown and keep a remarkable family legacy going as the third generation of Lippincotts takes the helm.
The Spy talked to Bobby at the Tred Avon Yacht Club last week on the Star Class, the Lippincott history, and his devotion to keeping this unique sailing heritage alive and well.
This video is approximately five minutes in length. To follow the Star Worlds competition please go here for the latest results.
Craig Fuller says
Wonderful personal story behind this major sailing event. So great that the Tred Avon Yacht Club is hosting. Looking forward to being out among the spectators during the week! We have a chance to see truly the best racers in the world!