The Equipment - Requiring the best technical and racing skills, and, in return, giving the most fun! That's how Star sailors describe their boat which has competed in Olympic sailing since 1932, with the exception of 1976.

Much of the secret to the Star's success is the philosophy of keeping young while growing old. This means the competitiveness of the existing boats is assured while innovation and progress are encouraged. Thus, the Star class, supported by a worldwide association, has pioneered many refinements now used as standard equipment on all racing sailboats.

The oldest one-design craft, the Star's 1910-design by American Francis Sweisguth responded to the need to create a bigger, more comfortable and drier "Bug," which was a 17-foot keelboat popular at the time. The first one-design class, the Star revolutionized construction and racing rules. Sweisguth's hull design was ingenious. It has withstood the test of time and the application of new technology to remain at the forefront of international competition. Star World champions acknowledge their win by permanently changing their red mainsail star to gold.

Raced worldwide in over 170 fleets, the Star is a doublehanded keelboat, with a sleek fiberglass hull and aluminum spars. Often called "The Torture Rack" because of the enormous 285-square-foot sail area, long boom and narrow waterline, this is a challenging boat to sail in heavy seas.

The Entrants - There will be a total of 17 entries for the Men’s Keelboat (Star) event.  The following countries have qualified to send an entrant:  AUS, AUT, BER, BRA, CAN, DEN, ESP, FRA, GBR, GER, GRE, IRL, ITA, NED, SUI, SWE, USA.

The Competition - Notable foreign competition will include two-time (’04, ’01) Star World Champion Freddy Loof (SWE) and his crew at the 2004 world champs, Anders Ekstrom; 2002 Star World Champions Iain Percy and Steve Mitchell (GBR); 1996 Star Olympic Bronze Medallists Colin Beashel and David Giles (AUS); and 2003 Star World Champions Xavier Rohart and Pascal Rambeau (FRA).

The Schedule -