Cork's Peter O'Leary and Joost Houweling remain seventh overall at the Star World Championship in Miami after finishing 11th in Tuesday's second race, while Irish triple Olympian David Burrows helped American skipper Augie Diaz to fourth place on Biscayne Bay.
The three Irish-flagged entries are all members of Cork's O'Leary sailing family. Peter and Houweling have posted seventh and 11th in the 95-boat fleet for 18 points, maintaining seventh overall after two of the six scheduled races. As Afloat reported after Monday's opening race, the Cork Olympian began the championship with a seventh-place finish.
Front Runner: Peter O'Leary and Joost Houweling remain the leading Irish entry at the 2026 Star World Championship in Miami, holding seventh overall after two races. Photo: Matias Capizzano
Robert O'Leary and Steyn van Driessel improved marginally on their opening 36th, finishing 35th on Tuesday, and stand 34th overall on 71 points. Anthony O'Leary and Phil Toth, 33rd in the first race, finished 73rd in the second and have dropped to 50th overall on 106 points.
The family challenge was previously highlighted by Afloat ahead of the championship, with Anthony and his sons Peter and Robert all competing under the Irish flag.
Family Challenge: Robert O'Leary and Steyn van Driessel lie 34th overall after two races as three O'Leary family boats compete in the 95-strong Star Worlds fleet. Photo: Matias Capizzano
Burrows Fourth in Race Two
Another notable Irish performance came aboard the American entry of Augie Diaz, crewed by three-time Irish Olympian David Burrows. The pair followed their opening 20th with fourth place on Tuesday, climbing to ninth overall on 24 points.
Burrows and Peter O'Leary represented Ireland together in the Star class at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Their separate campaigns in Miami add another Irish dimension to a championship featuring 95 crews from 17 nations.
Stout and Cayard Take the Lead
Americans Will Stout and Danny Cayard won Tuesday's race in light, shifting southeasterly winds of seven to nine knots, moving into the overall lead on seven points. The pair, runners-up at the 2024 Star Worlds in San Diego, had finished sixth in Monday's opener.
Peter Bromby and Myles Pritchard led at the first windward mark, but Stout and Cayard advanced from sixth on the opening downwind leg, took control at the leeward gate, and extended their lead to the finish.
Poland's Mateusz Kusznierewicz and Brazil's Bruno Prada finished second, followed by Eivind Melleby and Christian Nehammer in third. Diaz and Burrows were fourth, ahead of Tomas Hornos and Josh Revkin.
“We had a fantastic day today. It was very tricky, really light and shifty,” said Cayard. “We had a good start and sixth at the first windward mark. Then we had a strong downwind, made a small gain at the gate and managed to build from there.”
Miami Momentum: The 95-boat Star World Championship fleet races on Biscayne Bay, where light and shifting breezes tested crews on the second day of competition. Photo: Matias Capizzano
Stout and Cayard lead by four points, ahead of Monday's winners Leandro and Lucas Altolaguirre of Argentina, who are tied on 11 points with Americans Eric Doyle and Payson Infelise. Bromby and Pritchard are fourth on 13, with Diego Negri and Sergio Lambertenghi fifth on 15.
Peter O'Leary's top-ten position continues his strong form on Biscayne Bay, where he and Houweling returned to the world championship after finishing sixth at the Bacardi Cup earlier this year.
Four races remain scheduled, with racing due to continue on Wednesday, 11th November. A discard becomes available after five races.
