Click to enlarge
The Paul Elvstrøm Trophy
Awarded to the boat with the best total score without discards for the entire series
The Paul Elvstrom Memorial Trophy, donated by Paul Elvstrom, reflected an era when the Championship was decided using results from every race sailed. That also reflected Paul’s approach to racing, train like a demon, compile your best results despite the challenges, up and down wind velocities, difficult current and waves, breakdowns, bad luck, or no luck and more, and let the best man win. And Paul was often that best man, in Stars, and beyond.
As a Star Skipper, Paul scored two consecutive Gold Star wins, both were close wins over Lowell North by three points or less. On the Olympic stage, Paul started with a Gold Medal in the Firefly in 1948, Gold in the Finn in 1952, 1956 and again in 1960. Overall, Paul won 11 other World championships in the 5.5 Meter, Soling, 505s, Flying Dutchman, and Dragons. Single, Double, Triple- handed, it was all the same to Paul.
Paul was also an innovator, introducing much of the equipment we all know today, the weighted hiking bench, self-bailer, no-slip boat shoes, improved wearable life jackets, hiking straps, steering the 505 from the wire. As a writer, he authored what we all know as the Elvstrom Bible, “Elvstrom Explains the Yacht Racing Rules”, that sailors of the 60s and 70s carried everywhere, creating table-top tacking duels with those little colored boats.
Paul Elvstrøm participated in 1957 at Star World Championship (Havana) as crew for Frenchman Albert Debarge. After a series of 5 races they achieved a total of 2 places. In recognition of this effort, Paul received an impressive silver pole, which he decided in the summer of 2016 (shortly before his death) to donate to the Star Class World Championship as a walking trophy, to the crew of a complete series having fewer points without the use of deducts. Paul had the philosophy that it was not enough to win, his focus was aimed at sailing flawlessly. The one who sails with the fewest mistakes will usually win that bonus as well. With his well-known smile, he often added, because great miracles must make a flawless performance. The trophy was donated at the 2017 Star World Championship, Troense, Denmark.
Aside from this wonderful trophy, Paul left us all with something more important, this motto to sail and live our lives by, “If in the process of winning, you lose the respect of your competitors, you have won nothing.” The Star community will always take those words to heart and live that creed in his memory.
| YEAR |
BOAT |
SKIPPER |
CREW |
FLEET |
ENTRIES |
LOCATION |
RESULTS |
Star Class Honoring the Past, Leading the Future
