Current World Match Race Tour helmsman Torvar Mirsky has been in Weymouth all week working as coach for the Finnish ladies team. We caught up with him on the final day to find out how things had gone for the young Australian and his team. Watch out for a future edition of the Sailing Talk Podcast for a more detailed interview with Torvar about life on the World Match Racing Tour, coming soon.

 

We were first in the queue on the windy slipway to speak to the Outteridge and Jensen:

 

 

 

It's been a case of feast or famine for the Sonar, Skud and 2.4M sailors in the Paralympic Division at the 2009 Skandia sail For Gold Regatta in Weymouth. After just two races completed on the first day the disabled sailors who have travelled from as far away as Canada and Australia to compete here this week, have had to sit out two days of strong winds which were adjudged to be too extreme for fair and safe racing. Last night the mood amongst the sailors was a mixture of resignation and frustration. 'We just want to go racing' Canadian John McRoberts told me.'That's what we came for and it is difficult to travel so far to have done just two races in three days. It's nobody's fault as we can't control the weather, but it has been hard to sit ashore whilst other fleets get to race.'

Happily conditions in Weymouth dawned considerably more benign this morning allowing the Skuds and Sonars to get two races in this morning followed by another session late this afternoon. Here is a video compilation from the first race:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Upwards of twenty knots blowing right now as some of the fleets make their way out on to the race course. Breeze is forecast to build. The 49ers and Stars have been held ashore. We are on our way to the 470 racecourse and will bring you some video from that fleet once racing gets underway.