"It's sailing Jim, but not as we know it..."

Yesterday I spoke to Chris Draper, who has just won the 49er Gold medal at the Olympic Test Regatta in Qingdao. Chris was still out in China having done a bit of coaching for the British 470 team at the World Championships 50 miles up the road from Qingdao. Apparently the wind was great! The Olympics should have been there maybe, but no use crying over spilt milk. The Games is in Qingdao and a big part of who wins medals in 2008 is who accepts it for what it is. When tidal strength often exceeds wind strength, we can't exactly look forward to the most thrilling of TV spectacles, but the results from the recent Test Regatta at least show that even in these wacky conditions the cream still rises to the top. I was interviewing Chris for an article I've just written for the forthcoming issue of Seahorse Magazine. The one thing I didn't mention from our conversation was Chris's view of China after spending a month living there, with his nostrils full of burnt-coal grime and pollution. Chris's analysis of the place: "It's minging!"