Sailing at the 1932 Summer Olympics
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Last race: 12 August 1932
| Sailing at the Games of the X Olympiad | |
|---|---|
 Xth Olympiad Los Angeles Bronze tablet Yachting | |
| Venues | Los Angeles Harbor |
| Dates | First race: 5 August 1932 Last race: 12 August 1932 |
| Competitors | 57 from 11 nations |
| Boats | 23 |
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 1932 consisted of a total of four sailing classes (disciplines). For each class races were scheduled from 5–12 August directly off the Los Angeles Harbor on the Pacific Ocean.
Los Angeles Harbor
Source:[1]
| Los Angeles Harbor | |
|---|---|
Angels Gate light | |
 Entrance to the Los Angeles Harbor. On the right the courses of the Snowbird were laid. To the left those of the other three classes. | |
  1932 Olympic harbor | |
| General information | |
| Status | Completed |
| Type | Olympic harbor |
| Location | San Pedro Breakwater, Los Angeles, California,  United States |
| Coordinates | 33°42′30.5″N 118°15′06.0″W / 33.708472°N 118.251667°W |
| Elevation | Sealevel |
| Construction started | 1910 |
| Completed | 1913 |
| Opened | 1913 |
| Cost | $36,000 |
| Owner | US Coast Guard |
The Xth Olympiad Yachting events were raced in the Pacific Ocean directly off the Port of Los Angeles, over a course used for the past eight years in local yachting. This course was selected because of its suitability for wind conditions, its freedom from tides and swift currents, and the clearness of its waters, with the added advantage of offering spectators a full view from the Point Fermin headlands. Constant winds were assured as in this locality the trade wind comes up about mid-day, bringing with it a true westerly wind varying from eight to fifteen knots in velocity.
— Xth Olympiade Committee of the Games of Los Angeles, Official Report of the Games of the X Olympiad[1]
Sea breeze
Due to the predicted Sea breeze in Los Angeles Harbor it was decided to race the Snowbirds in the lighter morning breezes. However, during the mornings there was virtually no wind at all. Therefore, some races of the Snowbird were sailed in the afternoon in heavy conditions. Luckily no capsizing took place. It also gave issues for those sailors who were competing not only in the Snowbird but also in one of the other classes.
Course areas
The courses had been well prepared. The marks were laid by the United States Lighthouse Service in the form of large Government buoys, and kelp beds under the lee of Point Fermin were marked by the United States Navy Department as restricted area. Visiting yachts were kept at a safe distance from the racing boats by the US Coast Guard. Tows were arranged by the US Navy to and from Los Angeles Harbor to the race area's. On the Pacific side of the San Pedro Breakwater the Star, 6 Metre and 8 Metre yachts had their races. Those classes had to pass the Angels Gate light in order to reach the course area. The Snowbird stayed inside the breakwater to protect them from the ocean swell.[1]
Competition
Source:[1]
Overview
| Continents | Countries | Classes | Boats | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 11 | 4 | 23 | 57 | 0 |
- However all events were gender independent it turned out to be a male only event.
Continents
 ● Green = Participating for the first time ● Blue = Participating ● Light Blue = Have previously participated |
|
Countries
 ● Green = Participating for the first time ● Blue = Participating ● Light Blue = Have previously participated |
|
Classes (equipment)
|
The 1932 Olympic classes | ||||||
| Class | Type | Venue | Event | Sailors | First OG | Olympics so far |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snowbird | Dinghy | Los Angeles |  | Max. 1 Max. 1 substitutes | 1932 | 1 |
| Star | Keelboat | Los Angeles | | Max. 2 Max. 2 substitutes | 1932 | 1 |
| 6 Metre | Keelboat | Los Angeles | | Max. 5 Max. 5 substitutes | 1908 | 6 |
| 8 Metre | Keelboat | Los Angeles | | Max. 6 Max. 6 substitutes | 1908 | 6 |
| Legend: = Mixed gender event
| ||||||
Race schedule
Medal summary
Source:[2]
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
 1932: Snowbird |  France (FRA)Jacques Lebrun |  Netherlands (NED)Bob Maas |  Spain (ESP)Santiago Amat |
 1932: Star |  United States (USA)Gilbert Gray Andrew Libano |  Great Britain (GBR)George Colin Ratsey Peter Jaffe |  Sweden (SWE)Gunnar Asther Daniel Sundén-Cullberg |
 1932: 6 Metre | Sweden (SWE) Tore Holm Olle Åkerlund Åke Bergqvist Martin Hindorff | United States (USA) Robert Carlson Temple Ashbrook Frederic Conant Emmett Davis Donald Douglas Charles Smith |  Canada (CAN)Philip Rogers Gardner Boultbee Ken Glass Jerry Wilson |
 1932: 8 Metre | United States (USA) Owen Churchill John Biby Alphonse Burnand Kenneth Carey William Cooper Pierpont Davis Carl Dorsey John Huettner Richard Moore Alan Morgan Robert Sutton Thomas Webster | Canada (CAN) Ronald Maitland Ernest Cribb Peter Gordon George Gyles Harry Jones Hubert Wallace | No further competitors |
Medal table
Source:[2]
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 2 | Sweden | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 3 | France | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | Canada | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 5 |  Great Britain | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Netherlands | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 7 | Spain | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (7 entries) | 4 | 4 | 3 | 11 | |
Notes
Star
The 1932 Olympics featured for the first time the Star as Olympic discipline. This turned out to be so far the longest run for a sailing discipline in the Olympics. The Star was an Olympic class from 1932 to 2012 with the exception of 1976.
Snowbird
The USOC proposed to discontinue the 12' Dinghy in favor of a small V-bottom Catboat locally known as the Snowbird as the single handed one design class. This proposal was approved by the IYRU and IOC. The locally available Snowbirds were equipped with new masts, sails and rigging.
Medical assistance
For medical incidents during the Yachting events a United States Navy boat and a US Coast Guard boat were on duty during the races. This boats were equipped with an inhalator and crew furnished by the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Seven local physicians provided voluntary service (in alphabetical order):
- Edward G. Eisen, M.D., Head Physician
- Stanley Boller, M.D.
- J. Park Dougall, M.D.
- K. E. Kretzschmar, M.D.
- G. A. Laubersheimer, M.D.
- Wayland A. Morrison, M.D.
- Ewald Werner, M.D.
