49erFX

The popularity of the 49er continued to grow after it became an Olympic class at Sydney 2000, and so the 49erFX was introduced as a women’s skiff from Rio 2016 onwards.

The 49erFX is a one design class where athletes compete with identical equipment built by a limited number of manufacturers.

The hull is the same as the 49er, but the mast and sail plan were designed by Mackay Boats, with the aim of developing a skiff to provide the correct amount of power for the lighter crew target weight. This was achieved with a scaled-down rig, which can be adjusted for optimum performance in a variety of conditions.

The two sailors onboard take different roles; the helm generally makes the tactical decisions and steers the boat, while the crew undertakes more of the physical work and controls the sails.

Both of the crew are equipped with their own trapeze, and sail while cantilevered over the water to the fullest extent, to balance against the sails.

The spinnaker, one of three sails along with the mainsail and jib, is decorated in each country’s flag at the Olympic Games, making this class one of the most visually appealing to watch.

The 49erFX was selected as an Olympic class after a trial event in Santander, Spain, which involved a variety of classes and top-level sailors.

With the 49erFX making its Olympic debut at Rio 2016, there is only one set of previous medal-winners to review.

Martine Grael & Kahena Kunze (BRA) took gold on home waters, while Alex Maloney & Molly Meech (NZL) and Jena Mai Hansen & Katja Salskov-Iversen (DEN) won silver and bronze respectively.

As the Danish crew are no longer competing in the 49erFX class, Grael & Kunze and Maloney & Meech are the only two teams who have a chance to build on their medal tally.