London Olympics 2012—Breeze expected to soften this afternoon

by David Schmidt, Sail-World USA Editor on 4 Aug 2012 Step outside of the Sailing Media Center at the Weymouth and Portland Sailing Academy, situated in Portland, UK, and you’ll see flags fluttering in the 12-16 knot breeze. Poke around on the web or take in the morning media briefing and you’ll find that the windspeed is expected to soften sometime around mid-afternoon, with forecasts calling for 8-14 knots out of the south-southwest by the end of the day.

Sea state is expected to be similar to the last few days, with a spring tide running against the wind, delivering the biggest seas on the Weymouth Bay South course, where the Men’s and Women’s 470 racing will start at 1400 hours, local time. Provided that the crisp breeze holds, this should allow for some great surfing, once the kites are hoisted and the tide arrives later this afternoon.

Meanwhile, the Laser and Laser Radial classes will battle-out their last non-medal races of this Olympiad today on the Weymouth Bay West course, where seas are expected to be a touch smaller than the Weymouth Bay South course. Both classes are expected to punch-out two races, starting at 1200 hours, with the full-rig Lasers sailing an outer trapezoid course. The women’s Radial rigs will contest their races on an inner trapezoid course.

Closer ashore and in front of the cheering crowds (including some visiting royals), the RS:X Women’s class will contest two races on the Nothe course, starting at 1200 hours. Then, at 1400 hours, the Women’s Match Racing event will take to these same waters, where they are expected to rifle-off three flights aboard their Elliot 6 Meters.

And inshore, on the Portland Harbor course, the Men’s RS:X class is slated to power through two races.

Forecasts call for even softer winds tomorrow, as the low-pressure system that’s parked over southern Ireland will continue to influence the breeze here, triggering rain showers a few miles inshore. Hopefully this won’t prove detrimental to the RC’s ability to administer tomorrow’s medal races in the Finn and Star classes.

Stay tuned for more, as it becomes known!