Blind Sailing World Championship in Chicago - Day 1
by Morgan Kinney 10 Sep 2015 23:23 BST
10-13 September 2015
Sharon Grennan's team waits for wind to settle on day 1 of the Blind Sailing World Championship © Morgan Kinney
Day One of the IFDS Blind Sailing World & International Championship, presented by Wintrust started beautifully with warm temperatures and clear skies, but oscillating winds prevented the start to Race One.
While sitting in postponement, the Race Committee saw a wide and deep front with thunderstorms across all of the northern Illinois area, which led to the decision to send competitors back to shore.
The decision was not made lightly; before making the call, Race Committee consulted meteorologist Chris Bedford to see if racing would be possible for the day. "The wind was light and shifty, but we were willing to stay out there if it was going to settle," said Regatta Chairman Ray Groble. "Sailors get wet, they're used to getting wet, but the wind direction was just not stable enough to run any fair races."
Day Two's forecast is calling for 20 knots of wind from the south with large waves, but as Groble said, "Sometimes these forecasts are a little over exuberant. We just look forward to putting on some great races."