Wild!

3 Comments

1. Jan Västernäs
   Posted August 18, 2008 at 18:33 | Permalink

   Det var ju ganska coolt gjort av danskarna som vann – knäcka masten strax före start, åka in till hamnen och låna en annan båt, segla ut och start 3.56 efter skottet ( 4 sekunder innan deadline ) och därefter köra förbi tillräckligt många för att vinna sammanlagt.
   http://www.sailing.org/24763.php

   Reply
2. Stefan
   Posted August 18, 2008 at 19:33 | Permalink

   Otrolig video, och danskarnas bedrift är ännu värre.
   Helt otroligt att de inte rök på protesten? Det finns ju regler för hur utrustningsbyte ska ske osv.
   Men de är ju confirmed winners så det är bara att gratulera Danmark!

   Reply
3. Peter Gustafsson
   Posted August 19, 2008 at 06:31 | Permalink

   Här är protesten mot Danskarna. Och hur den inte gick igenom.
   http://rrsstudy.blogspot.com/2008/08/olympic-judgement-2.html

   Gary Jobsons kommentar:

   And finally, we must discuss the 49er race.

   I have been around sailing for a long time. And every time I think I have seen it all something new happens. Today’s 49er medal race was simply bizarre. In fact, it was the ugliest race I have seen in my 50 years on the water. Talk about agony, this was agony! After a few hours delay the race committee sent the 10 boats out to the racecourse. They tuned up while the Finns were finishing their race. It looked normal, but then trouble developed even before the race started.

   The first bizarre event happened when Denmark’s Jonas Warrer and Martin Kirketerp Ibsen, owners of a comfortable 11-point lead going into the medal race, broke their mast during their tune up. They went back and borrowed a boat from the Croatian team that was out of the running. Denmark ended up seventh in the race in their borrowed boat to take the Gold, but not before being protested by the Measurement Committee. Can you switch boats? It will be interesting to hear the outcome of this dispute.

   Back out on the water Americans, Tim Wadlow and Chris Rast needed some breaks, but were still in the hunt for a medal.

   Starting in 20-knot winds and seas that seemed to hide the boats at times the fleet took off. Wadlow got a clean start and was sailing fast. About halfway up, he capsized and we did not see him again for a long time. Meanwhile, Spain’s Iker Martinez and Xabier Fernandez were in a strong position to defend the gold-medal they won four years ago in Athens.

   Until they too capsized.

   Suddenly, the Spaniards found themselves swimming and struggling to right their boat. More boats followed suit: Australia, then Britain, then Austria. There was no end to it. The Italians took the lead and was sailing well, but they capsized, too. And with every boat dropping, the Wadlow’s boat was unfathomably back in the hunt, as was Spain.

   And then both capsized, again, as did every other boat in the fleet, again.

   The 49er was proving to be un-seaworthy for such harsh sailing conditions, and as fast as it had begun, the race evolved into a demolition derby.

   The Americans never did finish the race; neither did Austria.

   When the foam finally settled, Denmark had miraculously reclaimed first place in the overall standings. Spain was in second, with Germany third.

   Reply