August 15, 2008

Waiting for the Wind

Sailing's only essential ingredient is its most mercurial

           There is one ingredient that every sailboat, of any size, needs and that is wind.

           The wind on Fusan Bay off Qingdao, China - the site of the Olympic sailing competition - is a precious resource. Through the first 5 days of the sailing competition of the 29th Olympiad, the wind strength was modest, but happily, adequate. Unfortunately, on Day 6 there was not a breath of air. On the breakwater the country flags fluttered a little, but even the windmills sat still.

           And so did the 400 sailors and their 270 boats.

           There is nothing more frustrating for a sailor than waiting for wind.

           One always expects a lot of hype surrounding the Games. For a sailor, the best thing that could happen is a big blow to absorb the latent adrenaline inside the body.

           So what goes on while the athletes sit idle? At first there is the long checklist to be sure every little detail on the boat is ready. Then there is the serious debrief by the team's weather guru on what might transpire. For the Americans, the task of predicting the weather falls on the shoulders of Jennifer Lilly, the team's meteorologist who has devoted her professional career to marine weather. Hardly simple, her task is vitally important.

           As the minutes stretch into hours, sailors can be seen napping all over the waterfront, (always out of the intense sun). Just sitting, waiting, and bored. But in the back of everyone's mind is the knowledge that the wind could fill at any moment, and if it does you better be mentally prepared to race.

           There is an old saying at major sailing regattas that, "the wind is not usually like this here." In the first Olympics in 1896 there was no wind for a week. The host-nation Greece never did get a race off. In 1972 in Kiel, Germany, heavy winds were expected and the wind was light for 10 straight days. At the other end of spectrum in Pusan, South Korea in 1988 the wind was supposed to be light, but a low pressure system brought in 30 knots of wind for several days in a row. Pusan, by the way, is about 400 miles across the Yellow Sea from Qingdao, which makes me wonder if the same kind of front could arrive before these Games end? Every sailor here certainly hopes so.

           The Doors' Jim Morrison sang about "Waiting for the Sun." Sailors in Qingdao may well be singing "Waiting for the Wind." There are some old tricks mariners have used for centuries to please Aeolus, the God of the Wind. There are superstitions like not shaving, showering, wearing the same hat, going through the same launch routine and simply praying for the wind.

           About 10 years ago I was racing to Bermuda from Newport, RI. About half way along the 635 mile course the wind died completely. Our seasoned, gray bearded owner Jack King kept a Chinese box stored below for such occasions. Inside were some old turtle bones. The legend had it that if you shook the bones just the right way wind would arrive. Without understanding their power I came up on deck with the box and started shaking it while mimicking an Indian chant. King was suddenly horrified by my action.

          "Be careful with those!" he yelled, and within 20 minutes some wind arrived followed by a vicious squall.

           I never touched that box again, but I am wondering now if some local Chinese mariners have their own version of turtle bones on hand, just in case Qingdao decides its time to shake things up.