Our first taste of Rio…
Written by Nicola Groves | 13 December 2013
Three weeks ago, we escaped the cold climes of the UK and arrived safely in (a very wet) Rio to sail in the Olympic waters for the first time!
When we arrived late at night and were dumped at the side of a highway by a taxi driver who drove like he had a death wish, it all felt a little scary after being warned of stories of theft and violence. Anyway after finding our apartment and the lovely, secure sailing club, we quickly began to settle in.
The container hadn't made it through customs for our first day here, so tragically we were forced to do a day of touristing! We went for a wander around and caught a bus across town for lunch, which helped us start to get more of a feel of what the city is like. I got totally confused by the lunch menu and somehow ended up with the most expensive and most boring salad of all time. Must learn Portuguese! On first impressions, the city seems like a cool place to be, with lots of energy. Hopefully with time it will begin to feel more like home, as all being well we will be spending plenty more time out here over the next few years.
The lifestyle here seems awesome. We were dragged out of bed at 5am the other day by one of the local teams, and taken up a mountain for a buffet breakfast feast overlooking the city and bay as the sun came up. It was beautiful, and such a contrast to the hyper city below, that never seems to sleep! On our day off after the event we cycled to Ipanema, one of the local beaches, and relaxed by drinking coconuts and swimming in clear blue sea. Later in the evening we took the train up to visit Christ the Redeemer, it was a breathtaking view and an amazing experience. We could get used to more of this during training camps!
Adjusting to the heat, which has reached over 40 degrees at times (I'm sure you're all hugely sympathetic in the UK) has been one of the biggest challenges since arriving here and one that we’re unaccustomed to. If ever you're trying to find a Brit, we will probably all be flocking towards the nearest bit of shade!
As for the water in the bay... it is brown with grime, and the tide lines are not difficult to spot as they are literally lined with all kinds of litter and random objects. Highlights for us have been dodging dining room chairs on tuning runs, dislodging a dead goose from our centre board, and our personal favourite: running into a stop sign!
We have had good breeze every day, and it has been a brilliant opportunity to train with some of the locals both in the 49er and the FX. 18 days in, we have missed only one day of sailing and that was for our scheduled day off, so we have been lucky to get so many productive training hours in. I would like to say that we now have all the local tips, but I would be lying. It is probably the most complicated place I have sailed in with confusing tides and wind finding its way round the mountains onto the race courses. Every day is a school day!!
During our visit we competed in the Intergalactic championships, there were only four FXs but we were racing with the 10 49ers that are here too. It was great to get on a start line with the boys and learn more about the venue with full race courses. After four days of tight racing we finished second by one point, which unusually came down to a crews race to finish; an ordeal which in 15 knots of breeze was pretty scary for us, but I am told very entertaining to watch! As you might gather, it was quite a relaxed event with plenty of opportunity to get to know the local sailors, and be taken to see some of the sights in the evenings.
We are now hard at work again, making the most of our final few days training out here before we break for Christmas. We are working with the Brazilian 49erFX teams, and turning our focus to some of the more specific boat handling areas that were highlighted for us in the racing. We have had an amazing time with loads of productive training and a valuable opportunity to begin to settle into the Brazilian way of life. Now we’re looking forward to going back home for a bit of time off, and especially duvets and cups of tea!
