An incredible first week
Written by Sophie Weguelin | 01 August 2014
We're coming to the end of our first week in Rio, the venue of the 2016 Olympic Games.
For Eilidh and I this week has been incredible, a huge eye opener with so much to take in. Travelling here as part of the British Sailing Team was a first for both of us. It's exciting and very different to any of the other events that we take part in through the year where we would usually organise and plan our own travel, accommodation and boat transport ourselves.
It's fantastic staying with the rest of the team, always different people to talk to share day to day experiences with and have a laugh with. The support that the team environment creates is unbelievable, something special that as a team we want to stay a part of, and be a part of again. The 2014 Olympic Test Event is an eye opener, an appetiser and we are hungry to ensure we are a part of this team in the future.
Before travelling to Rio we had heard so many different things... 'Be careful of the water' 'don't go in the streets out on your own' 'it's a light wind venue' ... We have been laughing about these stereotypes quite a lot! For sure Rio is not quite like we expected!!
We were lucky enough to do some of the touristy bits with the whole team last Sunday, unfortunately the weather was bad and cloudy which means we will probably have to try and go again! We hadn't anticipated bad weather though, especially cloud and rain, I guess we hadn't considered it being winter here either. It definitely feels wintery at about 3/4pm as the sun starts to set, and it's dark by 6pm - quite the contrast to the British summer that we left behind!
Monday was our first day at the Olympic venue. It's awesome, we rigged the boat up and managed a short sail on the water. Given that it had rained for the previous three days, and with the venue being so tidal of course there was going to be trash in the water, as you might expect in other venues too. The water has cleared up a lot over the past few days, but the tide lines carry a lot of debris with them, a lot of it below the water which can make sailing tricky if you catch something!
We have managed to explore the city a little, finding our way around on the metro, visiting the beach and a shopping centre. For us this is important as we know that we will be spending more and more time here in the build up to the Games in 2016, we need to feel comfortable here and be able to enjoy our time. We have been to a drinks reception with the local mayor who was extremely welcoming, and we have been to meet some of the local ex-pats who gave us some great tips and things to look out for. It's reassuring to know that these people are so prepared to help if we need it- and advise us where the good markets and malls are!
We have taken part in the South American Championships the last 3 days, and have been graced with good wind - a south easterly sea breeze of 6-12 knots. Not quite the light wind venue we had been expecting! We have raced just off the naval base - in the harbour between two of the test event race courses. It was a challenging course as the wind bends around Sugarloaf Mountain, and the tide swirls around the small island and fort. We found a lot of snakes and ladders on the course, and it has reinforced to us how important and valuable the small gains on the racecourse will be.
Test Event racing begins on Monday for us, we will complete measurement tomorrow morning. For Eilidh this is an amazing opportunity to follow in her dad's footsteps, the stories she tells and shares about his Olympic experiences are inspiring, and this definitely helps drive us as a team.
For us the event is going to be about learning at the venue and ensuring we are gathering as much information as possible on the different race areas. It is our final regatta before the World Championships in September so a great opportunity to solidify our routines and roles on the water, and most importantly it is the first chance for us to prove ourselves on the Olympic waters two years out from the Games.