Luke Lawrence (sailor)
American sailor
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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.
Lawrence (left) and Asif after their VGC 2025 victory. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Luke Lawrence | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality |  United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 24 August 1990 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sailing career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Class(es) | Star, Finn, J/24, J/22, Etchells | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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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
| Year | Event | Venue | Result | Partner | Class | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Star World Championship | Marblehead, Massachusetts, United States | 14th | Andrew Macrae |
Star | [13] |
| 2019 | Star Junior World Championship | Biscayne Bay, United States | 1st |  Alexey Selivanov | Star | [14] |
| 2016 | J/22 World Championship | Kingston, Canada | 1st | — | J/22 | [15] |
| 2015 | Etchells World Championship | Hong Kong | 2nd | Steve Benjamin | Etchells | [16] |
| 2014 | J/24 World Championship | Newport, United States | 1st | Will Welles | J/24 | [17] |
| 2012 | 505 World Championship | Hamilton Island, Australia | 20th | Auggi Diaz |
505 | [18] |
| 2010 | 505 World Championship | Aarhus, Denmark | 23rd | Auggi Diaz |
505 | [19] |
| 2010 | Finn Youth World Championship | San Francisco, United States | 1st | — | Finn | [20] |
| 2008 | Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship | Aarhus, Denmark | 2nd | — | Laser | [21] |
| 2007 | Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship | Kingston, Canada | 11th | — | Laser | [22] |
Star Vintage Gold Cup
| Year | Event | Venue | Result | Partner | Class | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Star Vintage Gold Cup | Gull Lake, Michigan, United States | 1st |  Mohammed Asif | Star | [23] |
| 2024 | Star Vintage Gold Cup | Gull Lake, Michigan, United States | 5th | Mark Pincus |
Star | [24] |
| 2023 | Star Vintage Gold Cup | Gull Lake, Michigan, United States | 2nd | Joshua Powell |
Star | [25] |
| 2019 | Star Vintage Gold Cup | Gull Lake, Michigan, United States | 8th |  Bryan Milne |
Star | [26] |
Continental Championships
| Year | Event | Venue | Result | Partner | Class | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Etchells North American Championship | United States | 1st | — | Etchells | [27] |
| 2017 | Star North American Championship | Marblehead, United States | 2nd | Ian Coleman | Star | [28] |
| 2021 | Star Western Hemisphere Championship | Miami, United States | 1st | Paul Cayard | Star | [29] |
| 2025 | Etchells North American Championship | San Diego, United States | 1st | — | Etchells | [30] |
| 2025 | Star North American Championship | United States | 2nd | Paul Cayard | Star | [31] |