Here we are again, six months down the road, back at the little fishing village that is our satellite venue for the Games.
We flew yesterday at 8am (6am at the airport is E-A-R-L-Y) and spent the entire day travelling. It’s drizzly and foggy and light.
Today our mission is to unpack the 6 containers that have been shipped over. We’ve already been delayed with there being a hold up with breakfast (the cafeteria isn’t open yet), but we’re about to get down to the boat park now. See you later!
Hello everyone,
It’s been a while, but we are here in Weymouth for the Sail for Gold Regatta and it has been a very eventful first day already.
We arrived in two groups: the coaches catching an SQ flight and a train down to Weymouth, while we had Roy pick us up from the airport and drive us and the trailer down).
As we drove out, we were hearing squeaking all the way as we drove round bends. None of the lashings on the trailer were loose, though, so we went on.
An hour from Weymouth, we came round a roundabout (boy, are there a lot of those here), and got a warning horn from a car, accompanied by the driver pointing at our trailer. The squeaking was going like mad then so we pulled over and had a look at the wheel.
The ball bearings were shot, the hubcap had popped out, and we were so not going to make it any further.
We had a pleasant surprise then, though, as the car who had pointed it out to us came back round and stopped to help us. (Well, the driver of the car, I mean.)
And so we got a real taste of English kindness as the man called up friends, helped us to drop off the trailer at a safer place, and so we managed to get on our way and arrive at the hotel in Weymouth at a decent hour for bed.
Still, we have two boats to trail down (back and forth) to the club today, so it looks like a long day on the road – for those who have to drive, at least. (It pays to be short, in this case!)
Also, it’s SIOBHAN’S BIRTHDAY! 
Already we’re leaving for Singapore tomorrow. It’s been good sailing and even better being with Liz and Tara.
Having a four-year-old around is certainly a form of exercise in itself! Case in point:
Jogging …
Cycling …
Playing ball …
Weights …
… and bench press.
Cutest barbell I’ve ever seen, I must say! 
Babysitting aside, it’s been a good warm-up for Kiel, which happens in two weeks. Back home for a week, and then we’re off to Germany!
We’re here in Shanwei, Guangzhou after starting our travels early, 6am at the airport this morning. From there, we had a 4-hour flight, a 3-hour wait at the airport, then another 4-hour coach ride to get to our accommodation. By then it was dark, so we haven’t had a chance to look around. It does look as though we’re in the middle of nowhere, though. The bus went over 20 minutes of gravel road getting here. (Not good for bus-sickness!)
We’ve learned that we will be very secure here, given the police check we had to go through. They erected a stand with one of those airport security scanners and made us pass through with our bags. Problem was, the baggage scanner was too small for our luggage, so they insisted that we line up our suitcases and open them for the police officials to look through!
Fortunately, after a few bags frisked, they decided it was too much hassle and reasoned that we had just come straight from the airport, i.e. our bags had just come out of airport security.
So we lugged our suitcases back onto the bus, trooped back on board, and rode to the hotel … 20 metres around the corner.
And those are our adventures in Shanwei so far.
Tomorrow is a big day, with registration, measurement, rigging up, and our first launch here all in one. So I shall hit the post button now and hope this goes online. It took so many tries to hit this page that I wondered if WordPress was among one of those sites blocked by China national Internet security or something!
Weather/Temperature in Guangzhou is about 13-20plus degree Celsius currently. Will be cold! Wearing the right cold weather gear is always very important because it must not constrict our movement or agility, while keeping us warm. So we have to be prepared for the super cold days and warm days. Therefore, the packing list.
Superwarm wetsuit
Superwarm wetsuit top
Booties
Sailing socks
Gloves + Spare
Cap
Sunglasses
Spray top
Harness + Spare
Dry suit
Lifejacket
Lycra
Racing bib
Lycra pants
Beanie? I need a balaclava.
Yes. Sailing is an expensive sport,
because of excess baggage fees.
