Sailing/Yachting is an

Olympic sport Olympic sports are contested in the Summer Olympic Games and Winter Olympic Games. The 2020 Summer Olympics included 33 sports; the 2022 Winter Olympics included seven sports. Each Olympic sport is represented by an international governing b ...

starting from the Games of the 1st

Olympiad An olympiad ( el, Ὀλυμπιάς, ''Olympiás'') is a period of four years, particularly those associated with the ancient and modern Olympic Games. Although the ancient Olympics were established during Greece's Archaic Era, it was not until ...

(

1896 Olympics The 1896 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 1896, Therinoí Olympiakoí Agónes 1896), officially known as the Games of the I Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 1ης Ολυμπιάδας, Agónes tis 1is Ol ...

in Greece. With the exception of

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and the canceled

1916 Summer Olympics The 1916 Summer Olympics (german: Olympische Sommerspiele 1916), officially known as the Games of the VI Olympiad, were scheduled to be held in Berlin, German Empire, but were eventually cancelled for the first time in its 20-year history due to ...

, sailing has always been included on the Olympic schedule. The Sailing program of 1956 consisted of a total of five sailing classes (disciplines). For each class seven races were scheduled from 26 November to 5 December 1956 at

Port Phillip Bay Port Phillip (Kulin: ''Narm-Narm'') or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, narrow channel known as The Rip, and is completel ...

. The sailing was done on the triangular type Olympic courses. The start was made in the center of a set of 8 numbered marks that were places in a circle. During the starting procedure the sequence of the marks was communicated to the sailors. By picking the mark that was most upwind the start could always be made upwind. This system is, at least in certain German lakes, still in use.

Venue

a natural bay of about of water, free of reefs a mere from the Main Stadium of the Olympics. One can enter the bay from the Southern Ocean a narrow gap of about 3 km. Therefore, the course areas are almost free of tidal streams. However, there is a 0.5 m tidal rise. The winds are ideal for sailing. The predominant southerlies generates light airs in the morning. It freshens in the afternoon to up to , and then easing and backing south-east in the evening. Three circular courses were planned for the northern end of Port Phillip Bay, each using the 1936 system with 8 fixed buoy's with the start in the middle of the circle. At Sandringham for the Finn a course length of approximately was used. For the 12 square metres and Star the length was set to about . The Dragon and 5.5 Metre were using a course length of .

Competition

Overview

Continents

* Africa * Asia *

Australian continent The continent of Australia, sometimes known in technical contexts by the names Sahul (), Australia-New Guinea, Australinea, Meganesia, or Papualand to distinguish it from the Australia, country of Australia, is located within the Southern ...

* Europe * Americas

Countries

Classes (equipment)

Medal summary

Medal table

Remarks

Olympic boycott

1956 was the first time in history that several countries decided to boycott the Olympics. The boycott that influenced the sailing the most was probably that of The

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, Spain, and

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. They withdrew to protest against the Soviet Union invasion of Hungary during the

1956 Hungarian Revolution The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 (23 October – 10 November 1956; hu, 1956-os forradalom), also known as the Hungarian Uprising, was a countrywide revolution against the government of the Hungarian People's Republic (1949–1989) and the Hunga ...

and Soviet presence at the Games. At that time The Netherlands dominated at the International competition in the 12m² Sharpie.

Sailing

* This Olympic sailing event was gender independent, but turned out to be a ''Men-only'' event. This was one of the triggers to create gender specific events. This however had to wait until

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. * Classes were hosted by several local yacht clubs: ** Sandringham Yacht Club: Finn ** Elwood Sailing Club: 12m² Sharpie ** Royal St. Kilda Yacht Club: Star ** Royal Brighton Yacht Club: Dragon ** Royal Yacht Club of Victoria: 5.5 Metre * The Royal St. Kilda Yacht Club was also the Sailing Headquarters * Thirty-five Finn boats were built by a Melbourne firm of yacht builders. Other than in Helsinki, they were cold moulded shells of Queensland maple veneer. The mast and boom were of sitka spruce. * The weather, throughout the series, was fine, with moderate sea breezes and pleasant sunshine. Except on 29 November ^th when the races in the Finn were postponed, several 12m² Meter Sharpies capsized, only 5 out of 13 Sharpies could finish and the 5.5 Metre's of the Soviet Union and South Africa were dismasted. * The courses were set by the Royal Australian Navy. The vessels: H.M.A.S. Warramunga, H.M.A.S. Swan and H.M.A.S. Sprightly acted as starting vessels.

Sailors

During the sailing regattas at the 1956 Summer Olympics among others the following persons were competing in the various classes: * ,

Paul Elvstrøm Paul Bert Elvstrøm (25 February 1928 – 7 December 2016) was a Danish yachtsman. He won four Olympic gold medals and twenty world titles in a range of classes including Snipe, Soling, Star, Flying Dutchman, Finn, 505, and 5.5 Metre. ...

in the Finn won his third consecutive Gold medal * , Bruce Kirby in the Finn, yacht designer of the Olympic

Laser A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word "laser" is an acronym for "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation". The fir ...

. * ,

Peter Mander Peter Garth Mander (4 July 1928 – 21 June 1998) was a New Zealand yachtsman and Olympic gold medal winner. With Jack Cropp, Mander won the Sharpie class at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. Mander then retired from competitive yachting ...

won the first New Zealand Olympic gold medal in the 12m² Sharpie, became later president of the New Zealand Yachting Federation. * , Graham Hargrave Mann helmed the dragon ''Bluebottle'' the wedding gift to

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. * ,

Jock Sturrock Alexander Stuart "Jock" Sturrock MBE (14 May 1915 in Melbourne11 July 1997 in Noosa Heads) was a noted Australian yachtsman who won over four hundred international, national, state and club championship yachting races. Sports career Between 19 ...

in the 5.5 Metres, won Australia's first medal in Olympic sailing. Later skipper of "Gretel" and "Dame Pattie", the first two Australian challengers for the America's Cup. * , Prince of

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

, Prinz Bhanubanda Bira in the Star

Notes

World Sailing 1956 Olympic Microsite
*

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sailing At The 1956 Summer Olympics 1956 Summer Olympics events

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim ...

1956 in sailing Sailing competitions in Australia