Lakesailor
Well-Known Member
Why are they using a 100 year old design? It looks awful, like a home built plywood boat.
Is there some special reason?
Is there some special reason?
Olympic Star Class
- Thread starter Lakesailor
- Start date
fantasia7628
Well-Known Member
I am sorry that I have to disagree, I think that the Star is particularly elegant. It is such a shame that it is being dropped from the next Olympics, the level of sailing within the fleet is exceptional.
Romeo
Well-Known Member
Others clearly agree with you, since it is being dropped as an olympic class before Rio.
FistralG
Well-Known Member
Nothing to do with what it looks like its a natural progression.
Soling, Flying Dutchman, 505 and even Tornado are all more elegant but now defunct Olympic classes.
Soling, Flying Dutchman, 505 and even Tornado are all more elegant but now defunct Olympic classes.
Searush
Well-Known Member
So what keelboat will replace it?
DanTribe
Well-Known Member
Can anyone comment on the technique of the crew standing on the foredeck when going downwind.
To me, it looks as if they are rocking the boat, surely an infringement of rule 42?
To me, it looks as if they are rocking the boat, surely an infringement of rule 42?
Giblets
Well-Known Member
Are they not permitted to to that above a certain windspeed? The Finn class certainly is.
Keen_Ed
Well-Known Member
None. The men's keelboat (Star) and women's match racing keelboat (Eliott 6 metre) are being dropped, as is windsurfing. Coming in are the Mackay FX (a 49er with a smaller rig) as the women's skiff, a mixed catamaran (Nacra 17, IIRC) and kiteboarding (men and women).
The Brazilian's aren't too happy about losing the Star, as they have history in the class - Torben Grael, Robert Scheidt. The windsurfers aren't happy either - that decision might be changed.
Mavis
Well-Known Member
That will be to lift the stern out and reduce the wetted surface area = less drag
Greenheart
Well-Known Member
Losing all forms of keelboat will be a very sad loss. All the designs over the years, aside from the Dragon, seem to have received serious criticism for one or other idiosyncracy...but the necessity for a ballasted sailboat was never in question. It's so essentially different from dinghies, the decision to drop the Star without replacing it, seems to have been made by persons with no understanding of sailing.
Bring back the Tempest!!! (I've never even seen one).
Bring back the Tempest!!! (I've never even seen one).
Neil_Y
Well-Known Member
The 2.4 m will still be sailed in the paralympics, but they need a keelboat class, why not J24? old design but accessible and cheap. Asymetric would be more fun but many are too expensive for the less well off countries.
snowleopard
Well-Known Member
For info, this article in Wikipedia gives a concise history of Olympic sailing classes though there is little about he reasoning.
Click
Click
Kurrawong_Kid
Well-Known Member
Not sure the 505 was ever an Olympic boat, but it ought to have been!Nothing to do with what it looks like its a natural progression.
Soling, Flying Dutchman, 505 and even Tornado are all more elegant but now defunct Olympic classes.
dharl
Well-Known Member
Seajet
...
I'm with Lakesailor on this, I've only ever seen a Star once, and thought some joker had put a rig on a coffin, awful looking thing !
I do agree there ought to be a keelboat of some kind; as the dinghies include asymmetric jobs, I know it'll never happen but I'd go retro with Flying Fifteens or even Swallows !
I do agree there ought to be a keelboat of some kind; as the dinghies include asymmetric jobs, I know it'll never happen but I'd go retro with Flying Fifteens or even Swallows !
Twister_Ken
Well-Known Member
Reason (my understanding) for abandoning keel boat classes is that purchase, ownership and campaigning costs are relatively high compared with dinghies, and thus it restricts the number of nations that can compete in them.
Seems Fairy Nuff to me.
Romeo
Well-Known Member
On that basis they should drop show jumping before they even look at any sailing class. 2 million euro for a horse!!
Twister_Ken
Well-Known Member
What! And disappoint many million pre-pubescent girls. And Princess Anne.
Keen_Ed
Well-Known Member
Needs too many crew. There's a total limits on the number of sailors of all teams and classes of 380. Set by IOC, and unlikely to go up.
Iain C
Well-Known Member
I agree. The coffin has had its day. I actually think they are quite elegant but can't stand the way they dismantle the rig and stand on the foredeck to get downhill where a kite would do the job so much better!
It's good to see it making room for the Mackay FX, together with the 49er it's much more representative of the type of classes that future generations of young sailors aspire to sail. However I would say, even as a 49er sailor myself, that the most exciting racing is from the slower classes, especially the Laser. Slow classes always makes a better spectator race IF you are a sailor...for example compare IACC80 to the giant AC multistage from last time round. However I guess ISAF want fast, exciting, thrills and spills stuff, and let's face it, 2 girlies sending it on a skiff downwind is even hotter than beach volleyball!
It's good to see it making room for the Mackay FX, together with the 49er it's much more representative of the type of classes that future generations of young sailors aspire to sail. However I would say, even as a 49er sailor myself, that the most exciting racing is from the slower classes, especially the Laser. Slow classes always makes a better spectator race IF you are a sailor...for example compare IACC80 to the giant AC multistage from last time round. However I guess ISAF want fast, exciting, thrills and spills stuff, and let's face it, 2 girlies sending it on a skiff downwind is even hotter than beach volleyball!
