George W. Elder Memorial Trophy

Click to enlarge

The George W. Elder Memorial Trophy

Awarded to the winner of the first race at the World Championship.

The George W. Elder Memorial Trophy is awarded to the skipper that wins the first race at the Star World Championship, fittingly as the contribution of George Elder to this elite One-Design class is first among many men over the last 100 years. His contribution is too much to include in a single page, brief but full of superlatives, as it should be. While not focused on his many sailing victories; this simple focus is on the commitment and hard work to build the first 40 years of the class that he loved so much.

George Elder himself named “Pop” Corry, the “Father of the Star boat”. However, all Star sailors referred to George as the “Father of the Star Class”. Simply put, George steered this class through the early years with such skill and leadership that he left an organizational blueprint for generations of success for the Stars, and any other class willing to simply, and very wisely, copy the formula. Many classes like the Snipes and Lightnings did just that and we see their growth remaining strong.

In his book, “Forty Years Among the Stars”, George provided every detail about the building of this class, highlighting successes, but never mincing words about the obstacles to overcome. Imagine serving as Class President and Secretary through the formative years of 1926-1946. Critically, that period featured creating the Measurement Rules; transitioning from gaff-rigged to Marconi, to modern, to flexible rigs; the 1st World Championship; the 1st Olympic participation, the 1st international fleets growing beyond 40 members, and the governance and diplomacy that such growth demanded. George met these significant challenges with consummate organizational skills creating a foundation that underpins the class today.

Let us not forget the challenge that former ISCYRA President Paul Smart laid down for us, “This class is the monument George built. The spirit with which we race, the friendships we weld and the fellowship of Star sailors the world over must be our continuing contribution. George Elder made his. Now it is for the rest of us to make ours in his lasting memory, a bright Star that will never dim.”

YEAR	BOAT	SKIPPER	CREW	FLEET	ENTRIES	LOCATION	RESULTS
2025	#8487	Urs Hunkeler	Ivan Muller	LUV	101	Split, Croatia	Results
2024	#8550	Paul Cayard	Frithjof Kleen	WSFB	64	San Diego	Results
2023	#8489	Max Kohlhoff	Ole Burzinski	KF	96	Scarlino, Italy	Results
2022	#8554	Tonci Stipanovic	Tudor Bilic	Dal	84	Marblehead, MA, USA	Results
2021	#8529	Johann Spitzauer	Hans-Christian Nehammer	ATT	82	Kiel, Germany	Results
2020	not sailed
2019	#8332	Enrico Chieffi	Manlio Corsi	PDV	63	Porto Cervo, Italy	Results
2018	#8177	Eivind Melleby	Joshua Revkin	Isol	60	Oxford, MD, USA	Results
2017	#8474	Lars Grael	Samuel Goncalves	Par	70	Troense, Denmark	Results
2016	#8320	George Szabo	Steve Mitchell	SDB	72	Miami, FL, USA	Results
2015	#8474	Lars Grael	Samuel Gonçalves	Par	39	Buenos Aires, Argentina	Results
2014	#8340	Robert Stanjek	Frithjof Kleen	BF	87	Lake Garda, Italy	Results
2013	#8474	Lars Grael	Samuel Goncalves	Par	66	San Diego, CA, USA	Results
2012	#8455	Xavier Rohart	Pierre Alexis Ponsot	NI	72	Hyeres, France	Results
2011	#8447	Mateusz Kusznierewicz	Dominik Zycki	ISOL	41	Perth, Australia	Results
2010	#8378	Johannes Babendererde	Timo Jacobs	Moh	73	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	Results
2009	#8209	Mateusz Kusznierewicz	Dominik Zycki	POL	86	Varberg, Sweden	Results
2008	#8170	Mateusz Kusznierewicz	Dominik Zycki	POL	104	Miami, FL, USA	Results
2007	#8261	Iain Percy	Andrew Simpson	Sol	62	Cascais, Portugal	Results
2006	#8187	Hamish Pepper	Carl Williams	NZL	66	San Francisco, CA, USA	Results
2005	#8210	Torben Grael	Marcelo Ferreira	Gua	52	Buenos Aires, Argentina	Results
2004	#8025	Iain Percy	Steve Mitchell	SO	102	Gaeta, Italy	Results
2003	#8141	Fredrik Lööf	Anders Ekström	Bk	83	Cadiz, Spain	Results
2002	#6283	George Szabo	Austin Sperry	SDB	103	Los Angeles Harbor, CA, USA	Results
2001	#7829	Mark Reynolds	Magnus Liljedahl	SDB	105	Medemblik, Netherlands	Results
2000	#7995	Mark Reynolds	Magnus Liljedahl	SDB	112	Annapolis, MD, USA	Results
1999	#7875	Torben Grael	Marcelo Ferreira	Gua	129	Punta Ala, Italy	Results
1998	#7876	Ross Macdonald	Kai Bjorn	EB	95	Portoroz, Slovenia	Results
1997	#7862	John A. MacCausland	Phil Trinter	CR	71	Marblehead, MA, USA	Results
1996	#7834	Peter Bromby	Lee White	BER	61	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	Results
1995	#7737	Ross Macdonald	Eric Jespersen	EB	76	Laredo, Spain	Results
1994	#7640	John Kostecki	Tom Olsen	Isol	97	San Diego Bay, CA, USA	Results
1993	#7712	Benny Andersen	Mogens Just	DF	90	Kiel, Germany	Results
1992	#7603	Ross Macdonald	Bruce Macdonald	EB	53	San Francisco, CA, USA	Results
1991	#7285	Peter Siemsen P.E.	Pedro Camargo	Cop	199	Cannes, France	Results
1990	#7495	Torben Grael	Marcelo Ferreira	Gua	95	Cleveland, OH, USA	Results
1989	#7417	Geert Jensen	Mogens Just	DF	105	Porto Cervo, Italy	Results
1988	#7290	Alexander Hagen	Fritz Girr	KF	70	Buenos Aires, Argentina	Results
1987	#6541	Mark Reynolds	Hal Haenel	SDB	79	Chicago, IL, USA	Results
1986	#7109	Vince Brun	Hugo Schreiner	SDB	110	Capri, Italy	Results
1985	#7074	Paul Cayard	Ken Keefe	WSFB	80	Nassau, Bahamas	Results
1984	#6921	Vince Brun	Dave Shaw	SDB	79	Vilamoura, Portugal	Results
1983	#6921	Vince Brun	Hugo Schreiner	SDB	78	Los Angeles Harbor, CA, USA	Results
1982	#6796	Alexander Hagen	Vincent Hoesch	Glu	81	Medemblik, Netherlands	Results
1981	#6498	Alexander Hagen	Vincent Hoesch	Glu	84	Marblehead, MA, USA	Results
1980	#6150	Tom Blackaller	David Shaw	WSFB	54	Rio de Janiero, Brazil	Results
1979	#6458	Pelle Petterson	Stellan Westerdahl	Kat	78	Marstrand, Sweden	Results
1978	#6346	Buddy Melges	Andreas Josenhans	SLM	99	San Francisco, CA, USA	Results
1977	#6066	Sune Carlsson	Leif Carlsson	RS	87	Kiel, Germany	Results
1976	#5575	Barton Beek	William Munster	LB	64	Nassau, Bahamas	Results
1975	#5820	John Allen	John Ahlquist	WH	73	Lake Michigan, USA	Results
1974	#5868	Pelle Petterson	Ingvar Hansson	Kat	51	Laredo, Spain	Results
1973	#5630	Henry M. Rowan	Rick Burgess	LG	56	San Diego Bay, CA, USA	Results
1972	#5631	Eckart Wagner	Peter Moeckl	KF	60	Caracas, Venezuela	Results
1971	#5580	Pelle Petterson	Stellan Westerdahl	Kat	49	Puget Sound, WA, USA	Results
1970	#5407	Ding Schoonmaker	Arne Akerson	BisB	53	Marstrand, Sweden	Results
1969	#4861	Alan Holt	Richard Gates	PS	44	San Diego Bay, CA, USA	Results
1967	#4773	Timir Pinegin	Fedor Chutkov	Mosc	62	Copenhagen, Denmark	Results
1966	#4969	Paul Elvstrom	John Albrechtson	DF	78	Kiel, Germay	Results
1965	#4913	William Buchan	Douglas Knight	PS	35	Newport Harbor, CA, USA	Results
1964	#4489	Donald K. Edler	Kent Edler	NH	55	Boston Harbor, MA, USA	Results
1963	#4749	Malin Burnham	James Reynolds	SDB	67	Lake Michigan, USA	Results
1962	#3802	Timir Pinegin	Fedor Chutkov	Mosc	73	Cascais, Portugal	Results
1961	#4260	William E. Buchan	Douglas Knight	PS	26	San Diego Bay, CA, USA	Results
1960	#3877	Lowell North	Thomas Skahill	Mis	46	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	Results
1959	#3877	Lowell North	Morton Carlisle	Mis	30	Newport Harbor, CA, USA	Results
1958	#3850	William Ficker	Mark Yorston	NH	24	San Diego Bay, CA, USA	Results
1957	#3877	Lowell North	James Hill	SDB	35	Habana, Cuba	Results
1956	#3130	Harry Nye Jr.	R.S. Halperin	SLM	59	Naples, Italy	Results
1955	#3079	John K Todd	Jack W. Streeton	Cam	37	Habana, Cuba	Results

TROPHY ARCHIVE