Luke Lawrence (sailor)

Luke Lawrence
Lawrence (left) and Asif after their VGC 2025 victory.
Personal information
Full nameLuke Lawrence
Nationality United States
Born (1990-08-24) 24 August 1990
Sailing career
SportSailing
ClassesStar, Finn, J/24, J/22, Etchells
Medal record
World Championships
Gold medal – first place2019 Biscayne Bay, USAStar (U30)
Gold medal – first place2016 Kingston, CanadaJ/22
Silver medal – second place2015 Hong KongEtchells
Gold medal – first place2014 Newport, USAJ/24
Gold medal – first place2010 San Francisco, USAFinn (Youth)
Silver medal – second place2008 Århus, DenmarkLaser (Youth)
Star Vintage Gold Cup
Gold medal – first place2025 Michigan, USAStar (Vintage)
Silver medal – second place2023 Michigan, USAStar (Vintage)

Luke Lawrence (born 24 August 1990) is an American yachtsman and professional sailor who has competed internationally across dinghy and keelboat sailing championships. He has won world championship titles in the Finn, J/24, J/22, and Star classes, and is a medalist at the Youth Sailing World Championships and a winner of the Star Vintage Gold Cup.

Career

Lawrence gained early international recognition at the 2008 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship in Århus, Denmark, where he won the silver medal in the Boys' One Person Dinghy (Laser), finishing second to Pavlos Kontides.[1]

In 2010, he won the Finn Silver Cup, the junior world championship for the Finn class, held in San Francisco.[2]

He later achieved success in keelboat sailing, winning the J/24 World Championship in 2014 as part of the winning crew aboard Cougar, skippered by Will Welles.[3] In 2016, Lawrence won the J/22 World Championship, earning a second keelboat world title.[4]

In the Star class, Lawrence won the inaugural Star Junior World Championship (Under 30) in 2019, sailing with Alexey Selivanov.[5]

In Etchells class competition, Lawrence was part of the team that finished second overall at the 2015 Etchells World Championship in Hong Kong.[6]

He has also recorded podium finishes at continental and regional championships in the Star and Etchells classes, including a silver medal at the Star North American Championship sailing with Ian Coleman and a victory at the Star Western Hemisphere Championship sailing with Paul Cayard.[7][8]

He is a recipient of the Star Class Gold Laurel Wreath, an honor awarded to the winners of the Star Vintage Gold Cup, which he won in 2025 sailing with Mohammed Asif at Gull Lake, Michigan.[9][10]

In 2026, Lawrence won the Van Nostrand Cup ice yacht race sailing aboard the Arial with Max Lopez, representing the Hudson River Ice Yacht Club.[11] He is a fourth-generation member of the club; his grandfather, Bob Lawrence, was a boat builder and competitive sailor.[12]

World Championships

YearEventVenueResultPartnerClassRef
2026 Etchells World Championship San Diego, United States 19th United States Andrew Macrae
United States Brad Boston
Etchells [13]
2022 Star World Championship Marblehead, Massachusetts, United States 14th United States Andrew Macrae Star [14]
2019Star Junior World ChampionshipBiscayne Bay, United States1stRussia Alexey SelivanovStar[15]
2016J/22 World ChampionshipKingston, Canada1stUnited StatesMichael Marshall
United StatesTodd Hiller
J/22[16]
2015Etchells World ChampionshipHong Kong2nd

United States Steve Benjamin
United States Georg Peet
Hong Kong Meihan Cheung

Etchells[17]
2014J/24 World ChampionshipNewport, United States1stUnited States Will WellesJ/24[18]
2012 505 World Championship Hamilton Island, Australia 20th United States Augie Diaz 505 [19]
2010 505 World Championship Aarhus, Denmark 23rd United States Augie Diaz 505 [20]
2010Finn Youth World ChampionshipSan Francisco, United States1st—Finn[21]
2008 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship Aarhus, Denmark 2nd — Laser [22]
2007 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship Kingston, Canada 11th — Laser [23]

Star Vintage Gold Cup

YearEventVenueResultPartnerClassRef
2025Star Vintage Gold CupGull Lake, Michigan, United States1stIndia Mohammed AsifStar[24]
2024 Star Vintage Gold Cup Gull Lake, Michigan, United States 5th United States Mark Pincus Star [25]
2023 Star Vintage Gold Cup Gull Lake, Michigan, United States 2nd United States Joshua Powell Star [26]
2019 Star Vintage Gold Cup Gull Lake, Michigan, United States 8th Canada Bryan Milne Star [27]

Continental Championships

YearEventVenueResultPartnerClassRef
2015Etchells North American ChampionshipUnited States1st—Etchells[28]
2017Star North American ChampionshipMarblehead, United States2ndUnited States Ian ColemanStar[29]
2021Star Western Hemisphere ChampionshipMiami, United States1stUnited States Paul CayardStar[30]
2025Etchells North American ChampionshipSan Diego, United States1st—Etchells[31]
2025Star North American ChampionshipUnited States2ndUnited States Paul CayardStar[32]

References

  1. ↑ "LaserWorld September 2008" (PDF). International Laser Class Association. p. 3. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  2. ↑ "Luke Lawrence (USA) is 2010 Finn Junior World Champion". World Sailing.
  3. ↑ "Will Welles clinches 2014 J/24 World Championship". Scuttlebutt Sailing News.
  4. ↑ "J/22 World Championship winners". Annapolis Yacht Club.
  5. ↑ "Luke Lawrence and Alexey Selivanov win inaugural Star Junior World Championship". International Star Class Yacht Racing Association.
  6. ↑ "Etchells World Championships 2015 – Results". International Etchells Class Association.
  7. ↑ "Augie Diaz and Bruno Prada win 2017 Star North American Championship; Lawrence/Coleman 2nd". International Star Class Yacht Racing Association. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  8. ↑ "Paul Cayard and Luke Lawrence Are the 2021 Star Western Hemisphere Champions". International Star Class Yacht Racing Association. 25 April 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  9. ↑ "Vintage Gold Cup Champion 2025 Lawrence/Asif". Western Michigan University. November 2025. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  10. ↑ "Vintage Gold Cup". International Star Class Yacht Racing Association.
  11. ↑ "When It's Finally Cold Enough to Race". Scuttlebutt Sailing News. 11 February 2026. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  12. ↑ Donohue, Brian (9 February 2026). "Red Bank ice boaters relinquish Van Nostrand Cup". redbankgreen. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  13. ↑ "2026 Etchells World Championship Results". Yacht Scoring: Etchells Worlds 2026. 15 May 2026.
  14. ↑ "2022 Star World Championship – Marblehead, MA, USA". International Star Class Yacht Racing Association. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  15. ↑ "Star Junior World Championship 2019 – Results". Star Class.
  16. ↑ "J/22 World Championship winners". Annapolis Yacht Club.
  17. ↑ "Etchells World Championships 2015 – Results". International Etchells Class Association.
  18. ↑ "Will Welles clinches 2014 J/24 World Championship". Scuttlebutt Sailing News.
  19. ↑ "2012 5o5 World Championship – Results". International 5o5 Class Association. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  20. ↑ "2010 5o5 World Championship – Results". International 5o5 Class Association. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  21. ↑ "Luke Lawrence (USA) is 2010 Finn Junior World Champion". World Sailing.
  22. ↑ "Laser World 2008–2009" (PDF). International Laser Class Association. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  23. ↑ "USA wins gold & silver at ISAF Youth Worlds". Sail-World. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  24. ↑ "Vintage Gold Cup Champion 2025 Lawrence/Asif". Western Michigan University. November 2025. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  25. ↑ "2024 Vintage Gold Cup". International Star Class Yacht Racing Association. Retrieved 20 February 2026.
  26. ↑ "2023 Vintage Gold Cup". International Star Class Yacht Racing Association. Retrieved 20 February 2026.
  27. ↑ "Eivind Melleby and Joshua Revkin are the winners of the 2019 Vintage Gold Cup". International Star Class Yacht Racing Association. Retrieved 20 February 2026.
  28. ↑ "2015 North American Championship". International Etchells Class Association.
  29. ↑ "Augie Diaz and Bruno Prada win 2017 Star North American Championship; Lawrence/Coleman 2nd". International Star Class Yacht Racing Association. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  30. ↑ "Paul Cayard and Luke Lawrence Are the 2021 Star Western Hemisphere Champions". International Star Class Yacht Racing Association. 25 April 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
  31. ↑ "Luke Lawrence wins the 2025 Etchells North American Championship". International Etchells Class Association.
  32. ↑ "Star North American Championship". International Star Class Yacht Racing Association.