Another notable aspect of Star sailing is the extreme hiking position adopted by the crew and at times the helmsman, who normally use a harness to help hang low off the windward side of the boat with only their lower legs inside.

The Star was designed in 1910 by Francis Sweisguth, a draftsman at the William Gardner Marine Architect office.

A more traditional example of his work is Silent Maid, a Barnegat Bay B-class catboat designed shortly after the Star.

Other changes to the strict design rules for the Star class, include adding flexible spars, an innovative circular-track boom vang, and self-bailers.

Due to World War II, there were no Olympic games held in 1940 or 1944, and for 1976, the Star was replaced by the Tempest for keelboat competition.