Team Leaders Meeting Before the Racing Action © Ajay Narang

Sailors from 7 nations at the Guangzhou Nansha International Sailing Regatta 2017 took to the waters off Nansha Marina in an long-awaited start to what will be three days of competition. Excited and focused on doing their best, they had to contend with a strong tide, light winds and unfamiliar conditions for many. 

A steady breeze of 5 – 6 knots held throughout most of the afternoon, but a strong tide played its part, leaving the sailors guessing on the best course to sail.

For the second race of the day, the tide swung around, and ultimately proving to be a determining factor on the finish line. Only two of the seven boats could complete the race. Singapore which had a solid start and rounded the windward mark way ahead of Russia and Chinese Taipei, landed up on the wrong side of the course on the second beat and that proved to be a costly error as they failed to finish in the stipulated time after the first boat had finished.

The all girls Russian team displayed their skills and finished at the top of the table after two races and are closely followed by Chinese Taipei team. For others, they would be hoping for making up the lost opportunity as a discard will come into play after 5 races are completed.

Results after 2 races