The Star World Championships are international sailing regattas in the Star class organized by the International Sailing Federation and the International Star Class Yacht Racing Association.
American sailor Lowell North has won the most titles, with five titles between 1945 and 1973 and another seven podiums. The most crowned skipper-crew combinations are Italian duo Agostino Straulino and Nicolò Rode and Brazilian duo Robert Scheidt and Bruno Prada, with three titles each. Bill Buchan, Jr. has three titles, but with different crew.
American sailors have won the most championships, 55 editions, followed by Italian sailors, with six titles, and sailors of Germany and Brazil (five each).
Several winners have family relations with each other, e.g. two time winner Mark Reynolds and 1971 winning crew James Reynolds, 1992 champion Carl Buchan and three time winner Bill Buchan, Jr., 1969 winner Pelle Pettersson and his son-in-law 1988 winner Paul Cayard, and the 1954 and 1955 winning father and son couple Carlos de Cárdenas and Carlos de Cárdenas, Jr.
The Star was an Olympic class from 1932 to 2012 with the exception of 1976, when it was substituted by the Tempest.
History
The first Star World Championships were held on Central Long Island Sound in 1923 and organised by the Bayside Yacht Club, Washington Yacht Club and Manhasset Bay Yacht Club. Eight boats fought for the trophy and the winner was the yacht Taurus with William Inslee and Robert Nelson of Western Long Island Sound fleet.
For the first years, all the championships were held in North America and mostly American sailors participated; the first championships held outside North America were in 1939, in Kiel, Germany.