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Race Nine After two general recalls, we had a bad start in the middle of the line. We had to tack and duck everyone to the right of us, which put us out of phase. At the weather mark, we were 26th. On the run, we gained a little distance, but no boats. We played the shifts up the right side on the next beat and moved up to 15th, but then lost most of it on the run. At the bottom of the run we were 21st. Again we played the shifts up the right side and moved up to 17th where we stayed for the next lap. On the last run, after the reach, we did a bear away and all the boats around us jibe-set. We found some more pressure and moved up to 13th by the finish. Not a good race.
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Olympic Commentary by Martha Mason Now this is what we came here for—excellent sailing in sparkling clear weather surrounding a spectacular harbor city! Friday's racing provided perfect conditions for the spectators, with a friendly ocean outside the Heads, and clear (if a bit distant) viewing inside. Finland's Thomas Johanson and Jyrki Jarvi wrapped up the 49er gold medal on Saturday when they took an unbeatable lead with one race remaining. That left Britons Ian Barker and Simon Hiscocks, who led by six points over brothers Jonathan and Charlie McKee of the US, to battle for silver and bronze in the final contest of the 16-race series. The McKees sailed aggressively from the start, knowing they needed to finish at least six places higher than the Brits to get the silver. They won the race, but ultimately the brothers had to settle for a bronze as Barker and Hiscocks finished in third. Out in the ocean, the Stars lined up on Friday for a practice sail in light air and a slight sea, with the breeze blowing five to six knots from 60 degrees at the start. Fourteen competitors showed up for the tune-up day, although fewer than that chose to stick it out for the whole race. The Star competition promises to be one of the more exciting sailing events, and the anticipation is growing daily. As Timothy Patton, Team Manager for the Bermuda contingent put it, "There's a wealth of experience in the Star class and they all stand toe-to-toe." The formidable teams from the US and Bermuda will be up against the likes of Colin Beashel [Australia] and Torben Grael [Brazil], among other topnotch competitors, and there's no clear favorite at present. Time will tell. |
