PWA Ulsan Korea World Cup - Day 4 concludes without racing

by PWA World Tour on 9 May 2012 On day four of the PWA Ulsan Korea World Cup, the morning started with barely a breath of wind and scorching temperatures, which proved to be a stark contrast to the afternoon. The hazy sunshine was gradually replaced by mist and cloudy skies, which brought a rapid drop in the temperature. The wind however continued to tease for the second day in a row, as it threatened to pick up several times during the afternoon.

At around 1pm it looked as though we were going to be treated to an afternoon of racing, unfortunately though the cloud prevented the local thermal effect from truly developing. The sailors that did venture out onto the water were able to manage some planing runs, but the super patchy wind never stabilized.

Just before 6pm, Korea showed its true unpredictability once again as the wind swung 180 degrees, to blow cross-shore from the left. However it looked stronger than it was, with only 3-8 knots being recorded. The potentially frantic finish soon faded back to calm, as the day concluded with no racing being completed.

In between one of his sessions on the water we caught up with Jesper Orth (F2 / KA).

PWA: How has the event in Korea been so far for you?

Jesper: 'Korea always provides a challenge because you never quite know what the wind is going to throw at you. `I’m just going to make sure I’m ready every day. So far we’ve completed one round and a few heats, but I think if we are lucky we can finish four more eliminations, particularly with the forecast for the last couple of days of the event.'

PWA: You are based in Australia for most of the year, how was the wind this winter and how was your training?

Jesper: 'It was good, we had a lot of wind and because it is a sea breeze you can pretty much go sailing with any size sail as the wind builds throughout the day. Obviously early on you start out on the bigger kit before changing down to smaller equipment. It’s really good for training there.'

PWA: When the European events are running, where do you base yourself?

Jesper: 'I’m originally from Denmark so I usually stay with family or friends. I have a good base there so it makes sense for me to stop there before the other European events.'

PWA: Do you have any plans before Costa Brava begins?

Jesper: 'From Korea I’ll go straight back to Perth, where I’ll spend a month before Costa Brava. I’ll just do heaps of training and if it’s not windy, then I’ll go biking, surfing or hit the gym to keep myself in good shape, so I am fully prepared.'

The forecast for tomorrow is similar to Sunday, meaning there is a high probability of the action resuming. Also, as we have seen in the opening four days and in the past, anything can happen in Korea. The skippers meeting will be at 10am tomorrow morning with the first possible start being at 10:30.

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PWA Ulsan Korea World Cup website