Windermere Classic: Saturday Update

So the big question of the day is: did the midwest and southeast just blow out the west coast or did the west coast just manage to practice themselves into fair water complacency?

It's a more the former than the latter, I'd have to presume, but I'm sure that the nasty weather suffered by the non-west-coasters has certainly helped them deal with the developing headwind. The flags at Redwood Shores are standing at full attention, and even inside the hotel, you can hear some of the gusts of wind.

The good news is that both lanes are similarly affected. The bad news, at least for one crew, is that not all crews are trained to handle headwinds that push you down to port. C'est la vie.

The morning rain has dried up and moved out east with the winds, but thunderstorms were reputed to be in the area. So far, so clear--just windy.

The steering has been affected by the wind as well. We've seen one coxswain change lanes twice (ending up in their own lane), losing about a length and a half in the second change. We've also seen boats buffeted about by the wind--it's amazing how well you can see water thrown up by squared blades hitting water from a wind-affected set.

The rates are telling, but only when paired with position data. Crews that rate highly have been known to blow out early or get killed by the headwind. Some crews row slightly higher and just get out faster then the other crews (a 29 is not a winning rating today...yet). It would take guts and a firm sense of your crew's capabilities to call up the rate much in this situation.

For now, it seems that the big question can also be rephrased: who can row long and strong into a 17+ mph headwind? And to think the water was so lovely yesterday.