Star Class

Welcome to the International Star Class, home of the premier one-design racing keel boat in the world.  For 100 years Star sailors have led the way in advancing the sport of competitive sailing, and have been honored by sailing in the Olympic Games since 1932.  With over 2,200 members and fleets in 38 countries, Star Class championship events are hosted at venues around the globe. At a Star Class regatta you will find Olympic and World Champions competing alongside sailors of all ages and skill levels eager to sail at the highest level of the sport. Join us as we lead the sport of sailing into our next century.

"To be Star world champion I think is the biggest achievement that a sailor can have. To win two times is to be a part of the story of Star class, it means a lot. The Star class is very special. It’s the class of all the biggest names."  

Bruno Prada (BRA) after winning the 2011 World Championship with Robert Scheidt


Star Class History

Dozens, probably hundreds, of classes of racing sailboats have come into existence, lasted a few years, and then dropped out of the yacht racing picture. How does it happen that one class, the International Star, designed in the early 1900s is thriving and is raced today on all levels and in dozens of countries of the world? There is no single answer to this question. Many factors have contributed and still contribute to the phenomenal success and long life of the Star.

If you were to ask a top flight racing skipper why he sails Stars he might tell you that he likes the "high performance" qualities of the boat as a superb racing machine. Or he might point to the calibre of the competition, not only on the World Championship and Olympic level but in many lesser events. The skipper and crew who enjoy a varied program of sailing in different localities would emphasize the quantity and quality of intersectional Star events available all over the world. The Star sailor who never travels, on the other hand, would tell you what fine racing he has at home year after year. The major Class officers, those dedicated souls who have to do with running the organization, meeting and solving the multitude of problems that arise in a class of this magnitude, would tell you that the I.S.C.Y.R.A., the Class Association, is the force that holds the Class together and also the power plant that drives it. And every one of these people, all of whom are members of the Star Class, would emphasize the bond of fellowship that exists world-wide among Star owners and sailors.