Olympic Sailing
Discussion
tbh I can't see the point.
I used to race dinghys and then sports catermarans, even when I was involved in a race it was very hard to see where other racers where compared to you except when you rounded a mark. Even at the finish line you could have boats converging from several different directions and have no idea who was leading until they crossed the line.
Trying to work that out from the shore, even with powerful binoculars, will be next to impossible. Especially with several different fleets all on the same bit of water.
Sailing never has been, and never will be, a spectator sport.
I used to race dinghys and then sports catermarans, even when I was involved in a race it was very hard to see where other racers where compared to you except when you rounded a mark. Even at the finish line you could have boats converging from several different directions and have no idea who was leading until they crossed the line.
Trying to work that out from the shore, even with powerful binoculars, will be next to impossible. Especially with several different fleets all on the same bit of water.
Sailing never has been, and never will be, a spectator sport.
Edited by kieranbennett on Monday 23 July 12:59
Correct me if i'm wrong, i was in Weymouth 2 weeks ago, camping (yea the weekend when it pissed down) anyway was chatting to the campsite owner/receptionist etc, and she said all along the coast which you could walk and get a glimpse of the olympic sailing etc they are errecting huge barriers to stop people watching without having a ticket. i don't know the area in which they are sailing nor the coast this is supposedly happening but i do find it a bit OTT.
I live in Weymouth so will take a shot at an answer.
The ticketed area overlooks a small bay where the medal races will be apparently, they'll be tricky but not impossible to watch for free. (The area labelled Nothe on the map below)
Most of the racing is along way out and almost impossible to see let alone follow from the shore- all of which is for free. You can see a map here- http://www.portland-port.co.uk/uploaded_images/fil...
There is no scale for landlubbers on that chart but suffice to say the Weymouth bay areas are well out of sight even with reasonable binos IMO.
However- they are installing a Jumbo-tron on the beach, you can watch the games (all sports, opening and closing, plus fireworks etc) there anytime for free with good atmosphere, plenty of refreshments/bars/food etc close by and the sea for a dip if it stays (fingers x'd) as hot as it is now.
If you have a suitable boat there is viewing areas you can moor but how much you'll see and the hassle to get there and back has to be seen to be believed.
As an aside I was talking to the skipper of a Marshall boat yesterday- who was sitting in Harbour earning his Olympic money because the organisers booked all the local skippers to Marshall from 20/7 to 5/8... you'd have thought of all people the Organisers would know the dates of the games :-)
The ticketed area overlooks a small bay where the medal races will be apparently, they'll be tricky but not impossible to watch for free. (The area labelled Nothe on the map below)
Most of the racing is along way out and almost impossible to see let alone follow from the shore- all of which is for free. You can see a map here- http://www.portland-port.co.uk/uploaded_images/fil...
There is no scale for landlubbers on that chart but suffice to say the Weymouth bay areas are well out of sight even with reasonable binos IMO.
However- they are installing a Jumbo-tron on the beach, you can watch the games (all sports, opening and closing, plus fireworks etc) there anytime for free with good atmosphere, plenty of refreshments/bars/food etc close by and the sea for a dip if it stays (fingers x'd) as hot as it is now.
If you have a suitable boat there is viewing areas you can moor but how much you'll see and the hassle to get there and back has to be seen to be believed.
As an aside I was talking to the skipper of a Marshall boat yesterday- who was sitting in Harbour earning his Olympic money because the organisers booked all the local skippers to Marshall from 20/7 to 5/8... you'd have thought of all people the Organisers would know the dates of the games :-)
Just got back from Weymouth, excellent day out. Sailing definitely can be a spectator sport!
Had the Laser Radials in the morning with the windward mark close to the viewing area, Annalise Murphy stormed it. In the afternoon we had the women's match racing which was brilliant to watch, Team GB vs France had the whole crowd on their feet, brilliant atmosphere (especially when we won
).
All the action from the other races was shown on the big screen.
Can't fault the organisation either, I was dreading the park and ride, but there were no queues to or from the event, only a short queue for security.
Cheeky picture from the viewing area:
Had the Laser Radials in the morning with the windward mark close to the viewing area, Annalise Murphy stormed it. In the afternoon we had the women's match racing which was brilliant to watch, Team GB vs France had the whole crowd on their feet, brilliant atmosphere (especially when we won
). All the action from the other races was shown on the big screen.
Can't fault the organisation either, I was dreading the park and ride, but there were no queues to or from the event, only a short queue for security.
Cheeky picture from the viewing area:
Edited by hyperblue on Tuesday 31st July 21:05
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