What's in store for Day 5 - Matthew Sheahan reports
WEATHER
Now you see it, now you don’t. Talk of the town today is the weather and the fog/mist that rolled in during the early hours shrouding the impressive city skyline this morning. The humidity has also taken a big hike making the conditions feel more oppressive.
But despite the apparent change in gear for the weather, forecasters remain confident that racing will happen.
The tide is also starting to become more of an issue. In a south easterly breeze there will be more tide on the nose for the beats, reducing the apparent wind and making life more tricky on the upwind legs. By the top mark the tide will tend to open up the field, rewarding the early rounders, but at the bottom gate the fleet will be swept into the marks and become compressed as they round the marks.
Generally this will help the front runners to extend their lead over the fleet which in turn makes the start even more crucial.
Here’s this morning’s weather forecast from GBR meteorologist Libby Greenhalgh:
Tricky conditions today with a low pressure to the east of the area initially maintaining a moderate N airflow that will quickly decrease this morning to become variable.
With visibility less than 3km but slowly lifting, late morning conditions will be dominated by thermally influenced wind as the haze gradually thins.
Northerly gradient will initially provide assistance for the development of a reasonable S sea breeze but as this decrease through the morning we can expect decreasing surface wind conditions and most likely a postponement.
Overall expecting S 05 decreasing to E-S UK Laser sailor Paul Goodison talks to Matthew Sheahan after his opening day at the 2008 Olympics
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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