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I have spent the past two weeks in Rio training here for the first time in the Laser. It is a venue that I will become as familiar with as possible over the next few years in the build-up to the 2016 Olympics. 
Our daily walk to the Yacht Club - the view of the city side from Niteroi...
From my first experience here sailing the Laser, it is a very tricky venue with lots going on in terms of tide/current, shifty winds, flat/wavy sea state and a range of wind strengths during August. This first trip was all about getting a feel for the location, conditions and the culture. We collected as much data on the water as possible, which will be continually added to over the next few years with the help of the entire NZL Sailing Team on their various trips to Rio.
Sightseeing from the top of Sugarloaf Mountain on our day off...
There are obviously some conditions that are seen in Rio more so than others, but it is not always the light air venue that it is made out to be! We found this out pretty quickly during our first week in which we had rainy, frontal weather. One of our first days on the water we ventured outside of the harbor, onto the outer course areas and we were greeted with the biggest, messiest sea state I had ever sailed in, along with winds of up to 25 knots. The classic call by the locals was “it’s never like this!...”. It’s amazing how often you race at a venue and it turns out to be totally different the week you race to what the locals say it is normally like.
Waiting for wind on a practice race day...
Practice races inside the harbour with a bunch of top Laser sailors...
I am currently in the airport waiting to board my flight from Rio to San Francisco. I have been looking forward to the next month since being named as a member of the ‘NZL Sailing Team with ETNZ’ entry into the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup back in January. We have a few weeks of “lectures”, training and all-around preparation in San Francisco before we race from the 1-4 of September. It is awesome to be part of such a skilled team of sailors. I am sure I will learn from being around other top sailors and the experiences we share over the next month will be unforgettable.
It will be a month of no Laser sailing, but I am pretty sure swapping the Laser for an AC45 during this time is going to be a fun change! Can’t wait to get familiarized with the AC45 and racing in a ten boat fleet of these high-speed machines is going to be amazing.
Thanks to everyone for the continued support!
Cheers,
Andy
