Report from the USA SKUD 18 Team on the first two days of the Paralympic Regatta in Qingdao:

Greetings!

Day 2 of the Paralympic Regatta today. Opening Day jitters were a thing of the past, and it was down to business for Maureen and Nick in the SKUDs. It was a 3 race day, with a slightly earlier start. The breeze was up for Qingdao, a whopping 6-8 knots and things got off on schedule. We watched the start of Race 3 from the breakwater, then had to board the spectator boat. When we got out to the racecourse, the Stars & Stripes kite was leading, by a healthy margin, and finished 1st. John Ruf in the 2.4mR sailed and excellent race and also finished first!

Race 4 was a different story... the individual recall signal was hoisted at the start, meaning that at least 1 boat was OCS (On Course Side) -over early. Maureen insisted that USA was over and Nick reluctantly agreed to return to the line. China followed, and the recall flag was dropped as the Chinese cleared the line -all clear. Apparently Maureen & Nick spent a fair amount of the 1st beat discussing wether or not they were in fact over! We were out with the Aussies tonight, and they agreed with Maureen's call.

So it was a big hurdle to overcome... However, once again, they sailed through the fleet, picking off one competitor after another, until they were neck and neck with the race leading Australians. Nick set them up beautifully, positioning the USA for the final gybe to the leeward gate and finish line. They pulled off the pass and took the lead with about 200 yards to go!

It was an exciting race to watch, and I was standing on the deck of the spectator boat with the Australian crew's parents cheering alongside me. We all breathed big sighs at the finish and agreed that it was a fantastic finish to a hard-fought race, no matter who won (but I was sure glad it was the USA who won!). John Ruf in the 2.4mR had a terrible start, took the stern of nearly all 13 other boats, and finished 9th.

Race 5 was another hard fought one. A sort of mediocre start and the Canadians were launched. They rounded the 1st windward mark with a tremendous lead, followed by Australia. From the bottom of the course, we watched & waited as 2 more boats -the Irish and the Swedes rounded ahead of USA, ugh. But some good sailing on the run, stayin in pressure and on the favored gybe put Maureen and Nick up into third at the leeward gate.

A bit of boatspeed and some small shifts and the Aussies were were behind at the the final windward mark of the day. Unfortunately, USA failed to cover when they gybed away at one point, and the Aussies re-took second place. On the 2.4 mR course, John Ruf had a decent start and won his second race of the day.

So at the end of 2 days of racing, it's USA, Australia, Canada in the medal positions. Five races in the books means that each team can discard their worst score. Dana & I had passes to the Athlete's Village today and had dinner inside with Maureen. Quite a cool place! Tomorrow (Wednesday) is a day off, since the racing is on schedule. We're hoping to do some sightseeing & shopping.

USA! USA! USA!

Thank you for your ongoing support, and thanks for reading!

For more on the US SKUD 18 Team www.sailchallengeinspire.org

by Dan Tucker

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