1936 Olympics

August 1 - 16, 1936

DISTRICT: ISCYRA

HOST

Kiel, Germany     Germany
Scroll to view all race results.
Nation Skipper Yacht R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 Total
Germany Bischoff Wannsee 12 9 12 12 11 12 12 80
Sweden Laurin Sunshine 11 12 10 11 1 10 9 64
Holland Mass Bem II 0 11 9 10 12 11 10 63
United Kingdom Girogono Poka 9 10 11 6 5 8 7 56
United States Waterhouse Three Star Too 10 8 1 4 10 9 5 11
Norway No Record K N S 8 3 6 7 9 7 4 44
France Herbulot Fada 3 0 4 9 8 6 11 41
Turkey Ulmann Marmara 6 7 7 1 7 2 8 38
Italy de Sangro Pegasos 5 6 8 2 4 3 6 34
Portugal Fiuza Vicking 7 0 0 8 6 5 2 28
Japan Takarbe Mayolu 4 5 0 3 2 4 1 19
Belgium Godts Fredy 2 4 0 1 3 1 3 18

 

Winning yacht No. 1287, built by Caesar Fuhlendorg, Hamburg, Germany, 1936
Total point system

The 1936 Olympic yachting events were sailed off Kiel, Germany. The courses were on the Aussenforde (Outer Bay) and radiated in all directions from the starting line. Every afternoon, when the race was over, crowds gathered on the Hindenburg Ufer, where the flags of the three nations that placed were hoisted. On the final day, when prizes were presented, Hitler was there in person. I was not there, but all who were, agree that everything possible was done for the comfort and convenience of the competing yachtsmen. To this I can add that the German yachting co-operated in every way with the I.S.C.Y.R.A. All our class rules were enforced, our measurement-certificates were not questioned and even our total point score system applied to the Star series.

The Olympic Star title was won by Dr. Peter Bischoff, who sailed the German Star Wannsee, with Hans-Joachim Weise as crew. They won by a greater point margin than Gray did in 1932. Both were reported killed in the last world war. Laurin, of Sweden, placed second, but only one point ahead of Adrian Maas. The Holland skipper, however, won the first race in a howling gale, but was disqualified. He was really the only one that gave Bischoff a run for his money.

The best the U.S. entry was able to do was place fifth. Girogono, of England, is to be complimented upon finishing fourth, being a newcomer to the Star class. The French skipper Herbulot won the second race, but he also was disqualified. As a matter of fact the reader will get a much better overall picture of the series by reading the summaries.

Many have asked why Walter von Hütschler, who is credited with training Bischoff and Weise, did not himself represent Germany in the 1936 Olympics. Walter was born in Brazil of Brazilian parents. He was not German and was not eligible to represent Germany in any form of Olympic competition. His name is of German origin, but so is the name of many Brazilians. Walter did, however, live in Germany for a number of years. Residence, not nationality, governs eligibility under Star rules. He had a perfect right, therefore to join the Star fleet in the locality where he then resided and to represent it in any Star event under the auspices of the I.S.C.Y.R.A.

The 1936 U.S. trials were held off Sayville, N.Y. Once again there were only three entries, the Great Lakes sending none. Glen Waterhouse, of San Francisco, won, but only after a sail-off with Eddie Ketchem, the eastern semi-finalist. The U.S. came very near to being represented that time by the old Draco, a relic of the days of Ike Smith. A couple of tall lanky Texans, who wore five gallon hats, represented the southland. Skipper Dan Ryan did beat Waterhouse once and was responsible for the sail-off, but finished the series in last place.

Only the fleet try outs and regional semi-finals in the New York area were reasonably well attended in 1936. Throughout the rest of the U.S., because of the additional time and expense involved, such preliminary events had very few entries. Yachting is one of the few U.S. Olympic sports in which contestants have to finance themselves. While that is bound to reduce the number and to some extent the quality of prospective Olympic entries, it’s the only logical solution. The cost of the 1948 U.S. six meter entry, which was built especially for the Olympics, has been estimated at around ninety thousand dollars. If any such amount was taken from the Olympic fund, there would not be enough to take care of the other fields of sport. The I.S.C.Y.R.A. cannot finance the U.S. Star Olympic entry, as it has no national subdivision of its funds. If it did that, it would also have to underwrite entries of twenty odd other countries.

The exploits of Glen Waterhouse and his crew Woodie Metcalf are worthy of mention. They were the “singingest” pair of Star members we ever had. They sang Abalone Moon, Hail To California, Eight Bells, etc. They even sang during a race. When they were not singing they were composing lyrics. Their first break came when the regional semi-finals at Santa Barbara were cancelled because their one rival there withdrew. That enabled them to ship Three Star Two east with the University of California rowing shells. Arriving at Poughkeepsie, they bought an old Buick for thirty dollars, with which to trail their Star to Sayville. The U.S.O.C. chartered the S.S. Manhattan that year, so the Star could be shipped on deck gratis, at the owner’s risk. After loading it, they returned to the Commodore Hotel and parked. While discussing what to do with the Buick, a N.Y. cop came along and they thought they were pinched. All he wanted to know was what they were doing in Olympic uniforms. When they told him about the Buick, he gave them twenty dollars, got in it and drove away. Hence, except for loading costs and gas, it cost them only ten dollars to transport their Star to Germany.

I do not know how long they had been experimenting with them, but flexible spars were already being used on German Stars in 1936 and also on some Stars of neighboring countries. We all know today that flexible spars, properly handled, will always beat rigid ones. This is not said as an alibi, as German skippers were then highly efficient: but it may make Glen happy to know that he did not have a chance with the rig he was using.

Spar flexing is an operation. Star rules distinctly state that spar diameters and methods of rigging are optional. The Germans did not even violate the rules in principle, anymore so than if they had developed a new technique in seamanship. Every Star Olympic contestant in 1936 saw the rig in operation on German built Stars. Let me quote from an article by Woodie Metcalf, describing his Olympic experiences. “The specially cut German sails, with fullness along the foot, combined with a light flexible boom and method of trimming flat amidship, was a powerful and speedy combination.” It will be noted that he even used the term flexible.

Waterhouse and Metcalf simply did not realize that they were seeing a revolutionary and almost automatic operation governing draft. That is no more surprising than that the hundreds, who read the above mentioned article, also failed to grasp that fact. According to von Hütschler, the German skippers themselves did not yet fully appreciate the many advantages to be gained from what they had developed.