Joerg Bruder, (16 November 1937 - 11 July 1973) was a Brazilian sailor and a Geology professor at University of São Paulo. Born in São Paulo he became the first three-time Finn Gold Cup champion. Bruder died in 1973 in Only, Paris, on a Varig flight to Paris when travelling to the Finn Gold Cup.
Known for a successful sailing career, he participated in the Olympics and was a two-time winner at the Pan-Am games. Bruder had started in the Olimpia Iole for several years. He also developed wooden masts with lighter weight and special bends, and later developed alluminium masts, which were used by many Finn sailors around the world.
Joerg Bruder decided to sail in the Star class for the Olympics due to the decision that Finn boats and spars would be supplied by the organization. Bruder then invited Jan Aten, a young Finn sailor to sail with his crew on the Star boat "Buho Blanco” BL 5217, a wooden boat purchased in Mexico. They won the 7th District & Brazilian Star Championship in Rio de Janeiro for qualifying. In July they were 1972 Kiel Week champions against a 60 boat fleet of international Star sailors.
In the Olympic regattas in Kiel, the weak winds dominated the early days, contrary to the chosen material during the official measurement. Bruder and Aten managed a reaction with a win and a second place on the 5th and 6th regattas. Then the September 11th terrorist attack in Munich interrupted the sequence of races. They finished in 4th place overall in the 1972 Olympics.
Curiosity about Bruder and Aten in Kiel published at Latitude(http://www.latitude38.com/LectronicLat/2004/0304/Mar26/Mar26.html) Restepping a Mast During a Regatta - Dick Enersen writes, "Huge kudos to Paul Cayard and Phil Trinter for their performance on Tuesday in the Star Trials in San Francisco. It should be noted, just for historical interest, that their accomplishment is not without precedent. In the 1972 Olympics, sailed in Kiel, the great Brazilian Finn sailor Joerg Bruder competed in the Star Class. On the way out of the harbor, Bruder and his crew Jan Aten snagged a shroud on a piling and brought the rig down on their heads. They brought the boat back to the dock, brought down a spare mast, stepped it, rigged it and sailed out to win that day's race.