Description
The International 470 is a 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in) high-performance, double-handed, trapeze-and-spinnaker dinghy designed in 1963 by Frenchman André Cornu as a lightweight, planing successor to the Olympic Flying Dutchman, quickly becoming one of the most successful and enduring Olympic classes in sailing history. With its narrow 1.69 m beam, 100 kg minimum hull weight (fiberglass with foam-sandwich construction), twin trapezes, 12.7 m² mainsail + jib, and massive 15 m² asymmetric spinnaker flown from a retractable prod, the 470 has an extraordinarily high power-to-weight ratio that allows it to plane upwind in 12–14 knots and exceed 20 knots downwind—demanding athleticism, perfect crew coordination, and constant trimming. First selected as an Olympic class for the 1976 Montreal Games (men’s division) and adding a women’s event in 1988, it has remained the Olympic two-person dinghy ever since (mixed-gender event from Paris 2024 onward), producing legends such as Australia’s Malcolm Page, Brazil’s Kahena Kunze & Martine Grael, and Britain’s Hannah Mills. Over 40,000 boats have been built by a dozen World Sailing-licensed builders (Mackay, Ziegelmayer, Faccenda, and others), with active professional and junior fleets in more than 80 countries; strict one-design rules and continuous small refinements (carbon masts since 2008, larger kites, etc.) keep the 470 at the cutting edge of dinghy racing while remaining accessible to university teams and ambitious youth sailors worldwide.
