The 470


The French Andre Cornu designed the 470 in 1963. The idea was to make a modern fiberglass-planning dinghy suitable for different ages, size, men, and women. By 1969 the class was given international status and in 1976, its popularity gave the 470 its Olympic debut at the Montreal Games. In 1988, the first Olympic Women’s event, held in Seoul Korea, was sailed in the 470.

The 470 is equipped with Jib, Mainsail, Spinnaker, and Trapeze, which makes sailing the 470 a real teamwork sport. It is a very technical boat to sail, but that is very fast as well, which makes its competition one of the toughest in sailing.


Beijing 2008


Beijing is playing host to the 29th Summer Olympic Games. August of 2008, the World will be watching, as all the best athletes will compete for Olympic glory as their represent their respective countries.

However, the sailing venue is about a 1.5 hour flight south from Beijing, in the city of Qindao. Qindao is a coastal that faces the yellow sea on its east and south sides. The city is surrounded by 3 different mountain ranges; the Daze Mountains to the north, the Jiaonan Mountains to the south, and the Lao Mountains in the southeast.

The warmest month of the year is August. Its average temperature in the summer months is 25 degrees Celsius with a marine climate, warm humid air and abundant rainfall.


The Course


An event is typically 13 races long over a 5-6 day period, where the winner is decided on a low point scoring system. The fleet is split into three flights, Gold Silver and bronze, where athletes compete for in qualifying rounds. Each fleet consists of about 30-40 boats.

The Course that is sailed is generally trapezoid course with each point of sail, upwind, downwind, and reach, is sailed twice. A typical race is about 45 to 75 minutes in length. All boats in each flight start together, while trying to use the elements to their advantage and beating out the other contestants.