Why is a 49er boat called a 49er?

The 49er's name comes from its hull length of 4.99 metres (16 ft 4 in). It incorporates ideas developed in Julian Bethwaite's 18ft Skiffs, notably the Prime Computer series of boats, which were double handers.

What does 49er mean in sailing?

49er. The 49er is a two-handed skiff-type high-performance sailing dinghy. The two crew work on different roles with the helm making many tactical decisions, as well as steering, and the crew doing most of the sail control.

What is the difference between 49er and 49erFX?

The 49er FX is the new Olympic skiff for women which made its debut at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. It shares the same platform as the 49er but with different mast and sails. The new FX sailplan has been carefully designed by North Sails using ideas from America's Cup and 18ft skiff designs.

Why do Olympic sailors hump?

With the gloves off, the skill of upwind air humping was developed which finds the crew on the trapeze, thrusting their groin up and down to pump the mast and sails. Off the start line, with the amount of humping, it's more brothel than boat race. However, what's going on downwind now has put me over the edge.

How fast is a 49er boat?

The 49er, designed by Julian Bethwaite of Australia, can sail faster than the speed of wind; for instance, if the wind is 8 knots, the boat speed might get up to 10 knots or more. At top speeds off the wind, the 49er has been clocked at 25 knots.

49er Boat Handling May 26, 2020

What is a 49er boat?

The 49er has been sailed in every Olympics since 2000 and has been again selected as the skiff for the 2016 Olympics in Brazil. The boat features distinctive wings 9ft wide to allow the crew to achieve maximum leverage and hold the huge sail area supported on a carbon fibre One Design mast made by Southern Spars.

What does FX mean in sailing?

The FX is a true high performance skiff. It demands athleticism, balance, skill and daring. The FX is a skiff that will show to the world how spectacular our sport is and what amazing athletes our women sailors are. Our top women sailors want a skiff that is thrilling in 10 knots and still racing in 25 knots.

Do sailors bring their own boats to the Olympics?

Laser (men): Typically the Laser and the Laser Radial have the largest number of boats at the Olympics. The singlehanded dinghy is a one-design and all sailors are assigned an identical boat at the start of the competition.

Do Olympic sailors take their own boats?

Finn: men's heavyweight singlehanded dinghy

The Finn is a very technical boat, a one-design with tight rules but a variety of builders and sailmakers allowing for some innovation. Sailors bring their own boats to the competition.

How much does an Olympic sailboat cost?

How much do Olympic boats cost? Olympic boats for sale on YachtWorld are offered at a variety of prices from $12,263 on the relatively lower-priced models, with costs all the way up to $126,672 for the highly-specialized, bespoke models.

What is a miner forty niner?

49er or Forty-Niner most often refers to: A miner or other person that took part in the 1849 California Gold Rush.

Who designed the 29er?

The 29er is a two-person high performance sailing skiff designed by Julian Bethwaite and first produced in 1998.

How long is a 49er sailing race?

Race length is generally two laps around the course, amounting to four total legs. The target time to complete each race is 30 minutes.

Who designed 49er?

Designed by Julian Bethwaite, the 49er is an evolution of the International 14's and Aussie 18's. The hump-less drag curve has been refined and works better on the 49er than on the 18's due to its length/weight ratios.

Where did the 49ers come from Gold Rush?

The 49ers, most of whom were men, came from the eastern United States as well as other parts of the globe, including Europe, China, Mexico and South America. By the mid-1850s, more than 300,000 people had poured into California.

How much do professional sailors make?

Salary Ranges for Sailors

The salaries of Sailors in the US range from $22,440 to $66,190 , with a median salary of $41,260 . The middle 60% of Sailors makes $41,260, with the top 80% making $66,190.

What are Olympic boats called?

In Olympic sailing, there are several classifications of boats that account for eight different events. These categories are dinghy, skiff, windsurf and mulihull. Each classification has fundamental differences.

Does sailing require athleticism?

Most disciplines sail two to three races a day, though some have as many as eight. We're often on the water for six or seven hours. Sailing is demanding mentally and physically.

What is a discard in sailing?

Discards are for the number of races that were started in a series, regardless of how many a competitor takes part in. One third of the results in the Tuesday Afternoon Series and Cadet Series will be discarded (rounded down to the nearest whole number - eg 7 races = 2 discards).

How do you beat the Olympic sailing?

The ten boats with the lowest accumulated scores qualify for the Medal Race. In this shorter 30 minute race, points scored are doubled and added to the opening series' scores to decide the top ten positions. In the match racing event, the scoring is simple; the first boat across the line wins the match.

How many Olympic sailing classes are there?

The Olympic sailing classes have been used in the sport of Sailing/Yachting during the Olympic Summer Games since 1896. Since then, 46 different classes have been used.

Is Olympic sailing coed?

Even in 1900, several women participated at the Olympic sailing regattas. The exception to this is the post WWII 1948 Olympics where the IOC decided the events should only be open to male sailors. In 1988, the first exclusive women's sailing event was introduced.