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Olympic Regatta: Catch-Up Played in Light Air

ATHENS, GREECE (August 17, 2004) – After gear-breaking Meltemi winds forced postponement of racing on three of four Olympic courses yesterday, organizers worked hard today to catch up with the competition schedule. Again, the breeze did not cooperate, but this time the problem was too little wind speed rather than too much.

The 49er class sailed its rescheduled first race from yesterday but had to forego its rescheduled second race when the wind petered out completely. Europe, 470 and Lasers each sailed two rescheduled races from yesterday, giving the classes a total of four, six and four races, respectively, in their series. Mistrals had the most frustrating day. The women’s division completed one of two scheduled races while the men’s division got in nothing at all. An ambitious plan for the men to sail two scheduled races and re-sail the opening series race from Sunday was scrapped, but not after an attempted race had to be abandoned at its mid-point.

“Even though we’re supposed to have four races and we only have one, I’m not really concerned,” said USA’s Mistral representative Peter Wells (La Canada/Newport Beach, Calif.). “We have six racing days and five reserve days built in so there is plenty of time. I was doing much better in the abandoned race than I had done on my first day, but the race committee made the right decision. I was in about 10th or 11th, but the wind had dropped down to two knots.” Wells explained that the Mistral men’s first race of the series got thrown out because of an upheld protest charging that none of the sailors completed the correct course. With a single-race score of 20, he sits in 20th overall and has 10 races left in the series.

Wells’ counterpart in the Mistral women’s division, Lanee Butler Beashel (Aliso Viejo, Calif.) posted a ninth today to move into 14th place. “It was a strange day when the offshore Meltemi switched to the onshore breeze,” said Beashel. “There were big right and left shifts, but it was under five knots.”

49er sailors Tim Wadlow (San Diego, Calif.) and Pete Spaulding (Miami, Fla.) made their one race count, posting an eighth and feeling good about it. “The leader ended up 12th. It’s the battle zone between the Meltemi and the seabreeze that gets ugly. The wind filled from behind and people would carry the wind past you, then you’d get a puff and leapfrog over them. It was good to finally get our series started, though, even if it was a sketchy race.”

470 women’s representatives Katie McDowell (Barrington, R.I.) and Isabelle Kinsolving (New York, N.Y.) moved up from 12th to seventh today on the strength of 9-2 finishes. “You had to use your head as much as your body today,” said McDowell, “and keep cool, stay focused and look for the next shift.”

For 470 men’s sailors Paul Foerster (Rockwall, Texas) and Kevin Burnham (Miami, Fla.), today was a day to maintain their second-place overall, a silver-medal position. They did it with a tenth and a fourth and stand only two points behind the leaders from Great Britain.

Laser sailor Mark Mendelblatt (St. Petersburg, Fla.) had another good day, moving into fourth from sixth overall yesterday. “I don’t really feel I should have moved up based on my first race today (a 20th),” said Mendelblatt. “I wasn’t satisfied with the decisions I made in it. But I’m happy with the second (a sixth). There’s a group who had two good races today. It will be those who can avoid having a couple of bad races that have a shot at the medal in the end.”

Europe sailor Meg Gaillard (Jamestown, R.I./Pelham, N.Y.) posted a 14-9 today to maintain her standing of tenth overall.

What’s Next – Finns and Ynglings, which took their scheduled reserve days today, will resume racing tomorrow, Wednesday, August 18, as will 470s and 49ers. Though reserved days were planned for Europe, Laser and Mistrals, those classes will sail due to being behind on their schedules. Thursday, August 19, will see Finn, Europe, Laser, Mistral and Yngling classes racing, with 49ers taking a reserve day off.

Additional background information on the events, and the U.S. athletes, is available online at www.ussailing.org/Olympics/OlympicGames/2004/

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Current Standings of U.S. Sailors: (for full results http://www.sailing.org/olympics2004/)

Europe (after four races)
10. Meg Gaillard (Jamestown, R.I./Pelham, N.Y.), 9-11-14-9; 43

Finn (after six races)
14. Kevin Hall (Bowie, Md./Ventura, Calif.), 11-6-13-(17)-16-14; 60

470 Men (after six races)
2. Paul Foerster (Rockwall, Texas) and Kevin Burnham (Miami, Fla.), 1-8-2-(15)-10-4; 25

470 Women (after six races)
12. Katie McDowell (Barrington, R.I.) and Isabelle Kinsolving (New York, N.Y.), 12-(16)-3-12-9-12; 38

49er (after one race)
Tim Wadlow (San Diego, Calif.) and Pete Spaulding (Miami, Fla.), 8; 8

Laser (after four races)
6. Mark Mendelblatt (St. Petersburg, Fla.), 2-14-(20)-6; 42

Mistral Men (after one race)
20. Peter Wells (Newport Beach/La Canada, Calif.), 20; 20

Mistral Women (after three races)
14. Lanee Butler Beashel (Aliso Viejo, Calif.), 13-16-9; 38

Star (racing starts Aug. 21)
(raced) Paul Cayard (Kentfield, Calif.) and Phil Trinter (Lorain, Ohio/Port Washington, N.Y.)

Tornado (racing starts Aug. 21)
(has not raced) John Lovell (New Orleans, La.) and Charlie Ogletree (Houston, Texas/Columbia, N.C.)

Yngling (after 6 races)
10. Carol Cronin (Jamestown, R.I.), Liz Filter (Stevensville, Md.) and Nancy Haberland (Annapolis, Md.), 2-10-(16)-0-15-10; 46