SAIL Olympics Update: Plenty of Breeze, More Tough Racing

By Adam Cort

August 10, 2016

A low overcast, rain and winds that varied dramatically from course to course marked Day 4 of the 2016 Olympic regatta, a day in which the event can be said to have truly hit its stride as six of the 10 classes have now had a chance to compete. Inside Guanabara Bay, the wind would come and go as it shifted from place to place. But out on the open ocean, it was breeze-on for the Laser and Laser Radial classes racing on the Copacabana circle off the beach of the same name.

Once again, it was a battle in every class, with veteran U.S. men’s 470 sailors Stu McNay and Dave Hughes finishing 10th and 7th in their first two races of the regatta on the inshore Escola Naval course. Throughout their two races, the wind was up and down, starting at around 10 knots, building to 15 and eventually falling back to 10. The direction was also unsteady, starting out in the west and then backing into the southeast.

In the women’s 470 class, which also competed on the “navy” course, first-time Olympians Annie Haeger and Briana Provancha, began their regatta by finishing 10th out of 26 but came roaring back in the second race to finish in 3rd to show they mean business.

Meanwhile, out on open ocean off famed Copacabana Beach, Laser Radial sailor Paige Railey battled a healthy chop and winds in the low 20s to finish 2nd and 7th, putting her in 7th overall after six races. Consistency is proving to be the name of the game in this class, with Irish sailor Annalise Murphy in the lead and Danish sailor Anne-Marie Rindom in 2nd overall, thanks to that fact they’ve both only once finished outside the top 10.

Railey, on the other hand, has had two bad races, which means she’s been forced to keep her 15th in the opening race after throwing out her 21st in the fourth.

In other racing, U.S. Finn sailor now sits in 7th place following a 21st and 3rd-place finish today. British sailor Giles Scott, widely favored to win gold, is also back on top finishing 2 and 1 today after an uncharacteristically poor 17th in the opening race.

In the Laser class, Charlie Buckingham is in 15th after finishing 8th and 26th. Today was a rest day for the men’s and women’s RS:X sailboard classes. U.S. Nacra 17 sailors Bora Gulari and Louisa Chafee finished 13th out of 20 in the opening race of their series. The second race was postponed because of unsettled weather. For the complete result, click here.