The Star World Championship is a well established yearly event organized by the International Star Class Yacht Racing Association since 1923. The first Star World Championship was held on Central Lagoon Sound by Bayside Yacht Club, Washington Yacht Club and Manhasset Bay Yacht Club. Eight boats were there fighting for the title, all Americans, and the winner was Taurus with William Inslee and Robert Nelson of Western Long Island Sound fleet.
For the first 16 editions it was an American affair. Always held in the United States always won by North Americans, apart from the 1938 one, in San Diego, won by a Brazilian team, the helmsman won again the year after in Kiel, Germany for the first Champioship outside the USA. Here the Italian team Agostino Straulino and Nicolò Rode won silver medal, they will win it again in 1948 in Cascais and then will be Star World Champions for three times in 1952, 1953 and 1956 becoming for a long time the team winning most titles together. Then came the Brazilian super heroes Robert Sheidt and Bruno Prada who also won it three times in more recent days: 2007, 2011 and 2012. The helmsman with most titles is American Lowell North, who won it five times between 1945 and 1973 with different crews - and once as a bowman himself - and has another 7 podiums!! A real hero of the class.
The Star Class has always been a very fascinating class populated by incredible athletes and sailors who are true legend of this sport. One above all Paul Elvstrom the most successful sailors of all time – before Sir Ben Ainslie won his fifth medal and fourth gold medal. The Danish legend won it in Kiel, GER, in 1966 and Copenhagen in 1967 with two different crews, and in those editions, Lowell North was the runner up.
Among other incredible legends who had the honour to engrave their names on the Cup, there’s five times Olympic medalist, Volvo Ocean Race and Louis Vuitton Cup winner, Torben Grael (BRA) – and his brother Lars a few years later in 2015; Mister America’s Cup Dennis Conner (USA) two times winner; Paul Cayard, some years after his then father in law Pelle Pettersson (SWE); another Swedish Star sailors is Freddy Lööf, who won it twice before the gold medal at London 2012; the only British sailor to ever winning the trophy is Iain Percy, quite a hero in the class with crew Anrew ‘Barth’ Simpson. And we could not miss the two times winners Xavier Rohart with Pascal Rambeau (FRA) and Mark Reynolds with Hal Haenel and Magnus Liljedahl (USA). 
A piece of curiosity, second to Lowell North in number of wins there isn’t an helmsman but a great crew, who won it three times with his long time skipper Robert Scheidt, and then won it again last year in Miami with American Augie Diaz: Bruno Prada is the second most successful sailors of all Star World Championships of all times.
55 American wins on 93 editions, the Star and Stripes flag is the most successful one, followed by Italy with six titles and Brazil and Germany with five wins each. We’re looking forward to 2017 edition in Svendborg, Denmark, to see what flag will be hoisted over the podium.
SSL Press Officer since 2015