Under the watchful gaze of the legendary Chateau d’If, Ireland’s Robert Dickson and Seán Waddilove opened their second Olympic regatta with as good a scorecard as any could hope, given the tricky conditions.
After three races, the Dublin crew lie second overall in the 20-strong fleet that laboured to achieve the complete opening day schedule.
Although reported initially as a third place, the Irish crew scored ninth in race one and were still happy to be in the top half.
Then a fourth place that nearly could have been a third followed as the breeze died to near calm.
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The race committee persevered and moved to a new course area, further out to sea with a reward of perfect wind as the late afternoon sun dipped towards the horizon. The conditions clearly suited the Irish crew, as they crossed the line in first to move to second overall.
So how tricky were conditions off Marseille?
“The first two races were definitely pretty tricky, it was quite hard to see the breeze on the on the water because it was quite wavy, super light and sweaty - it was really hot,” Robert Dickson told The Irish Times. “We’re pretty tired but glad to get away with some nice results.”
Although there is some prospect of the famed Mistral wind towards the end of the week, Monday’s forecast indicates further light airs.
The likelihood for all contenders is that this will be a high scoring regatta for all with plenty of highs and lows to follow over the next four days.
