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| J122 heading to the start |
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| View from the stern |
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| Festival! |
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| The Royal Auxillary’s Black Knight precision parachuters arrive |
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| Cowes at night… |
–Captain Cat
(transcribed by the Can Opener)
regattas
Olympic Site
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| Weymouth |
We arrived at the Games site early on Monday and so had a little time to walk through the charming town of Weymouth before we staked our spot on the hillside to watch some amazing sailing. It was all dressed up in flags and finery for its Olympic visitors.
So, what’s the magical town of Weymouth like?
‘Weymouth is a seaside town in Dorset, England, situated on a sheltered bay at the mouth of the River Wey on the English Channel coast… Fishing and trading employ fewer people in the area since their peak in earlier centuries, but tourism has continuously increased its presence in the town since the 18th century and is now the primary industry.
‘…nearby Portland Harbour is home to the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, where the sailing events of the 2012 Olympic Games‘ are being held ‘and is ideal for sailing as it is exposed to reliable winds from most directions, but is sheltered from large waves and currents by Chesil Beach and the breakwaters.‘*
They couldn’t have picked a better spot for the racing. We loved it!
–Captain Cat
(transcribed by the Can Opener)
* Wikipedia
Olympic Report
The Olympics – Weymouth, England 2012
Yesterday I took the Can Opener down to see the Olympics, pinnacle of dinghy racing glory and excellence.
The First Mate was beyond excited and even I admit to a tiny frisson of sailing electricity running down my tail at the thought of witnessing true greatness at such close quarters.
The First Mate came the first time I whistled, he loaded up the oyster tin trolley (sustenance for the long day ahead) and dutifully hoisted me onto his shoulder as usual so I could steer him by the ears.
The Trek
We made the mighty train trek down to the southern shore in record time. Some spritely folk in our carriage had decked themselves out in Union Jacks and a few other assorted flags. We were not alone in our buoyant high spirits.
The Venue
The viewing area at Weymouth slopes gently down to the water which rings a perfect arc as an undulating stage before the crowd. Felt like you could almost touch the windward mark from where we sat. Brilliant.
Market Appeal
They say sailing is not a spectator sport and that may be true. But they have done really everything imaginable to make it more accessible and as riveting as possible.
Every dinghy was rigged with its own camera focused on the action in the cockpit. Two helicopters filmed from above and roving camera arms filmed from our hill. All of this was relayed back to giant screens around the crowd to make the action even more immediate.
Intensity
Regattas are now designed to lead in to a ‘medal round’ with a clear visually-appealing last race. No more ‘best 6 out of 7 races’ where the winner is triumphantly (though anti-climatically) announced after some math calcs in a back room.
Visual Appeal
Even the racing courses have been redesigned so that the final stretch to the finish is a mini-reach, emphasizing boats’ finishing positions like horses at the racetrack.
And you gotta love the ‘flags for spinnaker’ designs for the boats this year (as in the lead picture above). Absolutely gorgeous!
Results
We were lucky enough to see three medal round races yesterday. China won the women’s laser radial, and Australia won the men’s laser and 49er classes after some very intense competition.
Was it a great Olympic day? Absolutely! Whoo-hoo! You bet!
Have you been watching the Sailing Olympics? Favourite class? Best race? Best moment? What did you think?
–Captain Cat
(transcribed by the Can Opener)
Regatta Report
After the events of this past weekend, the Can Opener and I are now firm believers in ‘cruising’ regattas.
We arrived on the Friday at the host clubhouse (the Rompin’ Yowlers Squadroon) for relaxed evening drinks to open the festivities with our fellow participants. A jovial team-building dinner followed, a delightful ship-board sleep, and early next morning, away we sailed to the designated round up point.
In fact, the Saturday ‘race’ was more of a stroll round the cans in company. More than one helmsman had one hand on the wheel while the other brandished a streaming cup of tea.
We anchored en mass for a leisurely 2 hour lunch, and then pulled up anchor to round the cans again in the afternoon with renewed vigor and topped up tea mugs.
Very civilized.
On the first leg, the Can Opener had been non-plussed and seemed determined to press his racing luffing rights – as one normally does. But the cheerful lift of the next yacht’s tea mug and an ‘After yooou, dear boy…’ confirmed our growing suspicion that an entirely new and intriguing game was afoot.
‘Not at all, after you, dear Sir,’ I replied.
The Can Opener grinned a sheepish grin, handed the helm back to me, and trotted down to the galley to make up steaming cups of brew for our own dear team.
We are liking this take on the cruising life.
–Captain Cat
(transcribed by the Can Opener)
The Cruising Kitty 