In both the 1964 and 1968 Olympics, Lowell North was the helmsman on the medalwinning boats. In Tokyo Bay in 1964 he had Charlie Rogers and Dick Deaver as his crew, while at Acapulco in 1968 he was partnered by Peter Barrett in the star class. Partly for the gold medal performance, North was voted the Martini & Rossi Award as 1968 Yachtsman of the Year. North, a Cal/Berkeley graduate in engineering, was a four-time world champion in the Star class, and also finished second five times at the Star Worlds. The 1968 win was particularly satisfying because it came over the legendary Dane, Paul Elvstrøm, who had beaten him at two previous World Championships. In 1977, North skippered the boat Enterprise at the America’s Cup Trials, but failed to be chosen to defend. He was the owner of his own sailmaking company, North Sails, which he ran for 27 years before selling it in 1984.
United States