Lowell North

American sailor (1929–2019)

Lowell North

Personal information

Full name| Lowell Orton North
Nickname| "The Pope"
Nationality| American
Born| (1929-12-02)December 2, 1929
Springfield, Missouri, U.S.
Died| June 2, 2019(2019-06-02) (aged 89)
San Diego, California, U.S.
Sailing career
Class(es)| Dragon, Star
Club|  San Diego Yacht Club
College team|  University of California, Berkeley

Medal record

Men's sailing
Representing  the  United States
Olympic Games
|  1968 Mexico City | Star class
|  1964 Tokyo | Dragon class
World Championships
| 1945 Central Long Island Sound | Star class
| 1957 Havana | Star class
| 1959 Newport Harbor | Star class
| 1960 Rio de Janeiro | Star class
| 1973 San Diego | Star class
| 1956 Naples | Star class
| 1963 Chicago | Star class
| 1966 Kiel | Star class
| 1967 Copenhagen | Star class
| 1971 Puget Sound | Star class
| 1961 San Diego | Star class
| 1969 San Diego | Star class

Lowell Orton North (December 2, 1929 – June 2, 2019) was an American sailor and Olympic gold medalist.[1] He competed at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, where he received a gold medal in the Star class with the boat North Star, together with Peter Barrett.[2]

## Biography

[edit]

North was born in Springfield, Missouri on December 2, 1929. He was the son of Williard North, a geophysicist for oil companies, and Juanita Williams North, a homemaker. When Lowell was young the family moved to Southern California, where he learned to sail in Newport Beach and later in San Diego.[3]

He got his start as a sailmaker at the age of 14, when he and his father raced Star class boats and regularly lost. He recut the sail and improved their record. In 1945, at age 15, he crewed for Malin Burnham in the Star World Championship, which they won. North later said, "It wasn’t me Malin wanted. It was my mainsail."[4][5] During the next 30 years he won another four Star Worlds.

He studied at San Diego State College and earned a degree in civil engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.[3] He worked as a structural engineer in the aerospace industry, but sail design remained his main passion. He opened his first sail making company in the late 1950s, where "his methodical and scientific approach to sailmaking changed the industry." He used computer modeling, new materials, and advanced manufacturing techniques.[4] In 1957 he founded North Sails, a world-wide company producing sailing equipment, in San Diego.[6]

He received a bronze medal in the Dragon class at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.[7]

North participated in 1977 America's Cup defender series where he skippered the 12 metre yacht Enterprise.[8]

North retired in 1984. In 2011, he was inducted into the National Sailing Hall of Fame.[9]

## Personal life

[edit]

In 1956 he married Kay Gillette North (March 9, 1933 – September 5, 2021). They had three children: Danny, Holly, and Julie.[10] They later divorced. In 1994 he married Helen Beatrice Davidson, known as Bea, who survived him.[3]

## See also

[edit]

* Star World Championship – Multiple medallist
* List of Olympic medalists in Dragon class sailing

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Wilson, Bernie. "Pioneering sailmaker Lowell North dies at 89". Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 4, 2019. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
2. ^ "1968 Summer Olympics – Mexico City, Mexico – Sailing". databaseOlympics.com. Archived from the original on September 29, 2008. Retrieved April 18, 2008.
3. ^ a b c Slotnik, Daniel E. (June 6, 2019). "Lowell North, World Champion Sailor and Innovative Sailmaker, Dies at 89". The New York Times. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
4. ^ a b Henry, Tim (June 5, 2019). "The Legend of Lowell North". Latitude 38. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
5. ^ "North, Lowell - 2011 Hall of Fame". www.nshof.org. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
6. ^ "60 Years of Sailmaking". North Sails. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
7. ^ "1964 Summer Olympics – Tokyo, Japan – Sailing". databaseOlympics.com. Archived from the original on February 21, 2007. Retrieved April 18, 2008.
8. ^ "Lowell North Bio, Stats, and Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
9. ^ "Lowell North 2011 Inductee". Nshof.org. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
10. ^ "Kay Gillette North". San Diego Union Tribune. September 19, 2021.

## External links

[edit]

* North Sails website
* Sailing World
* National Sailing Hall of Fame
* Lowell North at World Sailing (archived)
* Lowell North at Olympics.com
* Lowell North at Olympedia

* v
* t
* e

Olympic champions in Star

* 1932:  Gray & Libano (USA)
* 1936:  Bischoff & Weise (GER)
* 1948:  H. Smart & P. Smart (USA)
* 1952:  Straulino & Rode (ITA)
* 1956:  Williams & Low (USA)
* 1960:  Pinegin & Shutkov (URS)
* 1964:  Knowles & Cooke (BAH)
* 1968:  North & Barrett (USA)
* 1972:  Forbes & Anderson (AUS)
* 1980:  Mankin & Muzychenko (URS)
* 1984:  Buchan & Erickson (USA)
* 1988:  McIntyre & Vaile (GBR)
* 1992:  Reynolds & Haenel (USA)
* 1996:  Grael & Ferreira (BRA)
* 2000:  Reynolds & Liljedahl (USA)
* 2004:  Grael & Ferreira (BRA)
* 2008:  Percy & Simpson (GBR)
* 2012:  Lööf & Salminen (SWE)

* v
* t
* e

World champions in Star

* 1923: Inslee & Nelson
* 1924: Robinson & Knapp
* 1925: Iselin & Willis
* 1926: Comstock & Gidley
* 1927: Hubbard & Edwards
* 1928: Edrington & Gray
* 1929: G. Johnson & L. Johnson
* 1930: Knapp & Weed
* 1931: McHugh & Watkins
* 1932: Fink & Thorne
* 1933: Waterhouse & Metcalf
* 1934: Beardslee & Lehmann
* 1935: Beardslee & Lehmann
* 1936: Iselin & Horder
* 1937: Wegeforth & Phillips
* 1938: von Hütschler & Weise
* 1939: von Hütschler & Beyn
* 1940: J. Cowie & G. Cowie
* 1941: Fleitz & Severence
* 1942: Nye & Fahlstrom
* 1943: Deacon & Roehm
* 1944: Driscoll & Burnham
* 1945: Burnham & North
* 1946: Fleitz & Krug
* 1947: Knowles & Levin
* 1948: Pirie & Rugeroni
* 1949: Nye & Fahlström
* 1950: Lippincott & Levin
* 1951: E. W. Etchells & M. Etchelles
* 1952: Straulino & Rode
* 1953: Straulino & Rode
* 1954: de Cárdenas & de Cárdenas Jr.
* 1955: de Cárdenas & de Cárdenas Jr.
* 1956: Straulino & Rode
* 1957: North & Hill
* 1958: Ficker & Yorston
* 1959: North & Carlile
* 1960: North & Skahill
* 1961: W. E. Buchan & Knight
* 1962: Stearns & L. Williams
* 1963: Duplin & Dolan
* 1964: D. Edler & K. Edler
* 1965: Bever & Lewsadder
* 1966: Elvstrøm & Albrechtson
* 1967: Elvstrøm & Mik-Meyer
* 1969: Petterson & Schröder
* 1970: W. E. Buchan & Sutter
* 1971: Conner & J. Reynolds
* 1972: Kuhweide & Meyer
* 1973: North & Barrett
* 1974: Blackaller & Anderson
* 1975: Schoonmaker & Ford
* 1976: Allsopp & Guhin
* 1977: Conner & Anderson
* 1978: Melges & Josenhans
* 1979: Melges & Josenhans
* 1980: Blackaller & Shaw
* 1981: Hagen & Hösch
* 1982: Gorostegui & Doreste
* 1983: Gorostegui & Doreste
* 1984: Gorla & Peraboni
* 1985: W. E. Buchan & Erickson
* 1986: Brun & Schreiner
* 1987: Adams & Olsen
* 1988: Cayard & Erickson
* 1989: Adler & Falcão
* 1990: T. Grael & Ferreira
* 1991: Benamati & Salani
* 1992: W. C. Buchan & Schreiner
* 1993: Londrigan & Trinter
* 1994: MacDonald & Jespersen
* 1995: M. Reynolds & Haenel
* 1996: Chieffi & Sinibaldi
* 1997: Hagen & Ferreira
* 1998: Beashel & Giles
* 1999: Doyle & Olsen
* 2000: M. Reynolds & Liljedahl
* 2001: Lööf & Finnsgård
* 2002: Percy & Mitchell
* 2003: Rohart & Rambeau
* 2004: Lööf & Ekström
* 2005: Rohart & Rambeau
* 2006: Pepper & C. Williams
* 2007: Scheidt & Prada
* 2008: Kusznierewicz & Życki
* 2009: Szabo & Peters
* 2010: Percy & Simpson
* 2011: Scheidt & Prada
* 2012: Scheidt & Prada
* 2013: MacCausland & Trinter
* 2014: Stanjek & Kleen
* 2015: L. Grael & Gonçalves
* 2016: Diaz & Prada
* 2017: Melleby & Revkin
* 2018: Zarif & Hamelmann
* 2019: Kusznierewicz & Prada
* 2020: cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
* 2021: Negri & Kleen
* 2022: Negri & Lambertenghi

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