Louise Cervera of France in women’s dinghy race – Credit: Getty Images
There was great anticipation this morning around the Marseille Marina as the skiff sailors prepared for their medal race.
The top ten boats in each division qualified for the finale after 12 grueling races over the past four days. The race committee set a course just off the marine’s sea wall so a large crowd of spectators could watch the 20-minute spectacle. Unfortunately, the wind died halfway through the heat and the officials abandoned the race.
It was a good call. The wind was non-existent, and the boats were having trouble moving at all. The race committee moved the race course about one mile out to sea and waited two hours. Finally, the race was attempted again and the 49er fleet took off. Twenty minutes later, yet again, the wind died off at the second mark. And with that unfortunate event racing was postponed until Friday, Aug. 2. The sailors will have to wait one more day to see who will take home a medal.
The men’s dinghy division was able to complete two races early in the afternoon. The winning boat covered the four-leg, three-mile course in 35 minutes. Duko Bos (The Netherlands) led from the start and crossed the finish line comfortably ahead of the other 42 boats in the fleet. Clemente Lacamara (Chile) was finished next, a distant 42 second later.
The boats used in the dinghy division are called an ILCA 7, formerly known as the Laser. It is a popular single-handed 12.5-foot-long boat that weighs 130 pounds. The boat has been raced in the Olympic Games since 1996. The boat was named the “Weekender” when it was first introduced in Canada in 1971. The builder and designer found sales to be sluggish, decided they needed a more modern name for the boat and came up with “Laser.” The recent name “ILCA,” is an acronym for “International Laser Class Association.” The class changed the name after a dispute developed between the designer, the class and one of the manufacturers.
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A second ILCA 7 race was sailed, and Stefano Peschiera won with Australia’s Matt Wearn second. There is no American entry in this discipline. This is the first time since 1932 that the United States has not had a full compliment in every Olympic sailing. Eight more races are scheduled over through the weekend with the medal race scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 6.
Louise Cervera from France won the women’s dinghy race in the ILCA 6. The boat is identical to the ILCA 7 except that the boat carries a little less sail area. American Ericka Reinike of Fort Lauderdale, Florida finished 14th in the 43-boat fleet. Reinike was in 10th place at the final turning mark but lost four boats on the downwind run to the finish line. A make-up race for the women’s division is scheduled for tomorrow.
The windsurfing sailors concluded their course racing today. The quarterfinal round, the semifinal round and the final are scheduled for Friday, Aug. 2. Emma Wilson (Great Britain) is the top seed in women’s windsurfing and Grae Morris (Australia) is the top seed in men’s windsurfing. Both sailors automatically advance to the final.
We have now seen five days of racing off Marseille. Regrettably, there has been a postponement on all five days. The race committee may need to move the courses further away from the marina and beaches. This may upset spectators, but the racing must take priority. Weather delays are frustrating for sailors, but having adequate wind is fundamental for the sport of sailing. Every sailor has experienced postponements for either no wind, or sometimes too much wind. The weather forecast calls for more light wind on Friday and a solid breeze on Saturday. All sailors prefer racing in good wind instead of sailing slowly in choppy waves and unsteady conditions. The mixed dinghy and multihull classes will begin racing on Saturday, and on Sunday formula kites will be speeding around the bay for the first time in Olympic history—if there is enough wind.
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