Olympic Sail Competition Comes to San Pedro Bay
The High-Tech Boats and Boards of LA28 Sailing
By Cris Miller, Columnist
A year has passed since the announcement that the Port of Los Angeles will be one of two venues for sailing at the 2028 Olympic Games. The last time Olympic sailing came to Los Angeles was in 1932.
In 2028, the Port of Los Angeles will host six boat events: men’s and women’s dinghy, men’s and women’s skiff, mixed dinghy and mixed multihull. Belmont Shore will host four board events: men’s and women’s windsurfing and men’s and women’s kites.
The Olympic qualification period runs from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2028, when competitors must appear on official World Sailing rankings. From July 11 to 16, 2026, Long Beach and San Pedro will host the Long Beach & San Pedro Olympic Classes Regatta, part of the international Sailing Grand Slam. The regatta will bring together competitors in all 10 Olympic sailing classes as athletes pursue qualification for Los Angeles 2028.
Unlike many Olympic sports, sailing depends not only on strength, skill and judgment, but also on technology. Boats, boards, foils, sails and rigs can determine whether an athlete gains a decisive edge or loses it in seconds. The rise of hydrofoils — underwater wings that lift boards and boats above the surface — has made sailing faster, more technical and more dramatic than ever.
The 470 mixed dinghy is a two-person boat sailed by one man and one woman. Designed in 1963 by French naval architect André Cornu, the 470 is named for its 4.7-meter length. It is a double-handed planing dinghy with a centerboard, Bermuda rig and spinnaker, demanding close teamwork between skipper and crew. The event features a 10-race opening series followed by a medal race.
Cornu, the son of a Swiss baker, wanted the boat to be accessible to young sailors. “I am so proud of having contributed with the 470 to give them a chance to have fun,” he once said. The class later became an Olympic staple and helped establish high-performance dinghy sailing as a test of both tactics and athleticism.
The Nacra 17 mixed multihull is one of the fastest Olympic boats. This 17-foot catamaran, sailed by one man and one woman, uses curved daggerboards and T-rudders to rise onto hydrofoils and reach speeds above 20 knots. Its Olympic format includes an opening series of fleet races followed by a medal race for the top 10 boats.
The Nacra 17 was designed by California-based Gino Morelli and Pete Melvin with Nacra Sailing. Morelli was part of Dennis Conner’s 1988 America’s Cup design team, while Melvin, an aerospace engineer, worked in aircraft design before becoming one of the world’s leading multihull designers. Their Newport Beach firm, Morelli & Melvin, has been involved in multiple America’s Cup campaigns and dozens of award-winning boat designs. The Nacra 17 has been an Olympic class since the 2016 Rio Games.
The ILCA 6 and ILCA 7, formerly known as the Laser Radial and Laser Standard, are single-handed dinghies. The ILCA 6 is used for the women’s event and has a smaller sail, while the ILCA 7 is used for the men’s event and requires more physical power. Both use the same hull and are known for close, tactical racing in which the sailor’s skill matters more than equipment variation.
The boat was designed by Canadian Bruce Kirby and developed by industrial designer Ian Bruce. Kirby, a journalist, sailor and naval architect, created one of the most successful sailboat designs in history, with more than 200,000 Lasers produced. Bruce turned Kirby’s drawing into a boat, rig and manufacturing system that spread worldwide. The class became part of the Olympic Games in 1996.
The 49er skiff is a two-person high-performance boat using trapeze harnesses, a mainsail, jib and gennaker. Its sailors often appear to be flying outside the boat as they balance speed and control. The 49er was designed in 1994 by Australian Julian Bethwaite and selected for the 2000 Sydney Olympics, where it introduced skiff racing to the Games.
Bethwaite came from one of Australia’s most influential sailing families. His father, Frank Bethwaite, was a designer and wind-pattern expert, and his siblings were elite sailors. Julian’s experiments through the 1980s and early 1990s — using new rigs, materials, bowsprits and hull designs — led directly to the 49er, now one of the most visually exciting Olympic classes.
Formula Kite is the only 2028 Olympic sailing category that is not strictly one-design. Riders use powerful kites and hydrofoil boards to lift above the water and reach speeds around 40 mph. Men and women compete separately. The class demands strength, balance, tactical awareness and constant adjustment to shifting wind.
Approved equipment is tightly regulated by the International Kiteboarding Association. Key board and foil manufacturers include Chubanga, Appletree, Duotone, Airush and Enata. Chubanga’s Olympic hydrofoil systems have been developed by Luca Filippi’s team, including engineers Simone Bartesaghi and Charles Dhainaut. Appletree Surfboards, founded by Wieger and Jorrit Burma, is known for waterproof foam cores and carbon construction. Kite manufacturers include North Kiteboarding, Flysurfer and Ozone.
The iQFOiL is the Olympic windsurfing class. It replaced traditional windsurfing boards with hydrofoil technology, allowing riders to lift above the water and reach speeds near 35 knots. Competitors race in course racing, sprint slalom and marathon formats, depending on conditions.
The iQFOiL is a one-design class manufactured by Starboard and Severne. Starboard founder Svein Rasmussen led development of the board and foil platform, with major contributions from designer Tiesda You, sailmaker Ben Severne, Gonzalo Costa Hoevel and elite riders who tested and refined the equipment.
Together, these boats and boards represent the most advanced era of Olympic sailing yet. The athletes who reach the podium in 2028 will be the best in the world — but they will also be standing on the shoulders of designers, engineers, sailors and builders whose innovations made their speed possible.