Notable sailors and their records.

Olympic champions

Paul Elvstrøm (Denmark)

Born in Hellerup on 25 February 1928, Elvstrøm died there on 7 December 2016. Britannica records four consecutive Olympic golds in single-handed dinghies: the Firefly in 1948, then the Finn in 1952, 1956 and 1960. He won the 1948 title after trailing by more than 800 points after five races, then winning the last two. He kept competing at the Olympics into the 1980s, sailing a Tornado at Los Angeles 1984 with his daughter Trine as crew, and Seoul 1988 was his last Games. Britannica also credits him with the self-bailer, a racing life jacket and the popular hiking style, and he founded Elvström sails in 1954.

Ben Ainslie (Great Britain)

Born in Macclesfield on 5 February 1977 (Wikipedia). His Olympic record is a Laser silver in 1996, Laser gold in 2000 and Finn golds in 2004, 2008 and 2012. Topend Sports and Wikipedia credit him with the most Olympic sailing golds, four, plus that silver; Elvstrøm also won four golds. In the America's Cup he joined Oracle Team USA as tactician from race six of its 2013 comeback win, then led INEOS Britannia to the 2024 Louis Vuitton Cup before losing the Match 7-2. After he was dropped from INEOS Britannia in January 2025, his own team took the name GB1 in January 2026, with Ainslie as team principal for the 2027 Cup (Marine Industry News).

Marit Bouwmeester (Netherlands)

World Sailing calls Bouwmeester the most successful female Olympic sailor. Her medals: silver in 2012, gold in 2016, bronze in 2020 and gold in 2024. Sailing Scuttlebutt reports that her ILCA 6 gold at Paris 2024, confirmed on 7 August 2024, took her past Hannah Mills's record for a female sailor. She announced the end of her Olympic career in November 2025.

Torben Grael and Robert Scheidt (Brazil)

According to Wikipedia, Torben Grael won Soling silver in 1984, Star bronze in 1988, Star gold in 1996, Star bronze in 2000 and Star gold in 2004, and skippered Ericsson 4 to win the 2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race. Robert Scheidt won Laser gold in 1996, Laser silver in 2000, Laser gold in 2004, Star silver in 2008 and Star bronze in 2012, plus nine Laser and three Star world titles. With five medals each, Wikipedia says they are tied as Brazil's most decorated Olympians.

Hélène de Pourtalès (Switzerland)

Crew on the winning boat in the 1 to 2 ton class at Paris 1900, she became the first female Olympic champion of the modern Games, according to World Sailing.

America's Cup figures

Dennis Conner (USA)

Born in San Diego on 16 September 1942 (Wikipedia). The Herreshoff Marine Museum describes him as the only four-time Cup skipper, with Match campaigns in 1980 (Freedom), 1983 (Liberty), and 1987 and 1988 (Stars & Stripes). He was the first skipper to lose the Cup, in 1983, and the first to win it back, in 1987. His total of wins is counted differently even on one page: Wikipedia's text gives three (1980, 1987, 1988), while a list on the same page calls him a four-time winner by including 1974, when he sailed as crew rather than skipper.

Russell Coutts (New Zealand)

Born in Wellington on 1 March 1962, Coutts won the Finn gold at Los Angeles 1984 (Wikipedia). Wikipedia credits him with five America's Cup wins: as skipper for New Zealand in 1995 and 2000 and for Alinghi in 2003, and as CEO of the Oracle teams in 2010 and 2013. Wikipedia also reports that he and Larry Ellison founded SailGP in 2018.

John Bertrand (Australia)

Bertrand skippered Australia II in 1983, when it became the first challenger to win the America's Cup (Australian Sailing Hall of Fame).

Peter Burling and Jimmy Spithill

The AC38 press kit (October 2025) records Peter Burling, at 26, as the youngest helmsman to win the Cup, at the 35th edition in Bermuda, and as holder of the most Match race wins of the modern era, 22. It names Jimmy Spithill as the longest-serving helm, with eight campaigns and 17 Match race wins.

Ocean sailors

Peter Blake (New Zealand)

Te Ara records that Blake was born in Auckland on 1 October 1948. He won the 1989-90 Whitbread with Steinlager 2, co-skippered ENZA with Robin Knox-Johnston to the 1994 Jules Verne record, and led Team New Zealand to win the America's Cup in 1995 and defend it in 2000. He was knighted in 1995. On 6 December 2001 he was shot and killed by armed intruders near Macapá, Brazil, while defending his crew aboard Seamaster.

Robin Knox-Johnston (Great Britain)

The first person to sail solo and non-stop around the world, in Suhaili in 1968 to 1969, taking 312 days, and the only finisher of the Golden Globe race. He later shared the 1994 Jules Verne record with Blake.

Ellen MacArthur (Great Britain)

Second in the 2000-01 Vendée Globe, in 94 d 4 h 25 min. Britannica records that in 2005 she set the solo non-stop round-the-world record of 71 d 14 h 18 min 33 s in the trimaran B&Q, was made a Dame on her return, retired from competitive sailing in 2009 and launched the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in 2010.

The French record setters

François Gabart

Won the 2012-13 Vendée Globe in 78 d 2 h 16 min, and set the solo round-the-world record of 42 d 16 h 40 min 35 s in December 2017.

Charlie Dalin

Holds the Vendée Globe record of 64 d 19 h 22 min 49 s, from 2024-25.

Francis Joyon

Took back the solo round-the-world record in 2008, by Britannica's account, and set the 2017 Jules Verne record of 40 d 23 h 30 min 30 s.

Thomas Coville

Skippered Sodebo Ultim 3 to a new Jules Verne time in January 2026. At last report it awaited ratification, and we treat it as pending as of October 2026.

Others with documented firsts

• Joshua Slocum (born Nova Scotia, 1844): first person to sail alone around the world, 1895 to 1898 (Britannica).
• Kirsten Neuschäfer (South Africa): first woman to win a solo round-the-world yacht race, the 2022-23 Golden Globe (Yachting Monthly).
• Paul Larsen (Australia): outright sailing speed record of 65.45 knots over 500 m, set in 2012 (World Sailing).

Their voyages and races are described in more detail on offshore and solo and America's Cup history.