#Event Description and Format -- Sailing#
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Olympic sailing is a grueling competition that features at least
10 races per class.  It spans from September 17-30 and will take
place on Sydney Harbour. 

There are three classes for men: Mistral or sailboard, Finn and
470, and three for women: Mistral, Europe and 470.  There also
are five mixed classes: Soling, Star, Laser, Tornado and 49er. 

Competitors are assessed points for their finish in each race
and, like golf, boats with the lowest overall score at the end
of the competition wins.  The only exception is in Soling, in
which the top six boats in the preliminary standings advance to
match-racing. 

The Mistral is a 12-foot, 2-inch fiberglass windsurfer weighing
34.2 pounds and topped by a 7.4 square meter sail. 

The Finn class uses a centerboard dinghy and a one-man crew.  It
is 14-feet, 9-inches and weighs 278 pounds. 

The 470 is a two-person fiberglass craft that is 15 feet, 6
inches long.  It uses a centerboard dinghy and a trapeze and
weighs 264 pounds. 

The Europe is a single-handed dinghy, 11 feet long and weighing
99 pounds. 

The Laser is 13 feet, 11 inches and weighs 130 pounds.  The sail
covers 76 square feet. 

The Tornado is a two-man catamaran.  The vessel is 20 feet long
and has a sail area of 235 square feet. 

The Star is a 22-foot, 8-inch shallow keelboat with a
285-square-foot sail.  It weighs 1,490 pounds and has a
two-person crew. 

The Soling is a three-man keelboat.  It is 26 feet, 11 inches
long and weighs 2,282 pounds. 

st 09-15-00 04:44 et