Sailing at the 1952 Summer Olympics

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Sailing
at the Games of the XV Olympiad
1952 Helsinki Pin.jpg
Official pin of the 1952 Summer Olympics
Venues Harmaja
DatesFirst race: 20 July 1952 (1952-07-20)
Last race: 28 July 1952 (1952-07-28)
Competitors227 from 29 nations
Boats93
  1948
1956  

Sailing/Yachting is an Olympic sport starting from the Games of the 1st Olympiad (1896 Olympics in Athens, Greece). With the exception of 1904 and the canceled 1916 Summer Olympics, sailing has always been included on the Olympic schedule. The Sailing program of the 1952 Summer Olympics consisted of a total of five sailing classes (disciplines). For each class seven races were scheduled from 20 to 28 July 1952 of the coast of Harmaja. [1]

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

Island Lighthouse Harmaja
1952 Harmaja skyline.jpg
Sailing at the 1952 Summer Olympics
Coordinates: 60°6′16.88″N24°58′26.93″E / 60.1046889°N 24.9741472°E / 60.1046889; 24.9741472
Liuskasaari Olympic Harbor
Sailing at the 1952 Summer Olympics
Coordinates: 60°9′6″N24°56′52″E / 60.15167°N 24.94778°E / 60.15167; 24.94778

Two course areas were created in front of Helsinki. One for the Finn just outside the island Liuskasaari. The Finn course was 5.4 nm long and triangular in shape. For the keelboats a course area near the Harmaja lighthouse was used. A 13.1 nm course was set for Star, Dragon, 5.5 & 6 Metre just over one nm South of the lighthouse. Specially the keelboat course was situated in an area of fair sailing conditions. No currents or tidal movements, and no obstacles around the course that could create wind shadows. On the other hand, the Finn course was set near sheltered islands and thus safe for this type of sailing. This course give the spectators also a nice view of the races.

The races were held from 20 to 23 and 26–28 July. In between the sailors could recover or made boat repairs.

Three yacht clubs were involved:

Competition

Overview

ContinentsCountriesClassesBoatsMaleFemale
5295932273

Continents

Participating nations

Classes (equipment)

ClassTypeEventSailorsTrapezeMainsailJib/GenoaSpinnakerFirst OGOlympics so far
Finn Dinghy Cercle noir 100%25.svg 10+19521
Star Keelboat Cercle noir 100%25.svg 20++19324
Dragon Keelboat Cercle noir 100%25.svg 30+++19482
5.5 Metre Keelboat Cercle noir 100%25.svg 30+++19521
6 Metre Keelboat Cercle noir 100%25.svg 50+++19089
Legend: Mars symbol.svg = Male, Venus symbol.svg = Female, Cercle noir 100%25.svg = Open

Medal summary

EventGoldSilverBronze
Finn insigna.png

1952: Finn
details

Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark  (DEN)
Paul Elvstrøm
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain  (GBR)
Charles Currey
Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden  (SWE)
Rickard Sarby
NO Class insigna.png

1952: Star
details

Flag of Italy.svg  Italy  (ITA)
Agostino Straulino
Nicolò Rode
US flag 48 stars.svg  United States  (USA)
John Price
John Reid
Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal  (POR)
Joaquim Fiúza
Francisco de Andrade
Dragon insigna.png

1952: Dragon
details

Flag of Norway.svg  Norway  (NOR)
Thor Thorvaldsen
Haakon Barfod
Sigve Lie
Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden  (SWE)
Per Gedda
Erland Almqvist
Sidney Boldt-Christmas
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany  (GER)
Theodor Thomsen
Erich Natusch
Georg Nowka
5.5 Metre insigna blue.svg

1952: 5.5 Metre
details

US flag 48 stars.svg  United States  (USA)
Britton Chance
Michael Schoettle
Edgar White
Sumner White
Flag of Norway.svg  Norway  (NOR)
Peder Lunde
Vibeke Lunde
Børre Falkum-Hansen
Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden  (SWE)
Folke Wassén
Carl-Erik Ohlson
Magnus Wassén
6 Metre insigna.png

1952: 6 Metre
details

US flag 48 stars.svg  United States  (USA)
Herman Whiton
Everard Endt
John Morgan
Eric Ridder
Julian Roosevelt
Emelyn Whiton
Flag of Norway.svg  Norway  (NOR)
Finn Ferner
Tor Arneberg
Johan Ferner
Erik Heiberg
Carl Mortensen
Flag of Finland.svg  Finland  (FIN)
Ernst Westerlund
Ragnar Jansson
Jonas Konto
Rolf Turkka
Paul Sjöberg

Medal table

RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1US flag 48 stars.svg  United States  (USA)2103
2Flag of Norway.svg  Norway  (NOR)1203
3Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark  (DEN)1001
Flag of Italy.svg  Italy  (ITA)1001
5Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden  (SWE)0123
6Flag of the United Kingdom (3-2).svg  Great Britain  (GBR)0101
7Flag of Finland.svg  Finland  (FIN)0011
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany  (GER)0011
Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal  (POR)0011
Totals (9 entries)55515

Remarks

Finn dinghies under construction by Borresens Baadebygger, Denmark 1952 Building Finn DInghies at Borresens Baadebyggeri, Denmark.jpg
Finn dinghies under construction by Borresens Baadebygger, Denmark

Sailors

During the sailing regattas at the 1952 Summer Olympics among others the following persons were competing in the various classes:

Notes

  1. "Sailing at the 1952 Summer Olympics". Olympedia. Retrieved 31 May 2020.

References