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Olympic sailing not exactly spectator-friendly; Brits only get to see the winner when the medals are handed out
Do gold medals count if the spectators can barely see what's happening? They do as far as the British are concerned since they're cleaning up in the sailing at Weymouth — where the beach is a great place to catch a tan, if not catch more than a fleeting glimpse of the boats.
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In a country where summer lasts a fortnight, it seems odd that that extra effort is needed to get Brits out to take in the sailing. The problem is, as Barry Bearak discovered, Weymouth offers excellent sailing and home-water advantage for the hosts, but only the paying spectators can see what's taking place.
Weymouth, the site selected for Olympic sailing, offers very few sight lines to the competing boats. There is a single excellent viewing area — a grassy knoll across the harbor — but only those with tickets are permitted inside, and prices have been as high as $85 US. Most public areas with good vantage points are blocked off.
Len Hunt, a local man, tried to see the start of a race through a large set of binoculars, leaning over a railing and hoping to glimpse Britain's sailing hero, Ben Ainslie. "There he is," he said with certainty that within seconds surrendered to doubt. "No, no, no, that's somebody else."
People on the beach who wanted to see the races were welcomed into an area with large video screens. And there, in Weymouth, at the Olympic sailing site, they watched the event on a broadcast as if they were still at home. (The New York Times)
This has led to Weymouth having the same 'nobody goes there any more, it's too crowded' conundrum that dogged London's city centre earlier during the Games. People were told to limit venturing into the area and, amazingly, actually deferred to authority. That's led to some knee-jerking about nanny-stateism
Zara, the "renowned" palm reader and clairvoyant with a hut on the beach, spent her days in the past week talking on her mobile phone instead of peering into the future.
"They hyped this Olympics way too much," she said.
Why hadn't she seen it coming? "I should've," she acknowledged.
A choice piece of waterfront was set aside for the Bayside Festival, an area for evening concerts, pubs, stores, exhibits and a skate park.
On Friday, the organizers liquidated the business and closed the site. "Dire visitor numbers" was given as the reason.
"Our government is overprotective and overbearing, and it is their warnings about health and safety that has kept people away," said Jed Marson, who had rented retail space in the misbegotten venture.
Weymouth is some 220 km from London, so anyone coming from the capital city would have to really be into sailing, which is an elitist pastime.
The site of the Olympic sailing venue usually depends on the geography of the host city. There was no problem with location, for instance, in Barcelona or Sydney since both are coastal cities. (If memory serves, though, the water pollution in Barcelona in 1992 might have given the sailors new appreciation for the phrase "flotsam and jetsam.") For the 1976 Montreal Olympics, the sailing was actually held in Kingston, Ontario, about a three-hour drive depending on whom is driving.
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(Since my mother was carrying me during the '76 Games — the first of her three-peat for Olympic-year pregnancies — I did not witness my hometown's turn as an Olympic co-host. It is cool to find out, though, that I likely either know someone or know someone who knows someone who was there when Great Britain's Tim Jeffery and Alan Warren burned their boat after finishing 14th, giving it a Viking funeral.)
From the sounds of it, it appears the Brits are warming up to sort of watching sailing. Perhaps the reluctance was just the typical British reserve.
Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Contact him at neatesager@yahoo.ca and follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.
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