#Event Description & Format - Sailing#
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Olympic sailing is a grueling competition that features a
minimum of 11 races per class.

It spans from August 14-28 and will take place out of the
Agios Kosmas Olympic Sailing Center on the Saronic Gulf.

There are four classes for men: Mistral or sailboard, Finn, 470,
and Star and four for women: Mistral, Europe, 470 and Yngling.
There also are three open classes: Laser, 49er and Tornado.

In Olympic sailing, fleet or group racing consists of the boats
in that class competing in a series of 11 races - with the
exception of 49er class, which has 16 races. Each boat is
awarded points based on its finish in the race with first
place getting one point, second place two points and so on.

At the end of all the races, each boat is allowed to drop its
worst score while the 49er class boats are allowed to drop their
two worst. Like golf, the boat with the lowest combined score
at the end of the series of races is the winner.

The Mistral is a 12-foot, 2-inch fiberglass windsurfer
weighing 34.2 pounds and topped by a 7.4 square meter sail.

The Finn class uses a centerboard dinghy and a one-man crew.
It is 14-feet, 9-inches and weighs 278 pounds.

The 470 is a two-person fiberglass craft that is 15 feet, 6
inches long.  It uses a centerboard dinghy and a trapeze and
weighs 264 pounds.

The Yngling, which will be making its Olympic debut in Athens in
place of the Soling class, is a three-person keelboat. It is 20
feet, 8 inches long, weighs 1422 pounds and has a sail that
covers 150.7 square feet. The Europe is a single-handed dinghy,
11 feet long and weighing 99 pounds.

The Laser is a 13 foot, 11 inch single-handed dinghy that weighs
130 pounds.  The sail covers 76 square feet.

The Tornado is a two-man catamaran.  The vessel is 20 feet long
and has a sail area of 235 square feet.

The Star is a 22-foot, 8-inch shallow keelboat with a
285-square-foot sail.  It weighs 1,490 pounds and has a
two-person crew.
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