Born 11 December 1899 in Munich and died 13 February 1953 in Landsberg am Lech, was a German-American physician, inventor, sailor, and author. He lived much of his life as a U.S. citizen in Riederau on the Ammersee and combined scientific inquiry with practical innovation across multiple fields.

An accomplished yachtsman, he competed in around 1,400 regattas and represented the United States at the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam. He became notable for applying scientific methods to the design and aerodynamics of sailing craft, conducting wind-tunnel testing and developing advances in sail and hull design. His 1925 book Die Aerodynamik des Segels und die Kunst des Regatta-Segelns (The Aerodynamics of Sails and Racing Tactics) brought engineering analysis into yacht racing and was influential within competitive sailing. He also designed notable racing boats, including the Aero and Aero II dinghies.

In addition to sailing, he practised medicine and founded the American Bioclimatic Research Institute, later known as the Manfred-Curry-Klinik. Curry pursued research in “bioclimatics” and various unconventional scientific theories, including work on so-called geomagnetic or “earth radiation” lines, a concept that is considered pseudoscientific.

He was also an inventor with patents spanning maritime technology and other mechanical designs, and authored numerous books on sailing, weather, and human physiology. The Curryklemme, a sailboat cleat named after him, remains a widely used hardware component in sailing.

Reference:
Biography text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), German edition. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manfred_Curry