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28 July 2005 Greetings from Switzerland. Yesterday we sailed the tune-up race. There were two starts, and all our sailors were in the first start. All went well, and the boys came off the water feeling confident about the course. We all rushed back to “dress-up” for the Opening Ceremony. Our team looked great – all the boys (including Rob) wore our team T-shirts (thanks Paddy!) and the ladies wore the golf shirts. We stood out with our SA “jesters” hats – these were a great hit. Also, the distinctive trumpet of our vuvuzelas announced the arrival of the RSA team! We marched through St Moritz, carrying our flag up high (thanks to Rob!). Heidi, Peter and the goats led the procession, followed by a band, and a cart pulled by horses, carrying the Oppie sail. There was a great atmosphere, and the crowd cheered and clapped. We all gathered around a central point for speeches, a modern dancing display (the boys were most interested in this – as it was performed by some very attractive young girls), and an “Alp Horn” musical performance. At the end of the proceedings, bunches of balloons from each country were set off together, and made a wonderful spectacle in the evening sky. We were treated to snacks and drinks and mingled with the different teams. Our boys were chased by some attractive girls for their hats – but we have managed to hang on to them for the closing ceremony! Today was our first racing day. 241 sailors have been entered in the event, from 53 countries. The wind was 0 knots when we arrived at the yacht club – which was just as well, as our bus broke down en route (we think it was overloaded with Oppie sailors!). The lake was glassy, and the sky clear and bright – good conditions for thermal winds. As predicted, the wind started to pick up just before 11am. The first race started at 11h10 – with the white & yellow fleets on the start line - Taariq was the only RSA competitor. Each fleet had three races in winds from 8 to 18 knots. The boys are still positive after some difficult sailing with mixed results. The championship consists of 15 races, so there is still a long road ahead. The official results are not out as we write this mail. We will let you know results tomorrow. Our next race (Race # 4) is scheduled to start @11h00 tomorrow (Friday 29th). Cheers for now from:
Taariq
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