Report 5 from Olympics PRO, Charley Cook:
Copyright Eastern Yacht Club 2012. For use of EYC members. Not for publication.
Racing Area
We have five course areas. Parliament passed a law (called a Harbour Revision Order) closing all of the dark blue areas to any boats not fully accredited. This is enforced by countless police boats and small gun boats operated by the Royal Marines. All of this is controlled by a large Royal Navy vessel stationed in the green area. I haven’t been given all of the details (no “need to know”). But, I understand that the vessel is equipped to identify and stop any incursion, whether airborne, on the surface or under surface.
Security
We are subjected to screening every time we come onto the venue. The Royal Marines manage the process. They are far more professional than the TSA. Many of them recently manned check points in Afghanistan, and before that, Iraq. I ride onto the venue in a LOCOG-provided car. They search the interior, trunk, engine, interior and under-carriage every time. We are required to exit the car and go through screening as well. The level of screening seems to vary depending upon who is expected. A few days ago I was advised that several” high-profile visitors” would be on site the following day. The screening was noticeably tighter. We observed a dark, unmarked helicopter in the closed airspace over the venue. Shortly after that, Princess Royal (Princess Ann) and the Duchess of Cambridge (the former Kate Middleton) arrived at the area where my office is located. I was advised that this was the Queens chopper. I wonder if Princess Ann asked: “Mummy, may I borrow the helicopter today?”
The following day, the security was even tighter. We then observed another unmarked helicopter with an escort aircraft land next to my office. In walked Prime Minister David Cameron.
Sailing (Yes, despite the “high-profile visitors” we do run some races)
The conditions have been incredible. We’ve had good breeze all but two days (out of 15 race days). Conditions have been varied and challenging. Some days with strong current due to spring tides. Most days with small seas (less than one-half meter). One day with seas up to 2 meters, The wind has generally been in the range of 8 to 15 knots, with one day in the mid-twenties.
To win a medal at this event, a team must be good in all conditions. One trick ponies aren’t going to win.
TV – Star Wars
In all Olympic sports, the Olympic Broadcast Service (OBS) is required to provide daily live feeds for broadcast by the rights-holders in each country. For sailing, OBS is using two helicopters, at least 6 large inflatable boats with handheld video cameras and 5 or 6 boats with these “Star Wars” units. The cameras are mounted in gimbaled, stabilized pods. They have the capability of zooming in to show the minutest details (such as a race officer’s notes or watch).
Medal Races
In each of the 9 fleet racing events the top ten boats advance to a final Medal Race. The score for the Medal Race is double (i.e., a first is worth 2 points, instead of 1 point). The Medal Race score can’t be discarded, and, in the event of a tie after the Medal Race, the tie is broken in favor of who did better in the Medal Race. This concept was adopted in 2005, and was intended to make the final races in each event meaningful for spectators and the media.
The system seemed to work in most of the events in 2012. Only one or two medals were decided before the Medal Races.
Several of the Medal Races were really exciting. In the Laser Radial, any one of four countries could have won Gold. Each of them was in Gold Medal position at least once during the Medal Race. In several other events, Gold Medals were determined by the Medal Race results (Finn, Star, 470 Men, 49er come to mind – there may have been others). The Medal Races take between 20 and 30 minutes. I encourage you to look at the footage on NBC..
Race Management Decisions
We’re very conscious of the fact that our decisions can have an impact on who wins. This includes starting line and finishing line calls, course selection, deciding whether conditions are suitable, deciding to change courses and deciding whether to abandon a race.
We abandoned two races (470 Women and 49er). In each case, the race was abandoned after a very significant wind shift.
We take a number of steps to provide a level playing field, to make consistent decisions, and to avoid any potential bias in our officiating.
In 2009 ISAF appointed the Principal Race Officer, and then began the process of assembling the team of International Race Officers to be appointed for the 2012 Olympics. Over 100 were considered. The pool was then narrowed to between 25 and 30. Each was required to declare any potential interests (conflicts). Members of the pool were then given a chance to work at the 2010 and 2011 Test Events in Weymouth and/or the 2011 ISAF Worlds in Perth. Based upon their work at those events, ISAF appointed 18 to serve at the 2012 Olympics.
The 18 International Race Officers appointed were among the best in the World, with a great deal of experience. They’ve spent the past three years officiating at high-level events for the Olympic classes. To further assure consistency, ISAF published two Race Management Policies, one for Fleet Racing and one for Match Racing. The policies may seem somewhat prescriptive. But, they are intended to let the athletes know our intentions, and to assure that any decisions that may affect the outcome of racing are made fairly and consistently.
Here are the links to the policies for anyone interested:
Fleet Racing http://www.sailing.org/tools/documents/2012OlympicRMPoliciesFleet-[13150].pdf
Match Racing http://www.sailing.org/tools/documents/2012OlympicRMPoliciesMatch-[13151].pdf
Technology
We can’t escape technology. Here’s a picture of the marks. Note that there’s a GPS tracker attached. This displays the location of the mark. Each of the boats is also fitted with a tracker. This provided for detailed tracking graphics, mark roundings, etc. It’s a pity that the contract with the broadcasters (NBC in the USA) prohibited ISAF from posting the tracking. I understand that NBC chose not to post the tracking details, That’s an even greater pity.
The other electronic toy on the mark is a microphone. Some of the “colorful” language used by the sailors as they rounded marks was broadcast with the live feed.
Unfortunately, the GPS trackers and the mics were a bit fragile. They could not be left in the marks when they were being transported to and from the racing areas. So, the mark boat operators had the additional burden of installing the units every time they placed a mark.
Start (Signal) Boats
We had 5 ocean-ready cats for the fleet racing start boats. Anyone who has experienced the rocking on ETO will be jealous. They were really stabile – even in seas up to 2 meters.
All but one of the fleet racing start boats were fishing boats chartered and fitted out for the Olympics. The captains were incredibly competent. For example, at one Test Event we gave the captain the Lat/Long of the location where we wanted him to anchor. He asked if we wanted the anchor, or the boat, at that location. He wasn’t joking. Despite current of up to 1 ½ knots, they could park these boats wherever we wanted.
Lots of interesting gear in the boat: The Omega clock, a starting line pole wrapped in foam and sleeved with bright orange (this added greatly to visibility), AIS, highly accurate wind instruments, chart plotter and other goodies.
The Omega clocks were programmed to count up after the start. We asked Omega to reprogram them to stop (i.e., go blank) at the start. They refused. Their excuse was they were a clock and watch manufacturer, and didn’t want anyone to think the clocks were defective. We found a “work-around.” We simply turned them off.
Copyright Eastern Yacht Club 2012. For use of EYC members. Not for publication.
