Sailing at the 1996 Summer Olympics

Lore & Background

The sailing events were staged at three locations: the Satellite Olympic Village in Savannah, the Olympic marina on Wilmington Island, and a day marina—a temporary barge system of 14,000 m² near the north side of Wassaw Sound. The day marina served as a forward launch area for dinghies and windsurf boards. Stars and Solings were towed between the Olympic marina and their race areas. Separate course areas were used for pairs of classes, such as Mistral one-design (men and women), Europe and Laser, Finn and Star, 470 (men and women), Tornado and Soling (fleetracing), and Soling (matchracing).

Reader's Guide

Before the Olympic Games opened, the sailing facility at Savannah was within the warning area of Hurricane Bertha on 10 July. Tornados, Stars, and Solings were moved to the Sheraton facility, and the Day Marina and Sheraton were evacuated by 6 PM. Weather conditions typically featured a light morning breeze from the west to northwest at about 5 knots, diminishing in late morning, then a sea breeze from the south and southeast by midday, with afternoon winds averaging 7 to 12 knots. Weather reports were provided by the National Weather Service from Atlanta and Savannah, with Doppler radar from Charleston, South Carolina, and observations from Jacksonville, Florida. The event allowed spectators to board boats to view the competition, with about 1,000 spectators per day taking advantage.

Did You Know?

• Sailing has been an Olympic sport since the 1896 Athens Games, with the exception of 1904 and the canceled 1916 Summer Olympics.
• The 1996 sailing events were held 400 kilometers from Atlanta, in Savannah, because Olympic yachting must be staged on the open sea.
• Hurricane Bertha threatened the venue on 10 July, prompting evacuation of the Day Marina and Sheraton facility.
• Wildcards were granted to sailors from Algeria, Guatemala, Indonesia, Thailand, Guam, San Marino, Cuba, and the Cook Islands.