thats it game over, heading home

After Tom arrived back yesterday just in time to see the container doors being closed (good timing) yesterday was a romantic goodbye meal at the local Italian restaurant and then home to watch a very very long closing shinding on TV (glad we did not go, last year it was pretty boring as well!)

Then on to Lennin's bar, took bloody ages to get there as a lot of the services laid on for the non Chinese speakers have dissapeared so we drove around for about half an hour to get there, but it was worth it. A goodbye beer with a load of Team GBR out for the last night in Qingdao celebrating Saskia's birthday; but the highlight of the night was when Nick Rogers got up on stage to play the guitar with the house band and Chris sang a couple of numbers with him, watching Olympians bounce around a wet floor with ISAF officials and local Chinese really put it all in prosepective. The sailing has brought a very Western sport/culture to Qingdao and in the end the two cultures mixed it up big style.

Tom sets off on his long journey back to Australia this afternoon and Chris heads back to LA via Honkers at lunchtime, whilst Eileen is sticking around to make sure nobody tries to nick any containers.

Weybiza 2012-bring it on.

Team Laser, August 24th 2008

ps thanks for the memories.....

Leaving Kit!

So we are due to leave Qingdao a few KG larger so we have gone for team kit! Check out the Basketball kit and the new China trainers, they rock!

Jamie Cullen moments "What a difference a day makes"

I am now back on the same seat in the airport that I had yesterday. Weather looks OK for flying and I skipped the mega bun fight by having got my boarding pass yesterday. My only slight worry is that I will not see my bag in Qingdao, but it could be worse as I am now sporting a clean T-shirt!
Let's hope the next post comes from Qingdao...
TTFN

I board the plane, go down the runway, wait for an hour and then get off!

What a lovely way to spend 6 hours! board the plane, go down the runway, waited for 3hours and then go back to the terminal (great!). When I get back in to the terminal it goes like this:
• 200 Chinese passengers try and get to the front of the line first!
• Get told you now have to stay in Hong Kong for another night and your bag is checked in for the flight tomorrow!
• “but I need clothes and wash stuff if I am having to stay in Hong Kong” I say
• The answer I get is “Sorry, cannot”
• Then try and get a train with every other delayed flyer to central (no big deal)
• Arrive at central and try and get a taxi not easy! Unless you know you have to empty your wallet and bribe them!
• Arrive at same hotel that I left 7 hours ago….
Ace! I love Typhoon 9?

I am boarding.....

Have it! Looks like I might be flying as the flight is not yet delayed and is due to board in 20 mins. I love Dragonair as they have a total disregard for safety.

Two more images from the medal night

If I am stuck in Honkers I am going to post two images per hour until I leave. Might run out of images, so anyone has any good ones send them over!

Bugger - Typhoon 8 flag now up!

No trains, not yet confirmed about planes... Fingers crossed they will give it a go.

Tom in Typhoon 8 Hong Kong!

It's a good job I like HK airport! I have a high chance to be spending the day and night here thanks to a Typhoon.... I have risked it for a biscuit and got up early to arrive at the airport hoping I can return to my second home Qingdao! After all I do need to get the red trainers.
If I get delayed I am going to put the iphone on random shuffle!

Some pics from the night after the medal race...

Thanks John Luc!

John Luc has done a fantastic job at the Olympics and I thought it only right to show him some love.

It is hard to get a room key!

The medals have gone and the boats come back...

The medals are out, the sailors have finished and all the coaches are bringing the boats back for a massive game of Man up (for Chris and I).

Get it

Anna and Paul bring home Gold to the USA and GBR respectively in exciting light wind medal races. Everyone’s hearts go out to Rasmus from Sweden, lying in silver position going into the medal race but Paul sailed him into a bad starting position which was too hard to fight back from, so he dropped from second to sixth, not ideal. Murdoch of NZ said he doubted there would be any ‘afters’ in the bar this evening and said Rasmus could have done better on the start to keep away from Goodie, but c’est la vie!

Anna was the comeback queen in the Radial, going into the Medal race in Gold position she ended up at the first leeward mark in 8th position and then spotted a shift up the last upwind leg that took her to third at the windward mark and then second at the finish behind Gintare from LTU, who took silver medal, and it was a romantic feature seeing Robert Scheidt from Brazil sprinting through the boat park to greet her off the medal podium.

That’s it for another four years, in the end all sailors will agree that Paul has worked harder and been more focused than anyone else and deserves his Gold and Anna the golden girl of American sailing now is one of the most liked people in the fleet.

Now the hard work starts as Tom flies back to Honkers for a few days; but not before the entire fleet hits New York Bar at 10 pm for a white wine spritzer and a can of panda pop to bid farewell to their fellow sailors for a few months.

Dobbie: tonight is for you, we all miss you and wish you could have been here to help us load!

Victory Gold

Congrats Paul! See you in the bar @ 10....

Victory Silver!

Vasilij

Victory Bronze!

Congrats Diego

I say k, you say tv k....

Who made this Laser?

Victory Pictures 2 - More to come today...