ILCA 6 Women's and ILCA 7 Men's World Championships 2025 at Qingdao - Day 3
by Frankie Zheng / ILCA 15 May 02:37 NZST
10-17 May 2025
For the third consecutive day, the ILCA World Championship race course remained stalled under a windless sky. A dense fog clung to the Olympic Sailing Center, muting the horizon and chilling the air to a damp 17 degrees C.
Though the forecast once again promised southeasterly winds at 6-12 knots with gusts up to 16, reality continued to contradict prediction — the breeze never arrived.
It's as if the sky had cast an invisible shield over Qingdao's waters: the wind simply couldn't make its way in. After two full days of delays, sailors now face not only physical fatigue, but also the mental wear of waiting without end.
?Race Report | Hope Raised, Then Lowered Again
Tide conditions:
Low tide - 05:27 (1.2m)
High tide - 17:09 (3.9m)
- 12:14 - AP flag lowered, signaling potential racing
- 12:15 - Class flags hoisted, fleets begin to assemble
- ~30 seconds before the starting signal, racing postponed again due to unstable wind near Mark 1
- 14:00 - Orange flag raised, signalling further attempt
- Shortly after, AP flag goes back up once again
- 15:26 - AP over A flags fly: racing officially canceled for the day
?For athletes, today drew a frustrating curve — identical skies, repeated flags, and another day of "almost." The signal flags rising and falling on the committee boats mirrored the emotional swings of those waiting offshore.
Athletes Speak | In Pursuit of Wind and Patience
Michael Beckett (Great Britain) - ILCA 7: Silver medalist at the 2023 Hague Sailing World Championships, Michael is no stranger to high-stakes waiting.
"Honestly, it's getting a little boring," he said with a laugh. "You keep feeling like the wind's coming in — you can see the swell, the water moving toward you — but it just... doesn't arrive. I really want to go racing."
He says that each morning begins the same: with a reset. "You've got to mentally reboot and tell yourself, maybe today's the day."
Marie Barrue (France) - ILCA 6: Marie has taken the weather in stride, describing Qingdao as a "chill" kind of place — quiet, laid-back, and almost serene.
"There's not much pressure here. Sure, the wind hasn't been great, but the food is good, people are friendly, and the marina's unique — it's made of wood, easy to clean, and no sand. And every night, there's this crazy light show on the skyscrapers — it's like a movie."
She added, "I'm still hopeful. I'd love to start racing soon."
Three Days Ashore | The Calm That Tests the Soul
Rain began to fall lightly in the afternoon, soaking already chilled gear and moods alike. The race committee kept monitoring, but with wind speeds stuck around 6 knots and no clear shifts, there was no choice but to abandon.
Boats hovered around the starting line, drifting in currents stronger than the air above them. The Principal Race Officer continued issuing calls for patience over the radio, though it was clear — the wind had other plans.
For sailors, three days of non-racing is more than a scheduling issue — it's a mental trial. Energy drains not through action, but through stagnation. Focus must be sharpened, then held. Motivation must be found anew each dawn. And still, they return.
Tomorrow, Once Again, at Full Effort
These three windless days have not been wasted. They've become a quiet test — of patience, of preparation, of love for the sport.
In sailing, you can steer your boat, trim your sails, and set your course. But you cannot summon the wind. And that is both the cruelty and the beauty of this sport. The sea, after all, is the fairest teacher of all — unpredictable, unbending, and always honest.
Tomorrow may bring wind. Or it may not. But either way, the sailors will be ready — again — to give it everything they have.