Star (sailboat)

Specifications Under Current Rules
Class Symbol
Crew	Two
LOA	6922 mm (273 in)
LWL	4724 mm (186 in)
Beam	1734 mm   (68 in) Chine: 1372 mm (54 in)
Draft	1016 mm   (40 in)
Hull weight (with fittings)	671 kg (1479.3 lb)
Mast height (above deck)	9652 mm (380 in)
Main and Jib area	26.5 m2 (285 ft2)
Mainsail area	20.5 m2 (220 ft2)
Jib / Genoa area	6.0 m2   (65 ft2)
Infobox last updated on: 2007-12-18.
Olympic Class

The International Star (or Starboat) is a 6.9 m (22.7 ft) one-design racing keelboat for two people. The boat must weigh at least 671 kg (1479.3 lb) with a maximum total sail area of 26.5 m² (285 ft²). It is sloop-rigged, with a very large mainsail. Unlike most modern racing boats, it does not use a spinnaker when sailing downwind. Instead, when running downwind a whisker pole is used to hold the jib out to windward for correct wind flow. Early Stars were built from wood, but modern boats are generally made of fiberglass. The Star class pioneered an unusual circular boom vang 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 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. The Star was designed in 1910 by Francis Sweisguth—draftsman for William Gardner's Naval Architect office—and the first 22 were built in Port Washington, New York by Isaac E. "Ike" Smith. Since that time, over 8,300 boats have been built. The Star has been an Olympic Games class since 1932. Although far from a modern design, the class remains popular today, with about 2,000 boats in active racing fleets in North America and Europe.

Olympics

The Olympics were not held in 1940 or 1944 due to World War II. For 1976, the Star class was replaced by the Tempest class.

See also

• Paul Bert Elvstrøm
• Duarte Bello

External links

• International Star Class Yacht Racing Association
• The Star 45 Class at the American Model Yachting Association