The Star is a one-design racing

keelboat A keelboat is a riverine cargo-capable working boat, or a small- to mid-sized recreational sailing yacht. The boats in the first category have shallow structural keels, and are nearly flat-bottomed and often used leeboards if forced in open w ...

for two people designed by Francis Sweisguth in 1910. The Star was an Olympic keelboat class from 1932 through to 2012, the last year keelboats appeared at the Summer Olympics. It is sloop-rigged, with a

mainsail A mainsail is a sail rigged on the main mast of a sailing vessel. * On a square rigged vessel, it is the lowest and largest sail on the main mast. * On a fore-and-aft rigged vessel, it is the sail rigged aft of the main mast. The sail's foot i ...

larger in proportional size than any other boat of its length. Unlike most modern racing boats, it does not use a spinnaker when sailing downwind. Instead, when running downwind a

whisker pole A spinnaker pole is a spar used in sailboats (both dinghys and yachts) to help support and control a variety of headsails, particularly the spinnaker. However, it is also used with other sails, such as genoas and jibs, when sailing downwind wit ...

is used to hold the

jib A jib is a triangular sail that sets ahead of the foremast of a sailing vessel. Its tack is fixed to the bowsprit, to the bows, or to the deck between the bowsprit and the foremost mast. Jibs and spinnakers are the two main types of headsail ...

out to windward for correct wind flow. Early Stars were built from wood, but modern boats are generally made of

fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass ( Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass clo ...

. The boat must weigh at least with a maximum total sail area of . The Star class pioneered an unusual circular

boom vang A boom vang (US) or kicking strap (UK) (often shortened to "vang" or "kicker") is a line or piston system on a sailboat used to exert downward force on the boom and thus control the shape of the sail. The Collins English Dictionary defines it ...

track, which allows the vang to effectively hold the boom down even when the boom is turned far outboard on a downwind run. Another notable aspect of Star sailing is the extreme

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

position adopted by the crew and at times the helmsman, who normally use a harness to help hang low off the windward side of the boat with only their lower legs inside.

History

The Star was designed in 1910 by Francis Sweisguth, a draftsman at the William Gardner Marine Architect office. Over the course of his career Sweisguth designed a variety of yachts. A more traditional example of his work is Silent Maid, a Barnegat Bay B-class catboat designed shortly after the Star. The first 22 stars were built in

Port Washington, New York Port Washington is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) on the Cow Neck Peninsula in the Town of North Hempstead, in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York. The hamlet is the anchor community of the Greater Port Wa ...

by Ike Smith during the winter of 1910–11. Since that time, over 8,400 boats have been built, with more than 2,000 actively racing in 170 fleets. The hull is a hard

chine A chine () is a steep-sided coastal gorge where a river flows to the sea through, typically, soft eroding cliffs of sandstone or clays. The word is still in use in central Southern England—notably in East Devon, Dorset, Hampshire and the Is ...

design with a slight curve to the bottom section, and a

bulb keel 200px, Flat Keel bulb A bulb keel is a keel, usually made with a high aspect ratio foil, that contains a ballast-filled bulb at the bottom, usually teardrop shaped. The purpose of the bulb keel is to place the ballast as low as possible, therefor ...

. The Star was originally rigged with a large, low-aspect-ratio gunter mainsail and jib, which was replaced by a short bermuda rig gradually during the early 1920s, before the current tall bermuda sail plan was adopted in 1930. In 1965,

replaced wood as the primary hull material. Other changes to the strict design rules for the Star class, include adding flexible spars, an innovative circular-track

, and self-bailers.

Events

Star Boats NHYC June 2013 photo D Ramey Logan

Star Boats 3 NHYC June 2013 photo D Ramey Logan

Olympics

The Star was added to the Olympic roster for the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Due to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, there were no Olympic games held in 1940 or 1944, and for

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 ...

, the Star was replaced by the

Tempest Tempest is a synonym for a storm. '' The Tempest'' is a play by William Shakespeare. Tempest or The Tempest may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Films * ''The Tempest'' (1908 film), a British silent film * ''The Tempest'' (1911 film), a ...

for keelboat competition. In 2011 keelboats were removed from sailing at the 2016 Summer Olympics in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...

. The last keelboat Olympics competition was at the

2012 London Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

World Championships

The Star World Championships has been held annually since 1923. Most titles has American sailor

Lowell North Lowell Orton North (December 2, 1929 – June 2, 2019) was an American sailor and Olympic gold medalist. He competed at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, where he received a gold medal in the Star class with the boat ''North Star'', toge ...

won, with five titles between 1945 and 1973 and another seven podiums. The most crowned skipper-crew combination is Italian duo

Agostino Straulino Agostino Straulino (10 October 1914 – 14 December 2004) was an Italian sailor and sailboat racer, who won one Olympic gold medal and one silver medal in the Star class, and eight consecutive European championships and two world championships ...

and Nicolò Rode and Brazilian duo Robert Scheidt and Bruno Prada with three titles each. Also, American Mark Reynolds has three titles, but with different crew.

Star Sailors League

The Star Sailors League was created in 2013 by athletes to establish a sustainable sailing circuit.

Famous Star sailors

* Ralph Craig (Olympic 100 and 200 meter Champion: 1912) * Duarte Bello (Championship competitor, 1947–1970s. Invented auto-bailers and circular boom-vang track) *

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

(Nantucket Sound Star Class Championship: 1936) *

(Olympic Champion: 1952; World Champion: 1952, 1953, 1956; Olympic Silver: 1956) *

Robert Halperin Robert Sherman "Bob" Halperin (January 26, 1908 – May 8, 1985), nicknamed "Buck", was an American Star class sailor, and Olympic bronze medalist and Pan American Games gold medalist. He was also a college and National Football League (NFL) fo ...

(Olympic Bronze: 1960; Pan American Games Gold: 1963) * Paul Elvstrøm (World Champion: 1966, 1967) *

Dennis Conner Dennis Walter Conner (born September 16, 1942) is an American yachtsman. He is noted for winning a bronze medal at the 1976 Olympics, two Star World Championships, and three wins in the America's Cup. Sailing career Conner was born September ...

(World Champion: 1971, 1977) * Buddy Melges (World Champion: 1978, 1979) * Iain Percy (Olympic Champion: 2008; World Champion: 2010; Olympic Silver: 2012) * Robert Scheidt (Olympic Silver: 2008; Olympic Bronze: 2012; World Champion: 2008, 2011, 2012; SSL Finals: 2013) * Fredrik Lööf (World Champion: 2001, 2004; Olympic Champion: 2012)

References

External links

International Star Class Yacht Racing Association (ISCYRA)

International Star Class
at the ''International Sailing Federation'' (ISAF)
International Star Class
in "Classic Classes" at ''

Classic Boat ''Classic Boat'' is a British traditional boating magazine published by The Chelsea Magazine Company. It was first published in 1987 and defines classic boats as "boats which endure". It was the first magazine in the UK dedicated to traditional b ...

'' magazine
THe Star 45 Class
at the ''American Model Yachting Association'' (AMYA) {{Authority control Keelboats Olympic sailing classes 1910s sailboat type designs Sailboat type designs by Francis Sweisguth Sailboat types built by Clark Boat Company One-design sailing classes