Starcom: Burke is our Man Of The Year

BRASS TACKS SUNDAY, an at times controversial but interesting radio discussion programme yesterday, named one-armed sailor Andrew Burke as its Personality Of The Year 2008.

Burke, who lost his left arm, collar and shoulder blade to cancer three years ago, put his sea-faring skills to work by sailing solo around Barbados on February 10, to raise funds for others battling cancer. He helped raise $350 000 for cancer victims.

For the full story, click here.

4.7 marketing

"Ok boys, somewhere in this picture is a Laser sail. If you can spot it, and tell me correctly which rig it's from, you win a free coaching session."

Sail? What Sail?! Apologies to SA for blatantly lifting their image, but I suffered from the same weak knee syndrome that they did when viewing the best ever SCOTW, and felt the need to share this feeling with others!

BigSmall

This is a brilliant shot of the machine that has been dubbed DOGzilla. Sitting at the dock there it looks...quite normal, really. Just your average trimaran, perhaps a similar size to an Extreme 40. But click on the picture and look closely, you can just about see someone standing infront of the starboard daggerboard. He looks like an ant!

Canned

This is the first time, in the three years I have been living in this country, that I have been genuinely pissed off with the weather. With good reason too: the weekend of sailing that I have been looking forward to since April was canned due to the bad weather you can see in this satellite image.

Normally I don't really care: sun, cloud, rain, cold, warm...I just take it as it comes and don't get too stressed. People here love to complain about the weather, even though it's normally what we everyone expects. Lisa definitely prefers summer to winter.

Oh sure, I have been annoyed a few times when it rained on the weekend, after a week of sunshine. I have been frustrated on many occasions around Europe by the fickle wind, (though if I had been Laser sailing today, I would have welcomed the cancellation).

Unfortunately I did not check the forecast last week and so the weather took me by surprise. Mark, the skipper, called me on Friday to say that Saturday's practice session was not a good idea, given the 40+ knot winds that were forecasted. So instead we met in the evening for dinner and a "lemonade"!

When I got down to the boat at 0745 this morning it was pouring with rain, which gave me a chance to test out my new Henri Lloyd Salopettes. The verdict: functional, comfortable, warm and dry. And no more straps that won't stay put.

But the only use it got today was carting sails around Port Hamble. The RC probably made the right decision, but I will have another week before I can give a proper product review.

I like it!

Denmark, the country that gave us X-Yachts and the lovable IMX 40, has now brought us Luctor Yachts. They only have one boat at the moment, the Luctor 42. Designed by the same people behind the Maltese Falcon, it's fortunately a lot better looking, like a smaller version of the amazing TP52 (they even copied the colour scheme with this particular boat).

The cockpit layout is simple and clean, with a grinder in the middle and two steering coloumns that are well forward of the main traveller. At the front is a bowsprit to hold out the 194 sq/m gennaker. They claim it will do upwards of 30 knots downwind given the right conditions and with that massive assymetrical, that's not too difficult to believe.

Luctor describes it as good value for money, but I have yet to see a price tag. Still, it's likely to be less money than a TP52, for nearly as much fun!

The Homecoming

Vasilij, with Trevor by his side, returns triumphantly to his home town of Izola, Slovenia, following his Silver-medal performance in Qingdao.

A great result

Paul Goodison sailed a tactical medal race, finishing 9th, enough to take the Gold. Whatever your views on match racing in the Medal Race, this is an awesome result for Paul and well deserved, all the more so for the challenging conditions in which the competition was sailed. Paul posted seven top-ten results in 9 races, including two firsts, giving him a massive 18-point lead going into the Medal Race. It is unfortunate that Rasmus Myrgren (SWE) lost his place on the podium in the process, but he has admitted that he would probably have done the same thing if the roles were reversed.

Over in the Radial fleet Anna Tunnicliffe, under much more pressure in her Medal Race, showed why she is World #1, pulling off a second place to secure victory. This has been her theme all regatta: no race wins but consistently good results. A great result also for Gintare (LTU) who must be happy also to have taken victory in the Medal Race. Lijia Xu kept the home flag flying with a podium finish in the Medal Race and the Bronze medal.

And of course, many congratulations to Vasilij, who followed up a Bronze medal at Athens with a Silver medal here in Qingdao. He must have been under intense pressure in the Medal Race, but held his nerve for a 2nd place, to move up from 4th overall. This shows a level of mental strength that one only achieves after more than 10 years of racing. His result also gives Trevor Millar his second Olympic medal as a coach, something most coaches only dream about.

Well done all.

Update from Qingdao - August 19

Greg & Peter sign off in Qingdao.

Dear All:

Greg sailed his 9th and last race yesterday. They were not able to complete the full series of 10 races within the schedule. Today the medal race will take place for the 10 top sailors.

It has been an honour for Greg to represent Barbados here in Qingdao. Six weeks ago we did not know that he was going to be here. Sailing with the very best in the world has been a fabulous experience for Greg. The results on the scoreboard do not reflect the progress he has made leading up to this event and while he has been here. To be scored last overall in this group of Laser sailors is not something to be ashamed of.

Greg has asked me to convey his sincere appreciation for the support that so many have given him to get here and while he has been here. It meant a lot to him to be know that so many friends were behind his efforts. He hopes that his achievements will inspire other young sailors to pursue their dreams.

This has been a very special time for me as a father. I have had the opportunity to spend a month with Greg, to share many special moments such as the opening ceremony and the many challenges of competing against the best in what have been very difficult sailing conditions. I have been able to support him while he faced the greatest challenges that he has faced as a sailor. I am extremely proud of the commitment and maturity that he has shown in the most trying of times. He is up against great sailors who have had the benefit of much greater resources than we have been able to access in support of Greg’s goals. He is an amateur student/athlete competing against the very best of professional sailors who do this for a living and in some cases have done this for several years.

We have a few days here and in Beijing before heading home to Toronto. Greg starts the engineering program at Queen’s University on the 31st and so he does not have a great deal of time to rest, recuperate and get back into student mode.

Thank you again for all of your support for Greg.

Regards to all


Peter Douglas

The right result

Jonas Warrer and Martin Ibsen (DEN) have been crowned 49er champions following a controversial medal race in which anyone watching from home would have thought they were sailing for Croatia. There were the obligatory protests as a result (I probably would have done the same) but in the end the results were allowed to stand. Despite the various rules and regulations (which, I admit, I am not familiar with) the Jury made the correct result. At a time when the on-shore wranglings seem to distract our attention from what is important (AC is a good example) it's nice to see sportsmanship prevail. Yesterday's race must have been challenging for the whole fleet, with a lot more than just gear being broken, but the Danish team proved that they had the physical and mental ability to be champions. Congrats.

Over in the Laser Paul G has extended his lead to the point where he is almost guaranteed a medal. In fact, by my calculations he only has to turn up and keep his nose clean and he will win the gold. And I could not be happier for him: he has been at the top of this class for years but has always remained without a World or Olympic title. Good for him.

It will be a 4-way battle for Silver and Bronze then..I know who I'm rooting for.

Update from Qingdao - August 17

Extreme conditions in Qingdao:

Dear All:

Qingdao either has too little or too much wind. Never very good sailing conditions. Today was a day of too much wind and a great deal of rain. We were affected by a low pressure area and had a steady stream of squalls come through. They scheduled three races and managed to get in only one. It was a good race for Greg and he finished 30th. He has been improving every race and he was happy with his race. He had a good start and was around 20th at the first mark.

It must have been an absolutely terrible to be a spectator here. I watched from indoors as the rain was coming in horizontally at times. So far they have completed the Yingling and Finn medal races. Just horrible conditions and many delays. At times they just could not see the marks. Greg reported that for his race where they could not look to windward because the rain was stinging their faces.

I guess they will try to race tomorrow on what was scheduled to be a reserve day. We have raced every day for six days straight and have just six races completed.

Regards to all,

Peter Douglas

Update from Qingdao - August 16

Peter D reports from One-Race-a-Day-Qinqdao.

Greg had another good day today with another 34th place in the one race we had today.

Today was a bit of a repeat of yesterday in that there was wind in the morning, the PRO sent them out for a noon start with the intention of having three races and they got in only one. Except today the postponement was on the water. Greg launched at 11:00 am and returned at 5:30 pm. He is happier with his start today and no errors were made. Conditions were the usual difficult with light winds and big shifts. After 5 races they get a drop and unfortunately this has put him back to last place overall. They were unable to have the medal races for the Finn and Yingling today due to poor wind conditions. They did have one start for the Finn and then a big shift came through and forced them to abandon.

The sailors are making more and more derogatory comments about the sailing conditions here in Qingdao. Comments are being made openly in the elevators and in the dining hall. They are getting frustrated with the lack of winds and the big shifts that can turn a fleet upside down. Anyway, Greg is still happy to be here and is learning in every race.

I stayed on shore this afternoon and did the laundry. That is one of the key jobs of team leader. We have our boat next to Norway. The Norway Finn sailor has an assistant (not sure that he is the coach) come down in the morning to get the boat ready for him. The sailor arrives later and picks up the boat and goes down the ramp. Talk about having support staff! Greg does not get that level of service, but I do help him roll the sail at the end of the day.

Regards to all.

Peter Douglas

Laser Day 5 - Go Vasilij!!

It was a Balkan 1-2 today with Vasilij Zbogar (SLO) and Luka Radelic (CRO) taking the top spots, as yesterday's leaders finished 8,9,10 and 17th. Diego retains the advantage - just. After the topsy turvy results of the last four days, the discard has been applied and the battle is definitely hotting up: the top five sailors are separated by five points. 2004 bronze-medallist Vasilij is only two points off the lead, with Paul Goody just three points adrift.

Over in the Radial fleet, Jo Aleh (NZL) has produced an impressive string of results and now has just 10 points after five races and a discard. Good work to her, and to Gintare and Anna, who have all managed to be consistent in these challenging conditions. Flying the flag for China in the sport of sailing is Lijia Xu (2006 World Champion) currently in fourth.

Let's not forget Greg who posted another decent result today of 34th, beating Tom Slingsby. Another sailor who had an amazing race was Adil Mohammad (UAE), part of the SailCoach family, who posted an 11th.

See the Laser results here.

Day 4 - 'twas ever so...

Definitely no tornado here...USA gets towed back to base (photo: AP).

Paul Goodison took the lead after Race 4, with Rasmus from Sweden hot on his...erm, transom after they finished 1-2. But it is Diego Romero who retains the advantage once the discard is applied. He and Lima were the most consistent (consistently good, anway) until today, and they would move back up to 1st and 2nd with the discard, while Rasmus and Paul would switch into 3rd and 4th. Which raises an interesting question, given the unreliability of the wind: how many races do they need to complete before the discard kicks in?

.

The person I feel most sorry for is Tom Slingsby...he has been on of the world for the last 18 months or so and to be consistently out of the runnings must be soul-destroying. One Aussie coach noted that it was probably time for him to have a big night out (http://sailjuice.squarespace.com/) certainly is what I would do!

.

Peter made his first negative comment about the venue in his Update today, and I can sense the frustration in most info coming out of Qinqdao. Yet this is not the first time the conditions for the Olymic Regatta have been horrible; I remember Sunny (LTU) telling about the racing in Athens, where the trapezoid was ditched one day because the wind was just too variable. Instead they did windward/leewards, going around five times! It was hard enough trying to keep count, but the RC was constantly moving the windward mark to accommodate the wind, making it a nightmare.

However, I think that if you look at the top venues in Europe, many would struggle to make the top 50...sometimes. I have sat becalmed in Kiel, Medemblik, Hyeres and Warnemunde. And Greg knows first hand the fickle nature of Weymouth. I am hard-pressed to think of a major event - or any minor event - in the last three years where we did not lose a day of racing.

My conclusion: move all international racing to the Caribbean!!

Update from Qingdao - August 15

Dear All:

It was a long day at the office again here in Qingdao. We appeared to have good winds this morning. The PRO announced that the first race would be at noon and that he would try for 3 races. The sailors were in the boat area at 10:00, launched at 11:00 for the 30 minute tow to the race course and finally got off the water at 6:30 pm tonight. In between, they had a postponement, were sent in and then returned to the water at 4:00pm to have the race start just before 5:00 pm.

Greg improved his performance in the one race that took place today. At the end of the first beat he was 30th and he finished 34th. A much improved performance from his first three races and I have a much happier camper tonight. His confidence has been improved. The starts are still a challenge because he is not yet getting right onto the line and then he does not quite have the boat speed to hold his position. But every race he gets better on the start.

I have been able to observe what Tom Slingsby is going through. Here is a sailor who is ranked number one in the world in the Laser and who all his countrymen expected to be winning gold. He is having a horrible regatta and is not even in line for the medal race. He came off the water very dejected this afternoon. Walked straight pass the press and was one of the first in the dining room tonight. So, Greg is not the only one with disappointments. Even Greg’s hero, Robert Sheidt, had a terrible first race in the Star today. I watched him make the same tactical mistakes Greg did. He went right when left was favoured and got buried.

So, another tough day for all in Qingdao. The wind conditions are not suitable for racing at the Olympic level. If one could select a place anywhere in the world to conduct a top level regatta, Qingdao would not make the top 50. It looks like we will be using all of our spare and reserve days to try to get in the 10 races.

Regards to all.

Peter Douglas

Update from Qingdao - August 14

It wouldn't be a Laser event without a day lost to poor conditions.

Dear All:

We woke up to a low mist over the city and limp flags on their poles. There was no breeze. During the day it picked up a bit so that the flags were gently flying, but there was never enough wind for racing.

We went down to the boat park and rigged the Laser in hope that things would improve, but at 11:3o am the postponement flag went up. We sat around for an hour, did an interview with a reporter and then went back to the residence. Greg could monitor the postponement flags from our room. It was also very hot outside and there was no sense in dehydrating out there.

By 2:30 pm it was starting to be obvious that things were not going to improve and so I went shopping. Greg stayed in case there was a change. I got back at 4:00 pm as racing was abandoned for the day. We had a reserve day scheduled for tomorrow and so we live in hope that there will be winds tomorrow. Some of the forecasts are calling for an improvement due to an approaching weather system.

Greg’s spirits are still pretty good, although, like all the sailors he is frustrated by the weather conditions. They came here to sail and sitting around in the boat park is not fun.

Regards to all

Peter Douglas

Update from Qingdao - August 13

Dear All:

Greg had a better day than yesterday. The sailors were sent onto the water at noon but then were postponed on the after for 3 hours before they got off one race. Conditions were similar to yesterday, with light winds. Greg had a reasonable start and did quite well for 95% of the race. Then he blew it at the end and ended up in last place, again. Although the result was the same as the first two races, there was hope today and signs that he can do better. He was very disappointed but knows exactly where he went wrong. Luis was also very disappointed, but was encouraged by the fact that Greg showed for most of the race that he had learnt from the mistakes of the day before.

With just one race today, we race again tomorrow with two races scheduled. We may be racing also on Friday which had been scheduled as a spare day. Greg’s race was not televised and I did not go on the water. It is less stressful for me to find other things to do rather than to watch him race. Greg will try again tomorrow to continue to improve and hopefully see improvement reflected on the scoreboard.

Greg appreciates all the expressions of support and best wishes that he has received.

Regards to all

Peter Douglas

Laser Day 2

Another light wind day in Qindao, another reshuffle of the leaderboard...for some sailors. After a three hour postponement only one race was sailed and yesterday's leader Andrew Murdoch plummetted to 13th, following a 40th place finish. Nevermind, with the discard he is still in first. Romero and Lima held their nerve to move up to 1st and 2nd respectively overall, while Campbell and Geritzer improved their standings considerably with 1st and 2nd place finishes today. Meanwhile the possibility of being on the podium is becoming increasingly difficult for Slingsby, now scoring finshes of 21-22-21.

It was a tough day for Greg too, as you can read in his update below. I know how challening, frustrating and soul-destroying it can be to sail in these conditions. Hanging around waiting to race was alway my least favourite part, and is even worse at a major event when the adrenaline is pumping and you are fighting nerves. Getting the boat moving in 3-4 knots of wind requires immense skill and an extremely delicate touch. Once you get going, keeping the momentum is difficult in choppy seas and strong currents. If you manage to overcome those hurdles, to be denied a good result by a wind shift or bad decision is....character-building, to say the least.

Hang in there, Bruds.

Photo: AP

Update from Qingdao - August 12

Dear All:

Greg had a very tough day at the office today. We woke up to the usual light winds and hot temperatures. The conditions were similar to what they had been training in over the last few days.

I went with Greg as usual to the boat area and assisted with the preparations etc. There was a postponement on shore for about 30 minutes before they were sent onto the water for the first race for the Lasers. I then went back to my room where I could se the course form our 16th floor room and I also had the TV coverage available. The A course is very close to shore and will be where the medal races take place.

From my viewpoint, Greg had two poor starts and then made tactical errors in both races. He never seemed to be on the favoured side of the course. His boat speed seemed to be fine. He finished last in both races. He was quiet when he got back to shore but seemed to pick up himself after a shower and dinner. He is currently with Luis for a briefing.

Tomorrow is another day and hopefully a better one.

Regards to all


Peter Douglas

Olympics: Laser, Day 1

The conditions in Qinqdao appear to be pretty much as expected: hot, light, shifty winds and strong currents. So, no surprises. That these conditions are challenging was evident from the results of the other classes where, for example, last year's 49er World Champions dropped from 1st to 9th after registering scores of 14-15-15. Damn.

The results from the first day of racing for the Laser class were not different, with some...interesting results. At the top is Murdoch - no surprises here, he is #2 in the world. In 6th place is Goodison, with a 15-2, Vasilij is 12th with 24-4, Geritzer 14th with 28-6, Del Solar 3-34, Muslubas 4-42. It's as if the two races were sailed on different days in vastly different conditions!

Of course, there is a long way to go and Tom, down in 23rd, should take heart. But with only one discard, he's got his work cut out.

Update from Qingdao - August 10

Greg and Peter were at the Opening Ceremony on Friday.

We are back from a very exhilarating trip to Beijing for the incredible opening ceremony. We flew to Beijing in the morning and were taken to the Olympic Village where we met our team. I had already met the officials in Barbados but this was an introduction for Greg. We also met the athletes for the first time. We got our uniforms for the parade of athletes and then sorted out our other uniform items. BOA gave us a big suitcase to hold it all and so we will be well dressed for the balance of our stay in Qingdao. Interestingly, the Barbados Olympic team uniforms were supplied by The Bay, the same supplier as the Canadian Olympic team. The connections between Barbados and Canada never cease to amaze me.

We took a short nap in the afternoon as we knew that it would be a late night. We were accommodated in a typical room. They have them set up with four bedrooms, each holding two beds, around a central room with a large table and chairs. There are no cooking facilities but there is a large fridge. I must admit that we are thoroughly spoilt by our accommodation in Qingdao. They do not have the five star quality furniture and fittings, the marble clad bathroom and the 40 inch HD TV with Bose sound system. We also had about twice the square footage. We visited their dining hall. It is huge to accommodate the large number of athletes and perhaps because of that their food quality is not as high as in Qingdao. After all, we are staying in an Intercontinental with a French executive chef. They have a McDonalds integrated into their dining hall.

We met up with the Barbados team in their rooms at 5:00 pm and did the final adjustments to our parade outfits. We were bused at 5:30 to a big hall where we were seated before our parade of nations. We were given a light snack and water was available. Unfortunately they did not have screens set up to show us the entertainment, but Dale has made a tape and so we can see what we missed when we return to Toronto. We got to chat with the other athletes during the 2 hour wait. All of the Barbadian athletes live and train overseas. They are similar to Greg in that they are amateurs, and are full or part-time students. They had a great deal of fun together, very relaxed and very welcoming of Greg.

We saw some very enthusiastic Barbadian supporters as we came into the stadium. They were waving a Barbados flag and we think it was Sir Henry Forde and his family. That was also very special seeing Barbadian supporters in the crowd. It was not something we could have expected as we expected to be overwhelmed by the other countries. They really made a big impact and generated a lot of pride amongst the Barbadian team that night in a land far away from home.

We then participated in the parade of athletes which is our highlight of the games to date. It was the most exciting feeling entering that stadium of over 100,000 persons to the intense applause and electric atmosphere. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Up until entering the Birds Nest Stadium, the event could really have been just another big regatta with great sailors around. Entering that stadium, Greg and I realized that this was the real thing.

Luis and I had a special moment together. Uruguay paraded close to us. When we got to centre of the field we were able to see each other and gave each other a big hug and said to each other at the same time “He really made it”. To better understand the origin of that hug and that comment, the attached picture was taken by me in 2002 at the IODA World Championships in Corpus Christi, Texas. Luis is on the left talking to Greg, Jason and Peter Hoad. Luis, Greg and I clicked and that first meeting led to Luis coming to Barbados to teach a racing clinic, Greg going to Bermuda to attend a clinic with him, Luis coaching Greg at the 2008 Laser Worlds, Greg working for and training with Luis in Bermuda in July this year and finally our being together, 6 years later, at the Olympics. Luis also helped Sarah develop as a sailor through clinics in St. Thomas and Bermuda, and finally in recruiting Roberto Fabini to coach LOOT. There are several coaches who all played important roles in getting Greg to this stage, but Luis Chiapparro holds a very special place in the hearts of our family.

The parade was long and very hot but very much worth it. We managed to see lot of superstar athletes. Greg was working the new videocamera and got footage of various celebrities. The US basketball players were the major stars, with Kobe Bryant, LeBron Taylor and Chris Bosh drawing a lot of attention.

After the opening ceremony ended we were bused back to the village where we had a late meal before saying goodbye to the rest of the Barbados team and crashing for a few hours sleep starting some time after 1:30 am. The 7:00 am walk up call came much too soon, we had a quick breakfast and then we were off to the airport. On arrival back in Qingdao they did something very special for us. The buses met us on the ramp and took us straight to our Village. In Beijing we went through the airport terminal which caused a certain amount of delay as they counted and recounted to make sure that they were not missing any sailors.

Back in Qingdao yesterday, we had a day off sailing. We rested and attended the Qingdao opening ceremony. It was a short event, although not quite as well organized as Beijing. They had us waiting outside in the heat for an hour before the parade of flags. Greg got to carry the flag in the parade. After the opening ceremony in Beijing, their event was underwhelming. I guess it is necessary fort the local politicians to get on local TV and they tried their best, but coming immediately after Beijing’s performance, they would always pale in comparison.

We slept well last night and Greg will be training this afternoon. We have to get back into our routine and back focused on sailing after two days of opening ceremonies. Greg has been having a wonderful time, soaking it all in.

That’s all for now. I have to go get our laundry.

Olympic Anthem

Greek lyrics

Αρχαίο Πνεύμ' αθάνατο, αγνέ πατέρα
του ωραίου, του μεγάλου και τ'αληθινού,
κατέβα, φανερώσου κι άστραψ'εδώ πέρα
στην δόξα της δικής σου γης και τ'ουρανού.

Στο δρόμο και στο πάλεμα και στο λιθάρι,
στων ευγενών Αγώνων λάμψε την ορμή,
και με τ' αμάραντο στεφάνωσε κλωνάρι
και σιδερένιο πλάσε κι άξιο το κορμί.

Κάμποι, βουνά και θάλασσες φέγγουν μαζί σου
σαν ένας λευκοπόρφυρος μέγας ναός,
και τρέχει στο ναό εδώ, προσκυνητής σου,
Αρχαίο Πνεύμ' αθάνατο, κάθε λαός.

English translation

ANTHEM OF THE GAMES

Ancient immortal Spirit, pure father
of beauty, of greatness and of truth,
descend, reveal yourself as lightning here
within the glory of your own earth and sky.

At running and wrestling and at throwing
illuminate in the noble Games’ momentum,
and crown with the unfading branch
and make the body worthy and ironlike.

Plains, mountains and seas shine with you
like a white-and-purple great temple,
and hurries at the temple here, your pilgrim
every nation, o ancient, immortal Spirit.

Update from Qingdao - August 7

The start draws near for Greg in Qinqdao.

Greg has had two great days of training on the water. The winds remain light as expected while the temperature has increased by a couple of degrees. I am soaked in perspiration every time I venture into the boat storage area with him. The humidity is very high and so it must be close to 40 degrees Celsius. The cooler for the coach boat is working out to have been a very good purchase. It stays on the boat and we refill it with ice and water every morning.

The race committees were out on the water again today. The start boats are power cats with a large electronic screen mounted on top. When they leave the marina, the start boat is accompanied by all of the mark boats etc for that course. There must be about 10 such boats, all of which are speedboats of about 25 feet. The start boat leads and the others are in a line following its stern. It looks like a hen with her chicks following. All very orderly and well behaved.

Today we had our briefing on the travel to Beijing tomorrow for the opening ceremony. They have agreed to open the dining hall early to accommodate the early travelers. We leave the Village at 7:00 am for a 9:00 am flight to Beijing. Only 300 are going to Beijing for the opening ceremony. It turns out that several classes have their practice race on the afternoon of August 9 and so will not be back in time if they went to Beijing. We will spend the night in the Beijing Olympic Village before returning to Qingdao on an 11:00 am flight. We will have to sail late into the afternoon on the 9th.

We are looking forward to our visit to Beijing. We will be staying in their Olympic Village which must be substantially larger than what we have here in Qingdao. We get to meet the rest of the Barbados team fot he first time. It will be a late night but is expected to be one of those once in a lifetime events.

There is a Qingdao opening ceremony on August 9, again with a parade of country flags and athletes. That takes place at 8:00 pm. Today I went to the operations centre to sign off on the national anthem and flag. They were having all the team leaders come in and check to make sure no international incidents happen over flags and national anthems. I have seen major confusion occur over this at the IODA Worlds in Ecuador when they played the Taiwan anthem instead of the PRC anthem.

Greg continues to be relaxed and comfortable. We saw another of his heroes this morning on the launch ramp: Ben Ainslie. He is actually kind of small and is definitely smaller than the average Finn sailor. The J boat Endeavor is docked in the Olympic Harbour and moved out when Greg was leaving the harbour. She is a beautiful boat.

I continue to be inspired by the great athletes around me. I have been exercising every morning, usually early. I am one of the very first into the gym when it opens at 6:00 am. I have not seen the Australian sailor for the past few days and so she must have changed her daily routine. Most athletes seem to do their work-outs in the evening. The gym and the extra equipment just outside of it are very busy in the evenings when I am typically sitting in the area doing my e-mails to coincide with morning in North America.

Every night for the past 5 nights they have been practicing for the Qingdao Opening Ceremony. The city is lit up and there is a laser light show that takes place. It is all very impressive from our vantage point on the 16th floor of the Village. There is also a massive water fountain in the sea just off the boardwalk in the city. That is also lit up and all tied into music being played. Several of the office towers in downtown Qingdao have moving light shows that are played. It is a moving display of sailboats. They are using the building like a billboard. Interestingly, driving past the buildings you cannot see any additional lights or scaffolding on the building. And these displays are at least 30 stories tall. They are very impressive.

My next report will be after our return from Beijing. We have been told to travel light and I will probably not take my laptop. However, I will have my Blackberry turned on. We are taking two cameras and a videocam to record our participation.

Forces of Nature

The Forces were strong last weekend: those pulling me towards Cowes Week, the biggest sailing event in the World (see pictures below), were cancelled out by a longing to be home for Barbados' carnival.
Perhaps you can tell why....:

High flying sailors

Catamaran sailors have a unique training regime. In addition to the hours spent in the gym, on the bike, rowing machine or jogging trail, as well as days on the water in exotic locations, cat experts spend quite a lot of time on the climbing walls. With good reason...


Photo Ingrid Abery.

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Due to the rubbish weather we had all weekend I didn't make it down to the Solent (the joys of being a family man). Here is what I, and I suspect most of you, missed:


Photo credit: onEdition


Photo credit: onEdition


Photo credit: onEdition


Photo credit: Mark Lloyd images


Photo credit: Rick Tomlinson


Photo credit: onEdition

And here I am:

Update from Qingdao - August 3

Peter & Greg explore Qinqdao.

Today we woke up to bright sunshine and no breeze. It is just as well we scheduled a rest day of sightseeing. The sky was blue and there was relatively little smog to be seen over the city. The horizon is still hazy and so we cannot see the nearby islands easily. The city sure looks a lot better in these conditions. After breakfast we departed on our tour. We went in our car and Luis and Alejandro went in the URU car. We started in a neighborhood with fine houses and hotels and a beach facility. The first thing I noticed was the large number of people around. The beach was crowded and everyone likes to have an umbrella. The beach was a medium coloured sand more akin to what we would use for construction in Barbados. The water was a dirty green but that does not stop the locals from swimming in it. The neighborhood had lots of trees and parks and was quite beautiful.

We then went to the Qingdao Pier. This is a pier that was built by the Germans when they controlled Qingdao. There is a very ornate pavilion at the end. It was absolutely crowded with people, again with over half of them with umbrellas. With height, Greg and I were looking over this sea of people. On the way to the pier we saw some Optimist dinghies sailing in a bay. I asked the driver to stop and I took a picture. There seemed to be a little sailing club with Optis, Lasers and some two man boats that I had never seen before. They seemed very enthusiastic. After the pier we went to the Palace. There were a series of rooms in this very traditional building dedicated to various special gods. There seemed to have been a different god for every aspect of life. There were locals there burning incense and some seemed to be saying prayers. There were also lots of figurines of what must have been famous generals.

We decided to skip the Aquarium and visited the Naval Museum. We saw old Chinese naval ships and aircraft. It was quite an extensive display, with an obvious highlight of items that were designed and made in China. There were some old copies of Russian Mig aircraft, but they were not as prominently displayed. After the Museum, it was time for lunch. My original plan was for a traditional Chinese meal. After all, “when in China, ……”. Well, my colleagues decided that sushi was better and we ended up in a sushi bar close to the village. The restaurant was located in a very upscale mall with stores like Gucci and Cartier. We had an outstanding meal for about $10 each. After lunch we walked back to the Village. Alejandro had measurement at 2:00 pm. At 3 pm we left for a market area with shopping that was supposed to be cheap. We saw many shops with largely the same selection of clothing, bags and shoes. Many appeared to be cheap copies, often with the names spelt incorrectly. We later went to a mall with electronic stores where Greg bought headphones and a computer game.

Driving around I made the following observations:

1. The driving really is bad and it makes sense that they do not let tourists drive here. However, there did not seem to be too many accidents and not many cars had dents.
2. Most people seemed to live in apartment buildings that were about 6 or 7 stories high that were pretty old and run down. The streets and parks were crowded. Obviously families spent a great deal of their time outside of their apartment.
3. The downtown and coastal areas showed greater prosperity and you could see signs of great wealth. Very expensive cars and some very big houses. There were also large new apartment complexes with secure perimeters.
4. I have not seen any signs of terrible poverty like I have seen in South America, which means that the average city dweller lives better than most. I understand that the rural areas are not as well off and so the big draw of people into the urban areas.
5. Every store or office has lots of people working there. Everywhere is overstaffed with lots of extra bodies standing around.
6. If incomes continue to improve and most continue to increase their wealth, China is going to be a huge provider of tourists to the rest of the world. They are creating a huge middle-class who will have the money and the desire to see the world.
7. The government is still very big on symbolic buildings and slogans about the greater good. There are signs and billboards everywhere about Beijing 2008. “One World, One Dream” is their common slogan that is plastered all over the city. They have some huge banners on 40 storey buildings.

We had a great day exploring a small aspect of this large city. What we have not had an opportunity to do is to talk to real local people about what life is really like here. Our assistants and the others in the Olympic Village follow the propaganda lines and so we do not get a sense of the real China from them. We will be meeting some locals and ex-pats when we go to Beijing after the Games and we will then get a better sense of the real China.

That’s all for today. Tomorrow we are back into the training program and I have my usual 9 am Team Operational meeting. I get the sense that most of the sailors are now at the Village.

Regards to all

Peter Douglas

Update from Qingdao - July 31

Greg and Peter are settling into Qingdao

Dear All:

Who said that there is no wind in Qingdao? It was blowing between 15 to 20 knots today and the waves were large. We are being affected by a typhoon that increased the winds overnight and they stayed with us all day. We got together with our coach, Luis Chiapparro, this morning. Along with Alejandro, the URU Laser sailor, they went in the URU vehicle to a nearby marina to get the coach boat. Luis and Alejendro brought the RIB back to the Olympic Village. They had to insist that they could bring the boat because the locals were saying that the waves were too big to go out. The local assistant crawled along the floating dock which was being tossed around by the wave action. The sailors thought that it was all very funny.

Greg also got his first experience of how they drive here. He did not come with me for my two trips in Qingdao earlier in the week. In China, pedestrians have no rights. In fact, it is open season on pedestrians, cyclist and other vehicles. The driver of the vehicle bringing Greg and the assistant back to the village hit a pedestrian! There was no serious injury, the driver just made sure that the pedestrian was alive and then drove away. I had noticed on my trips that my driver would drive through a marked pedestrian crossing with people walking. Pedestrians would jump out of the way.

During one of the team meetings with the organizers, some of the teams had complained that they were not allowed to take their bicycles through the security gate into the city. The organizers stated during the meeting that the policy was for our safety and now I better understand. Luis and Alejandro were here last month to train and bought two bikes for use in the Village. Many teams have bikes. Obviously it is only safe in the Village.I must say that the driving here is more aggressive and out of control than anywhere I have been. It is like the wild west; no rules apply.

Anyway, our plan was for the sailors to go out and sail this afternoon. Luis and the sailors had the benefit of talking to the chief measurer and discovered some critical information. If you damaged equipment during practice, no substitutions were allowed. A sailor bent his mast in the wind yesterday and tries to get a replacement which was denied. So, Luis and our sailors, along with most Laser sailors, decided that they would stay ashore to eliminate the risk. We are one of the few classes where the equipment was supplied. The other classes supplier their own equipment and so they can repair/replace damaged items.

The sailors who went out had a ball. The 470s were flying. Robert Sheidt went out in his Star. Our Laser parking spot is next to Brazil. So Greg gets to see his hero regularly and Luis gets to hang out with the attractive Brazilian female sailors. Luis knows all the attractive women in sailing and so I stay close to Luis with the hope that I get to meet them.Luis spent the afternoon putting together a training schedule. Greg and Alejandro went to the gym. I dealt with admin stuff. The weather has stayed very overcast and rainy. Hopefully we will have better weather tomorrow.

We are starting to get information about going to the opening ceremony. They fly us to Beijing in the morning, the ceremony is in the evening and we return to Qingdao the next morning. More teams are arriving at the Village. I saw Spain’s big contingent arrive today. They travel with a lot of bags and equipment. Laser sailors must have it the easiest. We just travel with a tiller, tiller extension and a few sails. There is a massive parking area of containers for the other classes. These guys travel with 40 ft containers outfitted inside with racks, work benches and tools. They could rebuild their boats from what I saw. I am happy that Greg sails the Laser. I have told him that he cannot change boat as long as he stays on our family’s payroll.

The sailor is happy and so I am happy. I am still struggling with my sleep pattern but time will fix that. The meals are good which helps morale when we cannot get on the water. The gym facilities are actually not very big for the number of athletes here. I could not get to all the equipment I wanted to use this morning. A female Australian had the free weights all captured this morning. She was very intense, recording what she did. I did not dare get in her way! My plan for tomorrow morning is to go on the treadmills outside the gym before 6:00 am when the gym opens and then at 6 go straight to the weights before she gets there.

That’s all for today. I have to go check on a fax from my chef de mission in Beijing. I need this document to complete Greg’s registration tomorrow.


Regards to all

Peter Douglas

Report from Qingdao - July 30

Greg and his Dad have arrived in Qinqdao.

Dear All:

I am very pleased to report that our transportation and arrival in Qingdao went very smoothly. We traveled from Toronto via New York and Beijing. It was a long 24 hours but any long trip is a good trip when you walk away from the plane and all your baggage arrives with you!

The Olympic Village in Qingdao is magnificent. The facilities are the best I have ever seen. The harbour is perfectly set up for an event of this size, with lots of parking space for the boats and docks for all the coach boats. The accommodation is actually too fancy for sailors. We are staying in what is a building that will be operated as a five star hotel after the Olympics. The rooms are luxurious with lots of marble and the latest style of fittings.

The food has been good, with a good selection that would meet all tastes. Greg is a pretty careful eater and has been able to get what he wants and needs. We are starting to finally adjust to the change in time zone. I am still not sleeping at regular hours and, as when we went to Australia, Greg adjusted a lot faster than I did. He is into his physical program, with swimming in a very big pool in the hotel and working out in the gym.

Greg went sailing today and enjoyed the conditions. There was over 10 knots of breeze with a good swell and current with the wind. He enjoyed surfing downwind. A good start to an event where we expect to sail in all kinds of conditions. With typhoons etc, we should get a bit of everything, but mostly light conditions. They have largely solved the algae problem, although Greg reported having to sail around a few large clumps. They are still working on it and we expect that they will have the fishermen clear out the last of it before official racing starts.

Greg does not face any challenges for sailing. I am facing the usual challenges regarding the logistics and communications side of things. Internet access is limited here. They offer internet in the room; at an outrageous amount of money that nobody is paying. So we all use the free wireless that is available only in the public areas. They do not even have wireless in the “office” that they have provided the team. So I cannot use my laptop in my “office”. The “office” does not have a scanner. I brought my own printer/scanner which I set up in my room.

My other challenge is the lack of effective English in most staff at the Village. We are assigned two assistants who can barely get past “good morning” and who have no clue about normal business items. Buying a USB cable for the printer and sending a FedEx package both proved to be an adventure. I have found a concierge at the Crowne Plaza Hotel outside of the Village who has proven to be more helpful that any of the staff within the Village. They have covered every square foot of the Village with these volunteers who are only useful to smile at you and say good morning. I send away my assistants most of the time because I can get things done faster without their help.

We will sail every day until we go up to Beijing for the opening ceremony on August 8. Getting into the routine will be good for Greg. He is thrilled to be sailing with all of his heroes. We will be walking along and he will lean over and say “Do you know who that was? That was Robert Scheidt.” We have not seen the British team and Ben Ainslie, but I am sure that will be a thrill for him. He already knows a number of the sailors here. Raul and Rulo from DOM are here. Greg has spent enough time in Cabarete that they get along very well. I last saw Rulo early this month in Curacao at the Optimist North Americans. I am even seeing some of the coaches from Optimist events here.

One of the great things about this sport is the fact that sailors can continue competing at the highest levels well into their 40’s. Maybe not in the single-handed classes, but many guys in the Star are almost my age. There is a 60 year old competing. So we have a wide spectrum of ages, from Greg who is the youngest sailor in the event, to guys older than I am.

That’s it for now. It is bedtime for me. Greg is already asleep. We will get up early, get into the gym and then have breakfast before he goes sailing tomorrow morning.

Regards to all

Peter Douglas

Classic Action

I finally got down to the beach today (thank goodness for "working from home"!) to check out the action in the Solent. I knew that the Classic Yacht Club Regatta was on and didn't want to pass up a chance to see these graceful boats in action. The weather has been amazing this week and has provided the perfect environment for photography, as you can see from this picture. Although I prefer carbon fibre and kevlar, I can't help but appreciate the beauty of classic yachts, not to mention give respect to the crews that operate them with minimal modern conveniences (such as winches!). In 2005 I was in Antigua just after classic week and I stood on the dock in English Harbour drooling over the polished teak and shining brass of Ranger and the like. I did not have the greatest view from my vantage point at Hill Head but the Solent was awash with white sails and coloured spinnakers. Closer to the shore the windsurfers and kite surfers were also entertaining.

The Solent is set to get busier than ever over the next week, in the lead up to Cowes Week next weekend. The hordes of boats practising this week will include a fleet of Extreme 40s, with the AC boys in attendance. I am not racing, and if I get to see only a bit of the action, I hope it is these spectacular machines.

Thought for the day

According to a research 1/3 of fires in the home occur when we are drunk. Does that mean that you are twice as likely to be involved in a fire if you remain sober? Hmmm...

Talula Does the Hula

This article is too funny to pass up. Apparently some parents around the world don't give as much thought to the names of their children as Lisa and I did with Samuel. Talula Does the Hula from Hawaii is so embarassed about her name that her friends call her K, but that's still not as bad as being called No.16 Bus Shelter. And who would want to be named after a brand of cigarettes? Or a 6-cylinder Ford? (Maybe a Lamborghini: how about Countach Streeter?!!)

Other people who had more luck with their birth certificates seem bent on reversing their good fortune...can anyone guess what the two-word phrase is that "contains a four-letter expletive and expresses opposition to censorship"?!

It'll make you go blind!

An interesting article in the ABC's news website last week highlighted some interesting attitudes towards sex in America. Or rather, some local governments' attempts to crack down on activities that are "detrimental to the health and morality of the State". Do the incidents described show the prevalence of over-zealous bible bashers, or am I just too liberal? Frankly, I don't care, because I don't live in America (although these attitudes would not be out of place in Barbados). I have highlighted this article for entertainment purposes.

For although you may understand a council's desire to root out on public indecency (while at the same time being sympathetic to the man who lost his job and wife after he was caught short in a park), the attempt to crack on "simulated sex acts", in this case being performed by Chippendales dancers for (apparently) 80-year old ladies, makes for funny reading. What is really hilarious is that a US Court of Appeals has ruled that "communities have a 'legitimate legislative interest in discouraging prurient interests in autonomous sex' ". I fail to see how anyone's interest in "autonomous sex" (which apparently refers to masturbation, that most evil of adolosecent past times) affects wider society.

However, the Family Research Council (a Christian group that promotes traditional family values) disagrees. An Action Alert on their website insists that "Traditional marriage is in grave peril across the nation, thanks to activist judges and radical legislators in Massachusetts, California, and other states". A representative insisted that "Society does have an interest in people's private sexual behavior."

After all, we don't want our sons (and daughters) going blind.

Congrats Vasilij!

Vasilij Zbogar (SLO) has finished 3rd at the Laser Europeans (Standard, Senior) behind Tom Slingsby (AUS) and Paul Goodison (GBR). The Athens Bronze medallist was thus the 2nd-placed European in the championship, one of his best results ever (he won this event in 2003). This is just the latest in a string of good results over the past 6 months, which includes a 4th place at the Worlds and a 2nd in Holland.

Vasilij was in the top three for the whole event, neck and neck with Paul for the European title. He and coach Trevor Millar must be pleased with this result, as well as the form he has displayed recently, as they prepare for the Games next month. I'll be rooting for you!

Should he go?

Dwayne Chambers will not go the Beijing Olympics. Today he failed to secure an injunction against the British Olympic Association by-law banning him from life for taking performance-enhancing drugs. Is this the right decision? Should Chambers, who is still the fastest man in Britain, be allowed to go to the Olympics? To prove that he is just as good drug-free? Or, also as important, to revive his dead career? Duncan Mackay seems to think so, and he was the one who exposed Chambers in 2003. He makes some good points, not least that Chambers has done his time. There are also good arguments against, such as the message it would send to youngsters, and the fact that he is tainted. There are more deserving athletes out there. However, I think that this case raises a broader question, which is relevant to society as a whole. Is the BOA by-law fair?

There a some basic principles that make our justice system fair and hence underpin democracy. Principles such as the right to a fair trial, habeas corpus, right to proper representation, etc. I believe that an equally-important principle is that the punishment should fit the crime. Society seems to agree; certainly there is outcry in cases where a criminal is perceived to get off lightly. Hence there have recently been protests at the fact that a "Life" sentence can be as little as a few years. In a recent case involving a cyclist who caused a fatal accident, the victim's family were rightly outraged that he got off with a fine.

There is less concern when punishments are too harsh - the opinion seems to follow that old cliche of not doing the crime... And we all know the laws before we break them (ignorance is no excuse). So nobody seems that bothered that in this country my license can be taken away if I drive at 35 in a 30 zone four times in a five-year period. You hardly hear news articles about the criminal who got too severe a punishment. America is happy to let Susan Atkins die in jail. The fact that Chambers new about the by-law and agreed to be bound by it is an oft-quoted argument in this case. But then, no athlete who values their career will argue against such a rule.

There is also room for varying opinions on what constitutes proper punishment. The family of a victim will have quite different views than the family of the convicted. There are no doubt many people who believe that a lifetime ban is a reasonable sentence for a drugs cheat. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) disagrees and allows athletes found guilty of taking drugs to return to competition once they have served their ban. ALL competition. And on this point, I agree. He was allowed to return to the athletics circuit in 2006 by UK Athletics, and that should include the Olympics.

The basis of my opinion in this case is unrelated to doping. Make no mistake that I am in full agreement with WADA's regulations (though I fail to see how pot is "performance enhancing"!). Drugs cheats should be punished to the full extent of the law. Society has a duty to ensure that criminals are punished for their offences. We also have a duty, in order to instill confidence and respect in our justice system, to ensure that the law is fair and humane.

As for the argument that there are more deserving athletes in Britain, well this is a meritocracy: the best man wins and No.2 goes home. Period.