Anarchy in the PRC

We haven’t given much space to that little regatta going on in Qing-downer, because it hasn’t deserved more than that. That all changed on Sunday when nasty weather brought 20+ knots and square 5-foot waves into Fushan Bay, shattering nerves and equipment as convincingly as they did dreams and hopes. The best shone through and the idiots showed themselves – and here’s a wrap-up:

God Save The Queen
In the medal race for the Finns, Ben Ainslie toyed with the rest of the fleet the way a mountain lion toys with a baby deer. He beat Zach Railey into submission 30 seconds before the start, banishing the second-place American to the back of the pack, going the wrong way up the first beat. Ainslie threw a loose cover on Railey up that beat, and somehow, King Ben still rounded the top mark a long way ahead of anyone else. As the rest of the fleet struggled with the big waves and puffy breeze, Ainslie looked like he was relaxing in granddad’s rocking chair as he extended his lead to take yet another gold medal. Until Sunday, Ainslie’s light-air dominance was impressive. When the breeze came on, it got downright silly.