F. Gregg Bemis was best known for his work on the racing rules and his tenure as chairman of the Appeals Committee, but it was his leadership role in judging at junior and intercollegiate sailing regattas that inspired a group of co-judges to donate in 1975 a trophy for doublehanded junior sailing.
Similar to the Triplehanded and Singlehanded Junior Championships, the U.S. Junior Doublehanded Championship was a ladder competition starting at the yacht club level. In 1999 it was expanded to include two teams per Area (groupings of yacht Racing or District Associations) with the exception of AREA H and L, each of whom sent one team. The only two-time winners are John Shadden of the Long Beach Yacht Club and Mike Funsch of St. Petersburg Yacht Club.
In 2023 the Bemis Trophy was rededicated as the top “new team” award at the U.S. Youth Championship. The Bemis Trophy is now awarded to the top new doublehanded team (both sailors sailing in their first U.S. Youth Championship) in the largest doublehanded fleet at the U.S. Youth Championship.
Previous Award Recipients
Bemis Trophy – US Junior Doublehanded Champion (1974 – 2022) – US Youth Championship Best New Team (2023 – present)
- 2023 – Miami Yacht Club – Fynn Olsen & Pierce Olsen
- 2022 – Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club/Lido Isle Yacht Club/Balboa Yacht Club – Reade Decker, Sophia Mulvania
- 2021 – Newport Harbor Yacht Club – Morgan Pickney, Kennedy Leehealey
- 2020 – Event not held
- 2019 – Newport Harbor Yacht Club/Balboa Yacht Club – Morgan Pinckney, Nathan Sih
- 2018 – Severn Sailing Association – Trevor Davis, Rider Odom
- 2017 – Annapolis Yacht Club – Maddie Hawkins, Kimmie Leonard
- 2016 – San Francisco Yacht Club – Nicholas Marwell, J. Noble Reynoso
- 2015 – Southwestern Yacht Club – Jack McGraw, Dot Obel
- 2014 – Del Rey Yacht Club – Cassie Obel, Annika Garrett
- 2013 – San Francisco Yacht Club – Kristopher Swanson, Alexander Ron
- 2012 – Richmond Yacht Club – Christopher Ford, Daniel Ron
- 2011 – Sail Newport – Pearson Potts, Tristan Sess
- 2010 – Alamitos Bay Yacht Club – Jack Jorgensen, Samantha Gebb
- 2009 – Balboa Yacht Club – Kieran Chung, Ryan Davidson
- 2008 – Long Beach Yacht Club – Korbin Kirk, Haley Kirk
- 2007 – Pequot Yacht Club – Brendan Kopp, Michael Costello
- 2006 – Portland Yacht Club – Alan Palmer, Katherine Gullick
- 2005 – Newport Harbor Yacht Club- Cole Hatton, Blair Belling
- 2004 – Coral Reef Yacht Club- Brian Kamilar, Simon Sanders
- 2003 – San Diego Yacht Club – Frank Tybor, Mandi Markee
- 2002 – Northport Bay SA – Erik Storck, Zach Goldman
- 2001 – Brant Beach Yacht Club – Kyle Kovacs, Eric Reitinger
- 2000 – San Diego YC – Michael Anderson-Mitterling, Tyler McKay
- 1999 – Columbia YC – Evan Thompson, Pat Hitchins
- 1998 – Newport Beach, CA – Scott Hogan, Amy Halvorsen
- 1997 – Portland YC – Falmouth, ME – Peter Levesque, Nichol Ernest
- 1996 – Seattle Yacht Club – Adam Koch, Anthony Boscolo
- 1995 – US Sailing Center, Miami, FL – Chris Gaffney, Matt Mulock
- 1994 – Bayview YC – Mike Uznis, Adam Hollerbach
- 1993 – Wild Harbor YC – Tim Fallon, Sarah Adams
- 1992 – Coconut Grove SC – David Ames P.J. Buhler
- 1991 – Bahia Corinthian YC – Bill Ward, Ryan Millet
- 1990 – Mission Bay YC – Bill Hardesty, Paul Ware
- 1989 – Del Rey YC – Peter Wells, Jason Artof
- 1988 – San Diego YC – Scott Quan, Matt Reynolds
- 1987 – St. Petersburg YC – David Mendelblatt, Caj Flynn
- 1986 – Royal Vancouver YC – Thilo Griese, Trevor Davis
- 1985 – Ft. Worth BC – David Heibert, Raymond Marks
- 1984 – California YC – John Sturman, Mark Barnard
- 1983 – Mission Bay YC – Joe Parker, Ralph Silverman
- 1982 – Southern YC – Eldon Harvey, Keith Andrews
- 1981 – St. Petersburg YC – Mike Funsch, Mark Shepard
- 1980 – St. Petersburg YC – Mike Funsch, Mark Shepard
- 1979 – Long Beach YC – John Shadden, Steve Rosenberg
- 1978 – Long Beach YC – John Shadden, Peter Brazier
- 1977 – Cohasset YC – Brian Keane, Stephen Higginson
- 1976 – Shrewsbury S&YC – Chris Lloyd, Mark Perkins
- 1975 – White Rock BC – Dan Hathaway, Scott Young