The first day that sailing races began in the Guanabara Bay it was a spectacular day. There were several events happening simultaneously on the first day. Charline Picon of France competed in the RS: X race for women while US champion Paige Railey was part of the Laser Radial race for women at the Olympics.
There were windsurfers who spend on the waves in a course that was set for the Flamengo beach. There was a fresh breeze that aided them along, which made it feel more like a Bareboat Charter in Zadar than an Olympic Gold Medal competition! The races against the backdrop of the Sugarloaf Mountain made for spectacular viewing for those who were watching. There was a fog that obscured the magnificent landmark of Rio, Christ the Redeemer’s statue.
In the laser class Robert Scheidt of 43 years of age won the second race after he finished at 23rd position in the first race. He has five Olympic medals from Brazil and he is trying to get his sixth one at this year’s Olympics. For American windsurfer Pedro from Miami, the views were amazing and the windsurfing was a great experience.
The courses were cleared of debris, at least on the surface. There were helicopters who were scouring the area for rubbish and boats were being sent to pick up any floating debris that came in the way of the boats. The detailed studies of the deeper waters revealed that super bacteria still existed in the waters, but the sailors stated that they had not faced any issues in earlier months when they had been trained.