What's in store for Day 4 - Matthew Sheahan reports
RACING
Lasers and Laser Radials have their first day on the race course today in another day that looks set to be light and shifty. Their race course is the closest to the shore and with large towering cumulus developing over the city, expect the breeze to be variable in strength and direction.
The RSX boards move further out to sea for their second day’s racing.
The 470’s also have their second day, remaining on the same course as before.
WEATHER – Volatile airmass, unstable day
This morning’s weather forecast from GBR meteorologist Libby Greenhalgh:
Another unstable day with a low pressure to the S maintaining a slack broadly ENE airflow over the area.
The big issue of the day will be the showers and the development of possible thunderstorms. A fairly intense storm has just tracked through the south and we are starting off with clear skies and good visibility again.
Expecting cumulus to rapidly build inland and slowly move NNE.
With clear skies and high temperatures, into the early 30s but again feeling a lot warmer, we should see the development of a reasonable sea breeze
Expecting ESE 4-5knots building and veering SE 6-9knots though any shower development which could kill the wind.
HW 0209
LW 0747
HW 1315
LW 2022
DOCK TALK
British 470 Girls disqualified
Shock news this morning was the disqualification of the British 470 girls from their first race yesterday following a protest by the Slovenian team over rule 18, ’rounding marks and passing obstructions’.
The Tornado issue continues to roll on with talk now that the Argentinean team has been experimenting with a code zero taking the total number believed to be considering this sail to four. Measurement for this class ends tomorrow.
CLEAN UP CONTINUES
Once again the armada of local craft, (around 350 with up to 1200 on call), have been sweeping the race course this morning collecting the small clumps of bright green algae that have swept in. While this impressive operation is no doubt a benefit for the sailors, hopefully the cleaner waters will help the media boats that seem to keep breaking down on the water when the weed blocks their water intakes.
Among the press corps and aside from the sailing action, tales of who broke down where and for how long seem to dominate conversation every afternoon.
PODCASTS
British 470 sailors Nic Rogers and Joe Glanfield describe their first day on the race track 11-8-08
Ben Ainslie after the second day of racing plus comments on penalties – 10 Aug
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