Sailing at the 1960 Summer Olympics
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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 in Athens, 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 1960 consisted of a total of five sailing classes (disciplines). For each class seven races were scheduled from 29 August 1960 to 7 September 1960 off the coast of
Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
at the
Gulf of Naples The Gulf of Naples (), also called the Bay of Naples, is a roughly 15-kilometer-wide (9.3 mi) gulf located along the south-western coast of Italy (province of Naples, Campania region). It opens to the west into the Mediterranean Sea. It i ...
. 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

In the
Gulf of Naples The Gulf of Naples (), also called the Bay of Naples, is a roughly 15-kilometer-wide (9.3 mi) gulf located along the south-western coast of Italy (province of Naples, Campania region). It opens to the west into the Mediterranean Sea. It i ...
, in the zone overlooking Santa Lucia, three ports were used for launching and mooring of the Olympic classes: * Mergellina, for Finn (Sea Garden) and Flying Dutchman (Posillipo) * Borgo Marinari, for Dragons * Molosiglio, for Star and 5.5 Metre Three course areas were used:


Competition


Overview


Continents

* Africa * Asia * Oceania * Europe * Americas


Countries


Classes (equipment)

= Male, = Female, = Open


Medal summary


Medal table


Remarks


Measurement

Measurement at the Olympics became more and more professional.


Sailing

* Again 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
1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...
. * Since the distance between Rome and Naples a separate organization was created for the Sailing events. The name of this organization was ''Solo Mio''. * The Italian Navy was responsible for the courses and the towing in and out of the yachts. According to the official report this was done on a very prompt manner. and we quote: :
The only accident to occur, which resulted in the loss of the Lebanese Flying Dutchman, cannot be imputed to the method employed by the rescue crew after the boat had overturned, but to the incompetence of the Lebanese F.D. crew who attached the tow cable around a belaying cleat fixed to the deck.
* According to current standards a huge amount of sails was allowed for use during the Olympics (not every boat measured in the maximum number): ** Finn, 1 sail (for the whole Finn fleet a total of 25 sails were available as spare.) ** Flying Dutchman, 4 sets of sails (12) ** Star, 6 sets of sails (12) ** Dragon 6 sets of sails (18) ** 5.5 Metre 6 sets of sails (18) * 106 journalists of 52 countries were reporting the sailing event. * Many former Olympians acted in the race committee, the International jury or measurement committee. Examples are:
Peter Scott Sir Peter Markham Scott, (14 September 1909 – 29 August 1989) was a British ornithologist, conservationist, painter, naval officer, broadcaster and sportsman. The only child of Antarctic explorer Robert Falcon Scott, he took an interest in ...
,
Beppe Croce Andrea Giuseppe "Beppe" Croce (Genoa 11 December 1914 – Portofino 16 September 1986) was a sailor and yachtsman from Genoa, Italy. Biography In 1939 Croce won the Italian University Star Class championship. He also won the 1969 5.50 class It ...
, Eddy Stutterheim, Jean-Jacques Herbulot and Edgar Beyn.


Sailors

During the sailing regattas at the 1960 Summer Olympics among others the following persons were competing in the various classes: * , Gotfrid Köchert, father of actress
Bibi Besch Bibi Besch (born Bibiana Maria Köchert; February 1, 1942 – September 7, 1996) was an Austrian-American film, television, and stage actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Dr. Carol Marcus in the science fiction film '' Star Trek II: T ...
and future grandfather of actress
Samantha Mathis Samantha Mathis (born May 12, 1970) is an American actress and trade union leader who served as the Vice President, Actors/Performers of SAG-AFTRA from 2015 to 2019. The daughter of actress Bibi Besch, Mathis made her film debut in '' Pump Up t ...
, in the 5.5 Metre * ,
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 Metre. Appointed flag-bearer of the Australian team at the opening ceremony in Rome, in recognition of becoming the first athlete to represent Australia in four Olympic Games. Later, skippered "Gretel" and "Dame Pattie", the first two Australian challengers for the America's Cup, and in 1962 was awarded the Lindy Award as Australian Sportsman of the year, the Helms Award for Australian Yachtsman of the year, and was honoured as
Australian of the Year The Australian of the Year is a national award conferred on an Australian citizen by the National Australia Day Council, a not-for-profit Australian Governmentowned social enterprise. Similar awards are also conferred at the State and Territo ...
* ,
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. ...
winning his fourth consecutive Gold medal, this time in the Finn * , Crown Prince Constantine winning his first and only Gold medal, in the Dragon with two of his teammates. He would become
king of Greece The Kingdom of Greece was ruled by the House of Wittelsbach between 1832 and 1862 and by the House of Glücksburg from 1863 to 1924, temporarily abolished during the Second Hellenic Republic, and from 1935 to 1973, when it was once more abolishe ...
(1964–1973) as Constantine II * ,
Peter Tallberg Peter Tallberg (15 July 1937 – 16 May 2015) was a Finnish sailor who competed in the 1960 Summer Olympics, in the 1964 Summer Olympics, in the 1968 Summer Olympics, in the 1972 Summer Olympics, and in the 1980 Summer Olympics. He was a member ...
, future President of the
International Yacht Racing Union World Sailing (WS) is the world governing body for the sport of sailing recognized by the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). History The creation of the International Yacht Racing Union (IYRU) be ...
(1986–1994), in the 5.5 Metre * , Francisco Paula Gonzales, future mass murderer for crashing
Pacific Air Lines Flight 773 Pacific Air Lines Flight 773 was a Fairchild F27A Friendship airliner that crashed on May 7, 1964, near Danville, California, a suburb east of Oakland. The Thursday morning crash was most likely the first instance in the United States of an airl ...
(1964) * ,
Birabongse Bhanudej Prince Birabongse Bhanudej Bhanubandh ( th, พีรพงศ์ภาณุเดช; ; 15 July 191423 December 1985), better known as Prince Bira of Siam (now Thailand) or by his ''nom de course'' B. Bira, was a member of the Thai royal ...
, 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 ...
, in the Star


References


Sources

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sailing At The 1960 Summer Olympics 1960 Summer Olympics events
1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...
1960 in sailing Sailing competitions in Italy