Sailing at the 1928 Summer Olympics

As venue for the Amsterdam Olympics the Zuiderzee near Amsterdam was chosen. The organizing committee of the sailing event was the Koninklijk Verbond Nederlandsche Watersport Vereniging. The Olympic harbor Six Harbor was on the North shore of the Y just opposite of the Amsterdam Centraal railway station. The boats were moored in the so-called 'kinderkamer' of the harbor. The Six Harbor was in that time the location of the Koninklijke Nederlandsche Zeil- & Roeivereeniging. This resulted that al competing yachts had to go through the locks (Oranjesluizen) to enter the Buiten Y and Zuiderzee. Some of the former buildings of the Six Harbor were demolished during the construction of the Amsterdam Metro North–south line.

A total of two race areas were used for sailing at the Amsterdam Olympics:

• The courses of the 12' Dinghy were just outside the locks on the buiten Y in front of Durgerdam.
• For the 6 and 8 Metre the used courses were about 5 nm out of the locks, East of the Isle of Marken on the Zuiderzee.

At that time the Zuiderzee had an open connection with the North Sea. The sea water was salt or at best brackish. Waves could be steep and short due to the shallow waters.[1]

1928 Olympic Course Areas

Course area and course for the 12' Dinghy

Course area and courses for the 6 Metre and 8 Metre

In 1932 a dam was built between the North Sea and the Zuiderzee and the Zuiderzee was renamed IJsselmeer. As result of this the lake now contains fresh water. Inside the lake new land was reclaimed. At this moment the center of the 1928 6 and 8 Metre course is located in the city of Almere. Also the city of Amsterdam reclaimed land from the sea and moved towards the lake. When the sailors from the 1928 Summer Olympics could return to their venue they would hardly recognize it.

This Olympic sailing regatta can be considered as the first Olympic regatta with a high quality of racing since there were:

• Well selected classes that represented sailing
• Sufficient competitors per class
• Good and fair sailing conditions

An amateur is he who fulfils the minimum requirements as laid down by the International Olympic Committee.
The contestants must be members of a recognized Yacht Club. Officers and Reserve Officers of the Navy or the Mercantile Marine are regarded as amateurs.

— Koninklijke Verbonden Nederlandsche Watersportvereenigingen, The Ninth Olympiad Amsterdam 1928:Official Report[1]

During the sailing regattas at the 1928 Summer Olympics among others the following persons were competing in the various classes:

•  Norway (NOR), Crown Prince of Norway, Crown Prince Olav in the 6 Metre
•  France (FRA), First full-time yachtwoman, Virginie Hériot in the 8 Metre
•  United States (USA), United States yachting legend and inventor of the Swimfin, Owen Churchill in the 8 Metre
•  Norway (NOR), Owner of Wilh. Wilhelmsen, Norway, Wilhelm Wilhelmsen Jr. in the 8 Metre
•  Netherlands (NED), Yacht designer and boat builder, Netherlands, Willem de Vries Lentsch in the 12' Dinghy