John Wheat Bennett Memorial Trophy

The John Wheat "Pete" Bennett Memorial Trophy

Awarded to the second place team at the World Championship.

The John Wheat “Pete” Bennett Memorial Trophy is awarded to the 2nd Place finisher at the World Championship, likely relating to the 2 times Pete finished 2nd at the World and North American Championships. When Pete and Kim Fletcher finished 2nd at the San Diego Worlds in 1961, he was still known as John; but soon became Pete, continuing there forward (Pete, the grown up version of his childhood name, “Peanut”).

Pete was equally solid as a Star skipper and a Star sailmaker. Originally, he was designing sails at Murphy & Nye in Chicago, but Pete was lured west to San Diego to join Lowell North in the first 20 years of the growth of North Sails. Pete oversaw Production/Design, overseeing the work of other future Star luminaries like Vince Brun, and playing a role in Star sails development with the advent of synthetic materials and, later, digitally designed sails.

Even more important, Pete encouraged another generation of Star sailors, his sons John and Billy. John grew up following the family to many regattas and became a competent Star skipper in his own right. At some level, John inherited Pete’s career path and is now President of UK Sails worldwide. Of course, Billy was well-known as a great Star crew, and developed deep friendships with many class members. The tragedy of his passing at a young age is still felt deeply, especially among the San Diego Fleet family that he called home.

An interesting twist on this 2nd Place Trophy is that it is actually 2nd itself. The original John Wheat Bennett trophy was an elegant design by Pete’s crew, Kim Fletcher, but it eventually became too difficult to travel the world. It was replaced in 1992 by the current model that is pictured here, a fitting 2nd place.

YEAR	BOAT	SKIPPER	CREW	FLEET	ENTRIES	LOCATION	RESULTS
2025	#8602	Mateusz Kusznierewicz	Bruno Prada	ISOL	101	Split, Croatia	Results
2024	#8538	Will Stout	Daniel Cayard	SDB	64	San Diego, CA, USA	Results
2023	#8575	Piet Eckert	Federico Melo	ZU	96	Scarlino, Italy	Results
2022	#8554	Tonci Stipanovic	Tudor Bilic	DAL	84	Marblehead, MA, USA	Results
2021	#8540	Tonci Stipanovic	Tudor Bilic	DAL	82	Kiel, Germany	Results
2020	not sailed
2019	#8509	Augie Diaz	Henry Boening	BisB	63	Porto Cervo, Italy	Results
2018	#8177	Eivind Melleby	Josh Revkin	Isol	60	Oxford, MD, USA	Results
2017	#8474	Lars Grael	Samuel Goncalves	Par	70	Troense, Denmark	Results
2016	#8497	Diego Negri	Sergio Lambertenghi	VE	72	Miami, FL, USA	Results
2015	#8495	Marcelo Fuchs	Ronald Seifert	SP	39	Buenos Aires, Argentina	Results
2014	#8491	Diego Negri	Sergio Lambertenghi	VE	87	Lake Garda, Italy	Results
2013	#8209	Andrew Campbell	John von Schwarz	SDB	66	San Diego, CA, USA	Results
2012	#8471	Iain Percy	Andrew Simpson	SO	72	Hyeres, France	Results
2011	#8427	Robert Stanjek	Frithjof Kleen	BF	41	Perth, Australia	Results
2010	#8364	Flavio Marazzi	Enrico De Maria	TB	73	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	Results
2009	#8187	Hamish Pepper	Craig Monk	NZL	86	Varburg, Sweden	Results
2008	#8266	Diego Negri	Luigi Viale	VE	104	Miami, FL, USA	Results
2007	#8107	Xavier Rohart	Pascal Rambeau	NI	62	Cascais, Portugal	Results
2006	#8127	Robert Scheidt	Bruno Prada	GuB	66	San Francisco, CA, USA	Results
2005	#8210	Torben Grael	MarceloFerreira	Gua	52	Buenos Aires, Argentina	Results
2004	#8085	Flavio Marazzi	Enrico De Maria	TB	102	Gaeta, Italy	Results
2003	#8141	Fredrik Loof	Anders Ekstrom	Bk	83	Cadiz, spain	Results
2002	#8109	Torben Grael	Marcelo Ferreira	Gua	103	Los Angeles, CA, USA	Results
2001	#8065	Gavin Brady	George Iverson	NZL	105	Medemblik, Netherlands	Results
2000	#7876	Ross MacDonald	Kai Bjorn	EB	112	Annapolis, MD, USA	Results
1999	#7876	Ross Macdonald	Kai Bjorn	EB	129	Punta Ala, Italy	Results
1998	#7875	Torben Grael	Marcelo Ferreira	Gua	95	Portoroz, Slovania	Results
1997	#7829	Mark Reynolds	Magnus Lilljedahl	SDB	71	Marblehead, MA, USA	Results
1996	#7829	Mark Reynolds	Hal Haenel	SDB	61	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	Results
1995	#7760	Torben Grael	Marcelo Ferreira	Gua	76	Laredo, Spain	Results
1994	#7592	Alan Adler	Rodrigo Meireles	RdJ	97	San Diego, CA, USA	Results
1993	#7563	Hans Wallen	Bobby Lohse	Kat	90	Kiel, Germany	Results
1992	#7288	Joe Londrigan	Phil Trinter	LS	53	San Francisco, CA, USA	Results
1991	#7590	Torben Grael	Marcelo Ferreira	Gua	119	Cannes, France	Results
1990	#7525	Benny Andersen	Mogens Just	DF	95	Cleveland, OH, USA	Results
1989	#7313	Werner Fritz	Ulrich Seeberger	CBM	105	Porto Cervo, Italy	Results
1988	#7284	Mark Reynolds	Hal Haenel	SdB	70	Buenos Aires, Argentina	Results
1987	#6378	Alex Hagen	Fritz Girr	KF	79	Chicago, IL, USA	Results
1986	#7024	Giuseppe Milone	Roberto Mottola	FdiN	110	Capri, Italy	Results
1985	#6972	Steven Bakker	Ko Vandenberg	Hor	80	Nassau, Bahamas	Results
1984	#6965	Andrew Menkart	James Kavle	WS	79	Volamoura, Portugal	Results
1983	#6496	Joachim Griese	Michael Marcour	KF	78	Los Angeles, CA, USA	Results
1982	#6796	Alexander Hagen	Vincent Hoesch	Glu	81	Medemblik, Netherlands	Results
1981	#6281	Peter Wright	Todd Cozzens	SLM	84	Marblehead, MA, USA	Results
1980	#6437, Riky	Albino Fravezzi	Oscar Dalvit	SG	54	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	Results
1979	#6402	Bill Buchan, Jr	Doughs Knight	PS	78	Marstrand, Strand	Results
1978	#6300	Dennis Conner	Ron Anderson	SDB	99	San Francisco, CA, USA	Results
1977	#6066	Sune Carlsson	Leif Carlsson	RS	87	Kiel, Germany	Results
1976	#5647, Frolic	Bill Buchan, Jr	Earl Lasher	PS	64	Nassau, Bahamas	Results
1975	#5651, Impossible	Tom Blackaller	Ron Anderson	WSFB	73	Lake Michigan, USA	Results
1974	#5868, Humbug XVIII	Pelle Petterson	Ingvar Hansson	Kat	51	Laredo, Spain	Results
1973	#5773, Frolic	Bill Buchan, Jr	Craig Thomas	PS	56	San Diego, CA, USA	Results
1972	#5217, Buho Blanco	Joerg Bruder	Claudio Biekarch	FdJ	60	Caracas, Portugal	Results
1971	#5479, Something Else	Lowell North	Peter Barrett	SDB	40	Puget Sound, WA, USA	Results
1970	#5407, Ding	Ding Schoonmaker	Arne Akerson	BisB	53	Marstrand, Sweden	Results
1969	#5150, Good Grief!	Tom Blackaller	Gary Mull	WSFB	44	San Diego, CA, USA	Results
1968	not held
1967	#4733, North Star	Lowell North	Peter Barrett	SDB	62	Copenhagen	Results
1966	#4733, North Star	Lowell North	Peter Barrett	SDB	76	Kiel, Germany	Results
1965	#4749, Chatterbox	Malin Burnham	James Reynolds	SDB	35	Newport Harbor, CA, USA	Results
1964	#4836, Star of the Sea	Joseph Duplin	Francis Dolan	BH	55	Boston Harbor, MA, USA	Results
1963	$4733, North Star	Lowell North	Thomas Skahill	SdB	67	Lake Michigan, USA	Results
1962	#4241, Glider	Duarte Bello	Fernando Bello	CP	73	Cascais, Portugal	Results
1961	#4280, Tranquil	John Bennett	John McKeague	JP	26	San Diego, CA, USA	Results

John Wheat Bennett Memorial Trophy

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