View from the (v wet) breakwater

China resident Alistair Skinner recounts his Finn/Yngling/49er experience

We woke to grey skies, rain AND most importantly more wind - but would there be enough. I wrote this first sentence while looking out from the 22nd floor at clouds scudding across the sky. Well scudding is a little too enthusiastic really but there is at least some carry in the sky but it was to prove a portent of what was to come and THAT was dogs being blown off chains.

We arrived at a completely Fushan Bay, the first thing that caught my eye, or the camera lens was Tornados doing what Tornados do best, flying to windward, fully powered up on one hull.

This was however only the appetiser and real clue to the prevailing conditions. Sorry but any photos posted to this report are a bit 'rained out' but who cares? It was a great day for sailing and more importantly a great day for British Olympic Sailing.

In a reversal of yesterday’s running order the Yngling went first and anyone who though they might see an Ainslie-like match between the 'Three Blondes in a Boat' and their Dutch rivals who were lying just one point behind them were to disappointed or surprised depending on your point of view.

To win the Gold by winning the medal race is surely doing it is style and that’s just what the British girls decided to do. You cannot be overtaken for the Gold medal if you go into the Medal Race in the lead and then win that. The strong conditions suited the team of Ayton, Webb and Wilson and they sailed to a emphatic win, only being headed at one mark rounding, and then only by 5 seconds by the German team, who weren’t a threat to their medal position.

So Ayton and Webb successfully defended the Gold they won in Athens with their then skipper Shirley Robertson herself a double Gold medallist.

It was noticeable that even before the Ynglings started their medal race that only one Finn was out on the water - that of the Blonde’s teammate Ben Ainslie, proving that success in sailing is part what you do on the race course and pat what you do before.

As the Finns were preparing for their Medal Race, the weather deteriorated and the fleet disappeared. Actually they stayed where they were, it was just the intensity of the rain cut visibility dramatically. The wind rose and while I am not sure what they were calling on the water, but on land umbrellas were turning inside out, the audience’s enthusiasm was waning and a number of the expensive hi-tech cameras became waterlogged, not just droplets on the lenses but at least one USD ¼ million of cameras suffered from condensation inside the lens itself.

The committee boat hoisted a postponement with signals ashore and the singlehanders sped marina-ward and many assumed with the deteriorating weather gusting well into the 6’s that racing was done for the day.

However a combination of the weather easing both in terms of wind and what was falling from the sky and the organizers wishing to stay on schedule had the Finns back out less than an hour later.

Yesterday Ainslie had close covered his American rival back down the fleet causing a reported request from Railey to Ainslie to 'just let him sail' and I am sure most were expecting a repeat performance – what happened wasn’t even close!

Whether Ainslie was inspired by the British Yingling team or whether it was a pre-planned strategy doesn’t matter - he simply stormed off the line in first place, lead at the first mark by 12 seconds from Frenchman Florent.

Although the Frenchman pegged him back a bit down the first run, from the first bottom mark Ainslie extended and extended to win from world ranked No 1 Christensen by a comfortable 45 seconds. Gold No 3 to Ainslie. Will he try No 4 in front of the home audience in the Finn? I doubt if even he knows that yet.

That left one Medal Race left and in this one the drama started before all the boats were on the race course. Pole position Denmark’s rig broke on the dock, I am not sure of the reason and as the minutes tickets by there were several despondent looking Danes on the breakwater wondering what had happened to their other main hope for a medal.

The starting hooter went, then out of the harbour came the Croatians? Well, in fact out came the Danes in the Croatian boat. In true Olympic spirit, or is it the spirit of sailing, the Croatians had lent the Danish pair of Warren & Ibsen their ride for the week.

They started way late in what was to become a race of attrition. NOT ONE boat avoided at least one swim. Some were greedy and went in several times. First one team hit the front, then another. The Danes were way behind, out of it, no chance, the leadership changed, they were in Bronze, then Silver and finally the crossed the line with three boats behind them. Quite incredibly in less than an hour they had gone from despair to victory in what must be one of the stories of the regatta. Well done Denmark but equally well done the Croatian sailors Pavle Kostov & peter Cupac 0 nautical traditions are not dead after all.

Morrison & Rhodes finished the Medal Race in 3rd position proving their strong wind pedigree.