| SAN FRANCISCO CA, USA-(30-9-2006) The 74 boat fleet assembled for the World Championship is not the largest ever, but it is one of the deepest in terms of talent. Among the skippers and crew, there are no fewer than 20 Gold Stars (worlds victories) and 9 Olympic Gold medals. Throw in the prestigious Bacardi Cup, European and North American championships and there are another 30, or so, first place finishes.
The senior member of this fleet, Bill Buchan of Seattle(#8260), has won 3 Gold Stars, in 61, 70 and 85, an Olympic gold medal, in 84, 3 Bacardi Cups and 1 North Americans. San Diegan Mark Reynolds (#8239) has won two Gold Stars, in 95 and 00, and 2 Gold medals, 92 and 00, all with his current crew, Hal Haenel, plus 7 Bacardis and 2 North Americans, with a variety of shipmates. Torben Grael (#8210), from Brazil and the LUNA ROSSA Americas Cup team, won the Worlds in 90 and then Olympic gold in 96 and 04, but his crew in those victories, Marcelo Ferreira, one upped him by winning the 97 Worlds with another skipper. Joe Londrigan, crewing for Phillippe Kahn on #8246, won the World Championship in 93.
The junior members of this fleet include some very accomplished Star sailors, as well. The French team of Xavier Rohart and Pascal Rambeau (#8107) won Gold Stars in 03 and 05. Swedes Fredrik Loof and Anders Ekstrom (#8256) won in 01 and 04, while the British crew, Iain Percy and Steve Mitchell (#8144) won the Worlds in 02.
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