[Rhodes22-list] Olympics

[Peter Thorn]

Hello Again Rhodies,

Sorry, this is kinda long.  But there may be some early-birds, like me, who just can't stay up all night watching the Olympics.  This is the entire newletter, from the beginning through last night.  

With three races remaining, the 470 US team could still beat the Brits and take home the gold. 

PT


470 Reports From the Olympic Games
by US Sailing Team Coach Skip Whyte

Day 1 - August 14, 2004

Hello Race Fans,

The venue was unusually calm early this morning in the brief calm following Opening Ceremonies. With only 4 of the 11 events racing today, there weren't too many early arrivals. When those racing, 470s, Ynglings, and Finns, arrived there was a nice NW breeze but everyone knew that it was dead on arrival. The forecast was for a southerly seabreeze similar to many of the previous days. 

Paul, Kevin, Katie and Isabelle went through their typical routines in preparation for a day on the water. If one didn't know that the first race of the Olympics was about to start, they probably could not have guessed, yet there was a special tension in the air. Race One was now only minutes away.

The NW breeze died as predicted and was followed by a weak southerly that delivered the fleets to the race area. The women went in to sequence promptly at 1:00. Katie and Isabelle wanted to be to the left of the fleet and set up near the pin with the Spanish and Japanese. They got of well, but not well enough and were soon forced to tack away leaving the Japanese and Spanish controlling the left. They went on to round 1,2 at the weather mark with Katie and Isabelle struggling in traffic and rounding well back. They sailed beautifully downwind and made big gains only to foul the British at the leeward mark. After their 720 penalty turns they were off again about where they rounded at the weather mark. They managed a small gain downwind to round the last leeward mark in a tight pack. They won a spirited battled with the Italians on the reach to the finish, but nearly lost the war to boats to leeward, but they didn't. They finished 13th, two ahead of the defending Gold Medalists from Australia and eventually moved up to 12th after the Japanese were disqualified in the jury room. 

The men started their first race about 10 minutes after the women in similar conditions. Paul and Kevin started one up from the leeward end, held their lane beautifully and were eventually able to tack and cross. They had a nice lead over the British at the weather mark that they eventually extended for a nice win, but only after the Brits put on a strong charge on the second beat. Their win was made more potent by poor finishes by a number of top contenders. It was a fantastic opener!

Between races the breeze built to 10-12 knots and shifted left into the SSE. The men went into sequence first this time. The right end of the line was favored and Paul and Kevin fought for it. They nearly pulled off a great start, but could not hold their lane and were forced right. They were forced to work the right side of the fleet for the remainder of the beat and made the most of it to round 12th . After the spinnaker set the cover on the spinnaker halyard parted forcing Paul to tie it up. Despite this small inconvenience they managed a decent gain on the reach and run, hit some great shifts up the second beat and were ready to challenge for a top 5 finish but overstood the weather mark and lost their gains to round 9th where they remained until the finish. The Brazilians lead all the way around, extending dramatically downwind. The French and British were locked in combat all the way around the course with the French persistently holding on to 2nd. The Brits, second in the first race, were a close third and lead at the end of the day. The Brazilians with a 6, 1, are second with Paul and Kevin third. The favored Aussies were disqualified in race two, moving Paul and Kevin up a spot and sending the Aussies down to 21st overall. Serious medal contenders Spain, Sweden, Argentina, and Italy each had two bad races today and face an uphill battle. All in all it was a great day for the guys.

Race two didn't go as well for the ladies. Once again they had the right idea at the start, but could not hold their lane. The passing lanes were very narrow in the relatively steady, left favored conditions. They had to settle for a 17th, but moved up one after protests and now stand 13th. The Greeks lived up to the pre-event hype with a 1, 2 to lead with Spain and Slovenia close behind. 

Tomorrow is a new day. Katie and Isabelle will be ready.

The weather is forecast to change dramatically over the next two days. Tomorrow could be a turbulent affair, setting up a return to Meltemi conditions on Monday. Should the forecast prove accurate, it will be extremely difficult for any team to stay in the top five. It will be exciting racing.

Stay tuned!

Rollin "Skip" Whyte
US Sailing Team


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Day 2 - August 15, 2004

Hello Race Fans,

Wow! What a day!!!

Well, that just about sums it up, but I guess you need a few details.

Today's forecast had about 14 sub-plots. Maybe weak seabreeze, maybe Meltemi late, maybe both, etc. etc. There was a very nice NW breeze blowing as the fleet rigged up. It was hard to believe that it was doomed to die, but die it did as we sailed to the course. The women were up first and went into sequence several times with a course set to 330 degrees with 3-12 knots of breeze (scary conditions). The breeze kept shifting right 60 degrees every time they went into sequence. The Meltemi was ahead of schedule. After about an hour the Meltemi settled in and began a steady build. 

The women finally got a way in about 13 knots. Katie McDowell and Isabelle Kinsolving chose the left side and had a great start. They won their side, but the right was a bit better and they got to the weather mark in 7th. The course was an O2, which translates into 8 legs with three beats and three runs. They battled in the 6-9 range for several legs as the breeze built into the high teens. On the final run and reach they really turned it on and finished third! The Dutch won by a mile with Greeks coming from behind for second.

Paul Foerster and Kevin Burnham had a perfect start at the leeward end and got a nice 10 degree left shift moments later, tacked and crossed the fleet with an early lead which they held for 4 legs. The Ukrainians won the third beat and went on to the win with Paul and Kevin second, putting them in the series lead. The British were deep at the first mark, but made a spectacular recovery to finish 9th. The Aussies, who lost a protest in race two, were a come from behind 3rd.

By the end of race one the breeze had built into the high teens and was acting like it was just warming up. The men started first in the second race. Paul and Kevin did a terrific job near the middle of the line, rolling over the Ukrainians and looked to be off and running. Their pointing was off a touch, forcing a tack and attempted cross a moment before it was possible. They fouled the Germans and were spinning. At the weather mark the Ukrainians were leading again with Paul and Kevin near last. The breeze was building into the mid twenties at this point and it was starting to get interesting. The Ukrainians broke their rudder on the top reach, surrendering the lead to the Argentineans who extended into a huge lead. Paul and Kevin were plugging away and got back into the fleet only to foul the Germans again! After another 720 they were around 22nd, but still fighting like hell. They turned it on the third beat and moved into 18th, passed three more on the run and finished 15th! It was a great comeback and hopefully the only race that will include 720s. The Argentineans won easily with the Aussies third again and the Brits fourth, regaining their series lead. At the end of the day Paul and Kevin are second with the Greeks a somewhat distant third. The Ukrainians will be very close with a discard.

Katie and Isabelle started well and sailed a solid beat to round 11th. The Germans were leading with the Dutch 2nd and closing. It was really starting to blow! Katie and Isabelle held serve around the next lap while the Dutch assumed the lead, then capsized. Carnage was everywhere. Katie and Isabelle also capsized after the second weather mark with the breeze now in the high 20s, but recovered well. Nearly everyone capsized at some point. On the third run Katie and Isabelle were having spinnaker halyard problems which expanded into spinnaker failure when the spinnaker suddenly filled and exploded. It was nuking!

Despite having to sail the last two legs without a spinnaker, the ladies finished 12th, with the series leading Greeks right behind. The Danes, who were also among the swimming, are second with France in third. 

Once ashore we began the scramble to repair the spinnaker (we cannot replace it unless it is beyond repair), inspect everything for wear and tear, replace the spinnaker halyard, replace the broken batten in Paul and Kevin's jib, ice Kevin's bruised ankle and find a moment to eat. Tomorrow's Meltemi may be stronger than today's!

Stay tuned.

Rollin "Skip" Whyte
US Sailing Team


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Day 3 - August 16, 2004

Hello Race Fans,

Today had all of the potential to be incredibly exciting, but ended being a non-event. Yesterday's young meltemi matured overnight and became a mature monster today, forcing postponement of all racing on three of the four Olympic courses. The Saronikos Gulf was covered with white caps from dawn to dusk, with the biggest gusts arriving late in the afternoon. The Finns and Ynglings did race on the course furthest north and closest to shore in the Meltemi. They had two good races with winds in the low twenties, prompting many to question the decision to postpone racing on the other courses, but wind reports from those courses confirmed that the wind and waves were outside of limits acceptable limits.

The 470s will sail tomorrow, foregoing their scheduled layday. Both US teams were eager to sail today, but it wasn't meant to be. They will be ready tomorrow. The forecast is for a rapidly dying meltemi through early afternoon followed by a transitional period that could include many different wind scenarios. It looks like it will be a very different day.

Rollin "Skip" Whyte
US Sailing Team
  


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Day 4 - August 17, 2004

Hello Race Fans,

Today was a long one, but very good for our US 470 sailors. It dawned very differently than yesterday. The overpowering Meltemi was replaced by a weak northerly that soon became westerly. Our forecast had multiple scenarios that boiled down to," Keep your eyes and options open, this is going to be a screwy day." In that respect, the forecast was correct.

The men started roughly on time in an uninspiring SW breeze of about 6 fading knots. Paul and Kevin didn't get off super well and had to clear a few times, then got into phase and started reeling in the fleet. There had been an individual recall and near the weather mark the race committee pulled out the offenders (a novel policy being used at this event). The leading British and Ukrainians were among the sinners. Meanwhile Paul and Kevin had pulled into the front row in the final gasps of the breeze. The race was abandoned a few minutes later and the Brits and Ukrainians had dodged a bullet.

We waited in the longest period of calm that we have seen since we arrived in early July. Finally an unstable SE breeze made an appearance and the men were soon in sequence for an outer loop course with an extra lap. Paul and Kevin worked the middle trying to secure a good lane. The boats on the right got shift and pressure and pulled in to an early lead. The Swedes (SWE) lead at the top with Paul and Kevin 12th, the Brits (GBR) 10th, the Greeks (GRE) in 7th, and the Ukrainians (UKR) 18th. Over the next 5 legs Paul and Kevin worked their way through the fleet to round the last weather mark 6th with GRE 5th, GBR 10th, and UKR 19th. Paul and Kevin and many of the lead group sailed in to a hole while the tail enders (UKR) surged forward. Paul and Kevin escaped relatively unscathed to finish 10th with GRE 17th, GBR 18th, and the twice lucky UKR in 9th. 

Katie and Isabelle sailed a very nice first beat after a solid start and rounded 6th and moved into 4th on the run. On the second beat they got too far right near the top in the dying breeze and a big left shift filled bringing the Greeks all the way to 1st from 12th and leaving Katie and Isabelle in 9th. They slipped to 15th over the next two legs then finally had some luck and closed to 9th at the finish of a race that probably should have been abandoned. GRE won with Slovenia 2nd and Sweden third.

Then we waited again. What little wind we had was shifting incoherently. With the sun getting very low on the horizon we finally started in a different SE breeze that looked good at first, but had the lifespan of a snowball in the desert. Paul and Kevin did not get off very well, but worked through the fleet to round 9th with Argentina (ARG) leading, GRE 2nd and GBR 4th. Paul and Kevin continued to race very well and worked through the fleet over the next two legs to arrive at the weather mark in second, but just below the layline in very light air. They managed to squeak around, but hit the mark and had to do a penalty circle letting the Aussies and Greeks get by. They held 4th to the finish with GRE 2nd. The Brits were 5th. With a discard now factored in Paul and Kevin remain in second, two points out of first and 6 points ahead of the Ukrainians, who finished 7th in the race. 

The women had a very nice start, and a good beat, but only managed a 7th at the weather mark. The Greeks were leading again with Brazil 2nd. Katie and Isabelle moved to 5th on the run, 3rd on the second beat, and finally passed the Brazilians downwind to finish 2nd. Their 9,2 tied for 2nd best result for the day and moved them into 7th with a discard. They are only 9 points out of 2nd with 5 races to go. The Greeks have put on quite a show and are far ahead, but the battle for Silver and Bronze rages on. Katie and Isabelle are seriously in the hunt.

Stay tuned.

Rollin "Skip" Whyte
US Sailing Team


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Day 5 - August 18, 2004

Hello Race Fans,

Today the Olympic 470 event, with races 7 and 8 in the 11 race series, moved past middle age. As in life, options became more solidified today, some for the better and some for worse. For the US team the results were mixed.

It was a typical seabreeze day in Athens. The wind did its left shift thing from late morning to the 1:00PM start time with a slow build and a shift to the left. Right and left options were available with a slight preference for left. The women started first. Katie and Isabelle were in a group with the Greek and Netherlands. The Dutch got off best of the group, but it was the wrong place to start and all three were deep at the weather mark and still in a tight group. Katie and Isabelle were not able to move up around the course and finished 18th. 

The guys were a bit gun shy at the start and were not able to hold their lane. They were 16th at the top. Down the first run they did a masterful job keeping their lanes open, finessing their way through several groups of boats to round the leeward gate in 4th! It was the comeback leg of the event. The Brits, who were third at the weather mark, must have been saying, "Who are those guys?" when they found Paul and Kevin hot on their heels. Paul and Kevin moved up to third with the Brits second at the finish. The Japanese won the race, moving them up rapidly in the ranks given the poor performances of the other contending teams.

Katie and Isabelle had a perfect pin end start for the second race in the gradually building seabreeze of about 10 knots. They continued left, but the pressure came from the right and they were only 9th at the weather mark with the Slovenians leading for the second consecutive race. They had an incident with the Brits at the end of the top reach that ended up going to the protest room and lost five boats in the process. Things didn't improve much from there. They finished 18th again, but were in good company. The French, third going into the day, were 19th in both races. There is something about this regatta that is particularly humbling.

The Paul and Kevin suffered a similar fate at the start if the second race, losing their lane and having to work very hard up the beat to get to the top mark in one piece. They did a great job to get there in 8th. They went backwards on the first run, but rallied over the next legs to finish 7th. The Brits were 3rd. UKR, GRE, AUS, and BRA all had very bad days, propelling Great Britain and the USA into a big lead. The Brits still lead by 6, but the rest have faltered and been replace by the Japanese, now in third after a 1, 9 day which matched Paul and Kevin's 3,7. The good guys enjoy a 23 point cushion over third which is another 6 points better after drops are compared. Paul and Kevin are in a great position to challenge for the Gold, but know full well that they can take nothing for granted at this stage. They will have their game face on tomorrow.

This is so much fun!