Yesterday in Moscow, the sailors at the Finn Gold Cup drank coffee all day and waited for the wind. The coffee kept coming but unfortunately the wind didn’t. One start was attempted at 1800, but was soon abandoned as the wind started playing games again.

In order to get three races in, green flight had their start time brought forward to 1100 with the yellow flight due to start at 1230. As no more races could be included in the flight allocation system, they remained the same as the previous day. The first hydrofoil of the day to the day marina took only the sailors of the green flight. However, when yellow flight arrived an hour later, green flight were still waiting for the wind to come, sipping coffee and enjoying the sunshine.

It was a lovely sunny day, although the air was cold. It remained hot in the sun but the air remained still. The only sounds to fill the air were the chatter of Finn sailors, the throb of motor vessels as they briefly sped past and the thunderous roar of the neverending stream of planes arriving at the nearby Sheremetyevo Aiport.

Finally at 1600, the PRO postponed racing for the day for the yellow flight. The green flight, still a race behind, had to wait another hour. The AP came down and everyone assumed that that was that. However, nothing replaced it so the fleet rapidly uncovered their boats and headed for the race area. After half an hour, with the race about to start, the wind clocked 40 degrees. Another 10 minutes of wind shifts and the race officer, now running out of enough daylight to complete the race cancelled racing for the day.

The planned lay day in Moscow on Friday is now a distant hope as there are still four races to get in before the finals start on Saturday. With only two races sailed so far and a maximum of three per day to be sailed, it looks like racing will go into Friday.
Giedrius, currently studying vetinarian immunology, continued “We have no Finn sailors in Lithuainian sailing internationally, so our national Finn association is really happy to have me here and support me. I hope to get a Finn soon and do the international circuit. I am using some of my Laser techniques, which at first seem strange, but I am gradually getting used to the feel of the boat. I also feel very comfortable here as I am racing against many friends I made in the Laser class who have also moved onto the more technical Finn. Sailors are a special social group, with a similar path of life which gives us all something in common. I think that’s important to sailors.”

He concludes, “The organisation here reminds me of the Sydney games with the travelling to the day marina and the official opening ceremony. Everything is also so well organised. I am having a great time.”

Probably the lightest sailor in the fleet is the Russian Timofey Zhbankov. At just 76 kg, he is here for the experience, and is finding the transfer from his usual Laser Radial – where his best result was a third at the Europeans – interesting. However he did find his way to lead round the top mark in the only race competed yesterday, which should do his confidence no end of good. Before this race is scored – when green flights catches up – he is lying in 77th place after the windy first day.

Tomorrow (Thursday), the wind is forecast to be 8-12 mph all day long, so the fleets should catch up with green fleet sailing three races and yellow fleet sailing two. The groups will then to reaollocated for the final qualification race on Friday morning.