And we're off.  The racing started yesterday...but stopped an hour later due to the wind.  

Canada had a bunch of boats impacted by the delay.  Although the lightweight women's 2x races all ran, being the last event to before the cancellation their conditions weren't ideal.  There's a photo I saw of the end of that race in which one boat's bow and stern are both completely submerged at the same time.  

I've been paying attention to the different wind trends here all week.  I've decided it's impossible to gauge the wind at Karapiro from my hotel room 30 kilometres away - that doesn't stop me from trying though.  Each morning before I get out of bed I listen for the sound of flags flapping in the wind above our hotel.  Then, as I brew my Discovery Coffee I look out the window at the lamp post banner across the street, and then to the tree tops beyond.  The trouble is they're always flapping.  

I thought I had the pattern down pat: calm until 8:40 AM, and then a slow but steady increase until 10 AM - perfectly set for 10:05 AM and the first race of the day.  That's what happened yesterday and the day before.  We went for a training row at 7:45 AM this morning and had great water for the first 2 laps, but then the wind started to blow up.  I was thinking that FISA should consider starting the races earlier; then I overheard someone say they can't start before 10 AM because of the sun's glare in the photo-finish camera.  Oakley should sponsor FISA too.  

The other Canadian boats impacted yesterday by the wind were the heavy women's 4x, the light men's 2x and 4-, and the heavy men's 4-.  Although it sucks to be involved in race delays, I gather it really sucks for lightweights.  To weigh in only to have your race delayed, and then to have to weigh in again.  Luckily something I will never experience!  

My prediction today, based on minutes upon minutes of my morning research, suggested the wind would pick up as the morning progressed.  I was wrong.  The conditions improved over the late morning and became nearly perfect.  There's hope for nicer conditions tomorrow too.  

All that said, good thing Bob Ernst taught me not to worry about what's out of my control.

Dave

www.davidcalder.ca