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Simba V

Vessel numberHV000787

Sail Number5687

Builder Siegfried Meier

Designer Francis Sweisgush

Date1972

DimensionsVessel Dimensions: 6.93 m × 4.72 m × 1.73 m × 1.01 m (22.75 ft × 15.5 ft × 5.66 ft × 3.33 ft)

DescriptionSIMBA V is 6.9 metres (23 ft) long. The Star class one-design yacht was designed by American Francis Sweisguth in 1910 and was an Olympic keelboat class from 1932 through to 2012. It is sloop-rigged, with a very large mainsail in proportion to its headsail, and it does not carry a spinnaker. The original design was a gaff rig. Early Stars were built from wood, but since the 1970s the boats were made of fiberglass.

The Star became highly technical, complex rigged class in the 1960s and 70s, and was one of the most demanding to tune and sail well. Although a one design, the tolerances in the hull shape specifications allowed variations that became significant for the different conditions the boats sailed in, such was the close and intense racing between the boats. At different times various alternate hull designs were favoured by the leading skippers. It was such a demanding class that winning a world championship or gold medal in the Star became one of the pinnacles of yachting.

Forbes and Anderson teamed up after the 1970 America’s Cup where Forbes had been sailing on GRETEL II in the afterguard. Forbes was also encouraged by his performance in Acapulco in 1968, and he invited John Anderson, a man with similar personality and drive, to join him in a bid for 1972. They soon dominated local races, winning the Australian Championship in 1971-72. At the Olympic trials, they won seven straight races in their Star SCALLYWAG. After the trials Forbes continued trying to improve the boat's speed, and experimented with a variety of new sails, imported from the USA.

They took SCALLYWAG overseas to train and race before the Olympics, competing first in the Kiel Week Regatta, the site of the Olympic races. They performed badly, coming 28th. At the European championships in Sweden, however, they improved to tenth place. Obviously they were not fast enough and considered their situation. They soon concluded that they had to get another boat. However, there was barely a month to go to the Olympics. After carefully studying the boats available for charter, they chartered SIMBA V from Swiss sailor, Heinz Maurer.

Forbes recalled the following: “Having sailed in the European Star Championship in 1971 and finishing 6th I decided my boat was not as quick as the Foley design boats. The European championship was just prior to the Olympics in June /July 1972 After inspecting SIMBA V which had all the equipment that we had tested on our Star boat so we knew what we wanted, I asked Heinz Maurer who owned SIMBA V if would he charter the yacht to me for the 1972 Olympics. However, one thing which I was told when I picked her up in Switzerland to take her to Kiel was that when they constructed her they left her in the mould all winter to harden which would have improved her stiffness.

The hull had less spring than the Australian boat and thus marginally more waterline; it had a stiffer bottom; the rudder stock was slightly more vertical, giving an improved angle of entry; and the bulb keel was fractionally more streamlined. SIMBA V also had an American mast and a stiffer boom than SCALLYWAG.

The favourite for the gold medal was Sweden's Pelle Petterson, a former world champion, but also sailing was the legendary Joerg Bruder from Brazil, later to be a Finn Gold Cup champion. Forbes and Anderson sailed consistently throughout, using their good boat speed and pointing ability to gain and improve their position. They won only one race, and at the start of the final race had a good points lead. However halfway through the race Pettersen seemed the likely winner until Forbes and Anderson were able match-race and outsail him to finish ahead and claim the gold medal.

The Australians won with 28.1 points. Sweden narrowly took second place with 44.0 points to Germany's 44.4 points.

That same day, John Cuneo with crew John Shaw and Tom Anderson also won a gold medal in the Dragon Class. This was the first time Australia had ever won two gold medals at any Olympic Games in yachting; and for the Anderson brothers, this was the first time identical twins had won gold and managed this on the same day and in different events. This was also the first and only time that Australia had won a medal in the Star Class in Olympic competition.

SIMBA V was returned to its Swiss owner after the event, and was subsequently raced and sailed by other owners. It is now in Holland being refurbished and overhauled and will continue sailing in local races. The new owners made enquiries about SIMBA's background, and received this information from Peter Erzberger, who added to the story of the yacht's construction and charter by Forbes and Anderson. He sent them the following message:

"The story to this Star is: Pelle Peterson and I after a terrible European Spring Championship 1968 in Monaco where 3 Star sailors lost their lives decided together with a Swiss Boatbuilder to develop the first unsinkable Star. For the 72 Olympics we had three boats ready. One for Pelle, one for another Swedish Star sailor and a third one for a Swiss sailor Heinz Maurer (5687). At the Europeans before the Kiel Olympics (Pelle was the European Champion) David Forbes asked me if I could find a boat (Europe Star) for him as he was unhappy with his Australian Boat. Heinz Maurer after my call was ready to lend the boat to him for use in Kiel. Forbes/Anderson took Gold while Petterson/Westerdahl got Silver."

SignificanceSIMBA V is a fiberglass racing yacht built in 1972 in Europe. SIMBA V is a Star class Olympic yacht built by Siegfried Meier in Switzerland for a Swiss owner, but chartered by Australians David Forbes and John Anderson and sailed by them to a Gold medal in the 1972 Olympics for Australia. The superior speed of this craft compared to their own Star was the significant difference that gave them the opportunity to win the Gold medal. In the same Olympics and on the same day, John Anderson’s twin brother won a Gold medal for yachting sailing as a crewmember in the Dragon class for Australia