Photo Credit: FRIED ELLIOTT / friedbits.com

North American Championships

THE ROYAL CANADIAN YACHT CLUB TROPHY

Presented to the International Star Class Yacht Racing Association as a perpetual trophy to commemorate the centennial of the Royal Canadian Yacht Club, Toronto, August 1952.  

The North American Silver Star Championship is relatively a latecomer to the Silver Star series held by the Star Class. Originally the North American's was sailed only when the World's was not sailed in the North American continent.

The oldest Silver Star event of the Star Class is the Championship of Europe, which began in 1932, followed by the Western Hemisphere Spring Championship, which began in 1934. The first N.A.'s was held in 1939 at Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay in conjunction with the 1939 World Fair. That year the World's was sailed in Kiel, Germany. The first N.A.'s was won by Walter Sumner and Jack Watson of the San Diego Bay fleet. The series was not held again until 1948 in Puget Sound, and was won by the local fleet representatives Charles Ross and Robertson Ross. Then, starting in 1952 the World's was held in Europe for consecutive three years. Whether coincidentally or not, starting in 1952 the N.A.'s have been held annually ever since.

Originally the rules for who was allowed to sail in the N.A.'s was very strict. Only two boats per fleet, based on that fleet's qualification series, were allowed to participate in a Silver Star event. Exceptions to this were when low turn-out was expected, for example in 1964 at Galveston Bay and 1968 at San Francisco where 3 boats per fleet were allowed.

Starting in the 1970's the hosting fleet was allowed to have additional entries as a reward for holding the series. For example, in 1972 at Toronto the Lake Ontario Canadian fleet entered 4 boats, and in 1975 at Mobile the Mobile Bay fleet entered 6 boats.

The first "open" N.A.'s was in 1985 at San Diego, with 14 boats from the San Diego Bay fleet and 7 boats from the Newport Harbor fleet. The N.A.'s have been open ever since.

YEAR BOAT SKIPPER CREW FLEET ENTRIES LOCATION RESULTS
2023 #8537 George Szabo Guy Avellon SDB 30 Vancouver, BC CAN Results
2022 #8218 Jack Jennings Pedro Trouche ChiH 33 Annapolis YC Results
2021 #8218 Erik Lidecis Greg Smith NH 30 Newport Harbor YC Results
2020 NOT HELD
2019 #8509 Augie Diaz Henry Boening BisB 33 Toms River, NJ, USA Results
2018 #8423 Eric Doyle Payson Infelise SDB 37 Marina del Rey, CA Results
2017 #8509 A. Diaz B. Prada BisB 46 Marblehead, MA, USA Results
2016 #8177 E. Melleby J. Revkin ISOL 27 Chicago, IL, USA Results
2015 #8448 C. Buchan J. Buchan PS 33 Seattle, WA, USA Results
2014 #8444 T. Grael G. Almeida Gua 41 Oxford, MD, USA Results
2013 #8203 Ledbetter PS
2012 #8395 J.A. MacCausland CR
2011 #8434 G. Szabo, III SDB
2010 #8434 G. Szabo, III SDB
2009 #8241 Horton NB
2008 Erin J.A. MacCausland CR
2007 #8156 Horton NB
2006 #8187 Pepper NZL
2005 #7995 G. Szabo, III SDB
2004 Erin J.A. MacCausland CR
2003 #8159 Cayard WSFB
2002 #8067 M. Reynolds SDB
2001 #7995 G. Szabo, III SDB
2000 #7939 Brady NZL
1999 #7934 Doyle SDB
1998 #7829 M. Reynolds SDB
1997 #7711 Londrigan SDB
1996 #7872 Macdonald EB
1995 #7454 Macdonald EB
1994 #7773 Cayard WSFB
1993 #7469 Macdonald EB
1992 #7288 Londrigan LS
1991 #7288 J. Londrigan WH
1990 #7200 G. Brun RdJ
1989 #7288 M. Reynolds SDB
1988 #7302 Adams NB
1987 #7265 J.A. MacCausland CR
1986 The Usual V. Brun SDB
1985 Bananas V. Brun SDB
1984 Spirit J.A. MacCausland CR
1983 Spirit J.A. MacCausland CR
1982 Theophilus Driscoll SDB
1981 War Hawk Menkart BH
1980 Bucephalus Hagen Glu
1979 Spirit III Wright SLM
1977 Menace Conner SDB
1976 Virgo III Wright SLM
1975 Dingo Schoonmaker BisB
1974 Virgo Wright SLM
1973 Big TR Adams WH
1972 Strings 'n Things Morgan TaB
1971 Neguinho Bruder Gua
1970 Gem X Knowles N
1969 Hannah Beek LB
1968 Good Grief Blackaller WSFB
1967 Ariel Holt Shil
1966 Swingin' Star Trask Ric
1965 Scandale Albrechtson Vin
1964 Blitzkrieg Friedrichs NCG
1963 Star of the Sea Duplin BH
1962 Boron Buchan PS
1961 Glider Stearns WH
1960 Glider Stearns WH
1959 Turmoil Comer JP
1958 Shaughnessy Etchells CLIS
1957 North Star III North SDB
1956 Circus H. Lippincott ER
1955 Kurush IV J. de Cardenas Mar
1954 Sea Skate Van Dyke Mil
1953 Flower Lippincott WJ
1952 Flame Ogilvy WLIS
1948 Cene Ross PS
1939 Whitecap II Sumner SDB