Quick note on results: apparently FISA is having trouble with both their results and live racetracker; I will link once they have that fixed. I'm sure they're getting heat about it, so the outage shouldn't last too long, but you never know. I have linked up official results in both our results section and in our Olympic coverage.
Conditions and Orientation
Conditions: the morning started out almost dead flat; it was hard to call any significant wind. A crosshead from the port side then came up very quickly, and was even pushing some of the pairs into the buoys off their starboard oars (see one example in today's galleries). Eventually turned into as direct a headwind as a direct headwind can be.
If you are imagining the crews racing while watching the live racetracker, the lane-naming convention is opposite the usual FISA standard, which always puts Lane 1 nearest the finish line tower. The lanes thus go from 6 to 1, racing right to left past the grandstand.
Sound Travels
Thanks to the headwind, from the start, you could hear the calls being made in the crews almost into the second 500. The crux of it, almost always in understated, matter of fact tones: "yeah. go. now. long. yeah." Ah, straight boats.
Just Another Regatta
Citing the rule that everyone in a crew's hat must be the same (you can opt not to wear one, however): "All caps must be equal." We believe these basic truths, that all caps…
When a pair of pairs appeared to the line late: "Crew, you are too late, warning…"
In the next race, all five pairs were late, and the official was overhead to ask "Should I give them all a warning?" the decision was made that he would announce "All crews, please be earlier next time."
When a false start was awarded, the pontoon volunteers put out big red road cones to mark the lanes with warnings - the same cones that you see on the ring road at the course. Make do with what you have…
On the first false start of the day, the volunteers in the lane did not know exactly what to do; I showed them how and where to place the cone. It reminded me immediately of my role as de facto starting dock manager at the NSR's and trials this past year, as when I was out there taking photos, I was the only spare hand, and run up and back moving pontoons, helping alignment, and the like. Hey, it's all rowing, whether at dawn in Mercer, or nearing high noon in Athens.
Alignment is set by a clear plastic boot coming up out of the water, into which the bow is pushed; the boot disappears under the water when the beep marks the start. (You can see these in today's galleries, including one closeup early in the galleries, and a couple with a wake or a splash as it goes down.) When the officials are about to raise the boot, they announce "Arming the system." Jen Devine definitely winced at the ominous, Strangelove-ian sound of that one.
Diva of the Day
Single scullers are just different: Marcel Hacker was in fine single sculler form this morning. He arrived at the line seven minutes early, pulled into his lane, and sat with his chin in his hand as the rest of the scullers did practice starts and continued to warm up. One sculler finally pulled into their own lane, and asked a question of the stakeboat kid, who answered them; Hacker subsequently began yelling in German at the kid, making yapping hand gestures toward the officials, and suggesting that the stakeboat kid be removed. He then put his finger over his mouth in a shushing motion repeatedly, making the yapping hand figure again as well. Needless to say it got pretty quiet; what a diva.
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