Zarif upsets Scheidt to win Star Sailors League Finals

Associated Press

NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Reigning Star class world champion Jorge Zarif and crew Pedro Trouche of Brazil won the Star Sailors League Finals on Saturday, outlasting a fleet that included countrymen Robert Scheidt, a three-time world champion and five-time Olympic medalist, and Henry Boening.

Zarif, 26, and Trouche, 27, are the first crew younger than 40 to win the annual regatta.

"We are surprised we had this kind of dominance, because the level is so high," Zarif said. "We sailed our best today. We gave 100 percent, hiking and pumping the whole time and that definitely made the difference. It is a privilege to be here and a privilege to beat those guys."

The top 10 boats from the qualifiers entered Saturday's final rounds. Zarif and Trouche won the quarterfinals and semifinals before dominating the four-boat finals. Scheidt and Boening drew a bye into the finals after winning the qualifiers. They finished second ahead of Diego Negri of Italy and Frithjof Kleen of Germany.

Zarif and Trouche won $40,000 of the $200,000 purse.