The German forecasters were giving "little to nothing" although that was hardly news, or unexpected. They did however indicate that this state of affairs might last. With the Sailing Instructions allowing the Olympic Championship to be settled by one race, there is every chance that the medals could be devalued.

That could mean that the defending Finn champion could easily lose his title if he runs to his usual Olympic form. He said yesterday: "I look back on all the Olympics and I had bad first days at every single one of them - I don't know if that's just coincidence or something I've been doing wrong. Maybe I've been a little bit nervous going in to the event, a little bit uptight and not sailing my normal style - I don't really know." -- Bob Fisher in Sail-World.com, his full report at www.sail-world.com

* For the media, the last two days have been an exercise in exasperation as they establish themselves within the strictures of the media centre, security operations and generally being assured that 'she'll be right on the night'.

The shadow over this regatta, at this stage, is uncertainty. No-one really knows what to expect from the wind, the organisers and a raft of other factors which seem minor in their own way, but in this environment easily can flare to be a major issue.

Certainly the Chinese have done an outstanding job with the clearance of the Qingdao Green, the algae that has clogged the race course since May. There are very, very minimal traces of the organism left on the course. We are told by competitors that the algae is not an issue, and will not affect racing in any way. That's great news.

Having got from where they were a month ago, to where they are today is a Herculean effort, and is an absolutely remarkable achievement by the Chinese.

On the plane flying into Qingdao, the Sail-World editorial team made jokes about spotting men with lawnmowers below on the Yellow Sea. However walking around the foreshore this afternoon, there was not a trace of the smelly green stuff. -- RIchard Gladwell, sail-world.com

* Yachting authorities have given the green light for Tornado class sailors to use a controversial new sail in the Beijing Olympics regatta.

Barely hours before the regatta begins, the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) said Tornado teams could use the upwind spinnaker after deciding that it did not break any class rules.

The Code 0 spinnaker, which is smaller in area size than a normal spinnaker, can help the catamarans sail faster against the wind in light wind conditions, a key advantage in Qingdao.

Dutch Tornado crew Pim Nieuwenhuis and Australian-born Mitch Booth upped the ante after announcing they would use the sail, also known as a gennaker or kite, just a fortnight out from the start of the Olympics.

Australian world champion and world No.1 Tornado skipper Darren Bundock said the spinnaker should be banned because it broke the one-design class rule, governing the Tornado.

But on Friday night, ISAF measuring officials ruled the Code 0 did not contravene class rules and gave it the thumbs up.

Australian Sailing Team director Michael Jones said the decision was disappointing but added the Australian crew had been ready with its own Code 0 design and would make a decision on whether to use it closer to the start of the Tornado racing next week. -- Source: AAP news.sbs.com.au/worldnewsaustralia/tornado_sail_approved_for_the_olympics_553998

* The Russian Yngling trio have been cleared of a Rule 69 protest two days before the opening races of the Olympic sailing regatta in Qingdao.

Ekaterina Skudina, Natalia Ivanova and Diana Krutskikh went into the closed hearing of the International Jury after 2kg of lead was discovered in their boat during measurement check. The lead was concealed under the floor, discovered when an inspection hatch was opened and the space investigated.

It is thought that the lead was used to bring the boat up to the class minimum weight.

The Russian trio went before chairman John Doerr and fellow jurors Bernard Bonneau, Sally Burnett, Marianne Middelthon and Bill O'Hara who imposed no sanction because they couldn't be sure that the sailors had knowledge that the illegal lead was there, never mind being able to establish that they bore any responsibility for it being there. -- The Daily Sail, www.thedailysail.com

Photo of Ben Ainslie by Ingrid Abery, www.hotcapers.com. Click on image for photo gallery.

* International yachting photographer Ingrid Abery has arrived in Qingdao, China with lenses poised to capture the drama, action, pleasure and pain that will be the 29th Olympic Games.

Ingrid, who has been documenting the Olympic classes circuit over the past ten years at venues such as Miami, Hyeres, Sydney, Spa and Kiel, will be conveying the energy and excitement 'hot off the press' at the quadrennial event. Images will be posted on Scuttlebutt Europe and daily on her website: www.hotcapers.com

An exhibition of her work is currently on display at the 2012 sailing venue for the Olympic Games, the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy.

You can view Ingrid's photos on the Scuttlebutt Europe photo gallery: scuttlebutteurope.com/photos/

Race Reports From Qindao
Photo by Gilles Martin-Raget, www.martin-raget.com. Click on image for photo gallery.

The first day of competition on Saturday saw racing in the Yngling and Finn and a practice race for the 49ers. Sunday's racing will see the first 49er races, a practice race for the RS:X Men and Women and the second day of racing for the Finn and Yngling.

Day One - Finn
With everything from 25 knot winds to drifting around in the fog, to sweltering under an intense blue sky and the cancelled practice race on Thursday, Friday's's optimistic forecast didn't quite materialise. However two races were sailed in what could best be described as trying conditions.

Despite the forecasts of 8-10 knots of wind today, it was business as usual with 3-5 knots of patchy breeze, a strong current stretching out the downwind legs and high temperatures and humidity. It was also a day of mixed fortunes for some in a day characterised by massive position changes. Technically Ben Ainslie (GBR) had the best of the day, but the wind lived up to expectations in the first race, dumping him out of the lead.

After a 20 minute delay for the wind to settle, the first race of the 2008 Olympic Games got underway in what turned out to be the best breeze of the day. Those who favoured the right found more pressure and first round the top mark was Jonas Hogh-Christensen (DEN) followed by Giorgio Poggi (ITA) and Rafal Szukiel (POL).

On the final leg Ainslie had a good 100 metre gap on the fleet when everything started to go wrong for him. Half way down the leg with the tide increasing all the time, the wind went very light and then came in from the left slightly stronger. Ainslie immediately started losing places.

Emilios Papathanasiou (GRE) went furthest to the left and gradually moved ahead. From 25th at the first top mark to sixth at the first gate to eighth at the second windward mark, he found the best pressure on the final downwind to steel the opening race. Also making large gains down the final leg was Zach Railey (USA) who moving from 15th to 2nd at the finish. Szukiel, who had dropped to 14th at the top mark also recovered well to finish third, while Ainslie's lead evaporated in the slow motion finish to end up 10th. The change in wind also favoured Nachhatar Johal (IND), who had rounded the final mark in 25th, and ended up in fourth place by the finish.

The second race started in more or less the same wind with the right side clearly favoured again. Poggi again sailed a blistering first upwind leg to round the top mark just ahead of Szukiel and Tapio Nirkko (FIN).

This time Ainslie managed to maintain his lead on the final downwind to win race two by just 12 second. Szukiel, who again had an appalling second upwind leg to drop to 13th scratched his way way to second by the finish to head the leader board overnight. Another big mover was Chris Cook (CAN) who went from 14th at the final upwind mark to third at the finish, while Trujillo held onto his fourth place. Railey had an unfortunate leg to drop to fifth place and lies in second place overnight while Ainslie's win leaves him in third place.

The opening day proved as tricky as everyone had predicted with virtually all of the medal favourites picking up at least one high score, some of them two. While he can't have been particular impressed with his performance on the water today, world number one Hogh-Christensen was impressed with the regatta centre. "It is very impressive. Unlike anything else.

We know that the sailing conditions to say the least will be very challenging, so it is going to be as hard on the organisation as it is on the sailors, but I am sure they will manage. The Olympics always brings out the best on shore and hopefully, the best on the water too."

Tomasz Chamera is the Director of racing of the Polish Yachting Association and in Qingdao he is Sailing Team leader and also deputy Chef de Mission of the Polish Olympic team. He said on Szukiel's performance today, "It is amazing to see Rafal in the lead of an Olympic event. But it is not a huge surprise.

Rafal has worked very hard here in Qingdao over the past weeks and was one of the best during the Finn training sessions. However, it is just the beginning with eight races to go, but the truth is that even if you can't win a regatta on a first day even with great results, you can lose it on the first day with bad results. So, so far so good. Today, Rafal was consistent and made good tactics. He has applied all we have worked on recently and it is proving successful." -- Robert Deaves, www.finnclass.org

Day One - Yngling

Qingdao, China - July 9-2008 - Racing is under way in Qingdao on Day One in public view, right off the massive stone breakwater that protects the harbor. The breeze is from the ESE at 6 knots.

In Race One At the first weather mark, Team 7 rounded in fifth place, 16 seconds behind the leading team which is the Greek crew skippered by Sofia Bekatoru. France was second at the weather mark, just one second off the transom of the leader.

Team 7 moved up on the run, playing the shifts well, and had pulled into second place as the fleet rounded the bottom mark and began the second beat. The French boat steered by Anne le Helley had taken over the lead and Greece had dropped to third place. The British boat which was last at the top mark, had pulled up six places and was lying 9th, 45 seconds behind the lead boat.

The breeze, around six knots, is light and shifty. It backed five degrees to the east for the second beat. The French held onto their lead, pursued closely by the Australians but Team 7 got lost in the pack and rounded the top mark in 10th place, 1 min 12 sec behind the leaders. They were just 11 seconds ahead of their British rivals who had dropped to 11th place.

Krystal Weir's Aussie crew pulled up to first place on the last run to take first place in the first race of the 10-race series. Sarah Ayton's British team made a big move on the last run to finish second, 29 seconds behind the Aussies. The Russians were third and France fourth as the fleet spread out on the final run. Team 7 Sailing crossed the line in 14th place, just one place out of last.

Race 2 got under way after a short delay. The reported wind strength was 6 knots and the weather leg was 115 degrees. Mandy Mulder and her Dutch crew got a good start and led at the the first weather mark by 16 seconds from Sally Barkow and America's Team 7 Sailing as they started the run of the four-leg course. The Dutch girls had finished 9th in the first race.

The team from the Netherlands consolidated its lead on the run and were about 130 yards and 1 min 19 secs ahead of Team 7 as they rounded the leeward mark to start the second beat to windward. Canada, skippered by Jennifer Provan had moved up from fifth to third and were just two seconds astern of the American boat.

At the weather mark, after the second beat, the Dutch still had a commanding 1 min 28 lead but the Spanish boat steered by Monica Azon had moved up into second place. Sarah Ayton and the Brits were close behind in third, and Team 7 was fourth. Just 13 seconds separated the Spanish, British and Americans. The Dutch boat had a 128 meter lead as they began the last run.

Holland finished the second race in first place while Team 7 made a nice recovery and finished second after overtaking the British. Canada was third and China finished fourth.

-- Reporting from the ISAF Olympic microsite and other sources for Team 7 (USA) by Keith Taylor, see www.team7sailing.com/content/blogcategory/20/36/

Results (top three) after day one:

Finn (2 races)
1. Rafael Szukie, POL (5pts)
2. Zach Railey, USA (7pts)
3. Ben Ainslie, GBR (11pts)

Yngling (2 races)
1. Sarah Ayton-Sarah Webb-Pippa Wilson, GBR (5pts)
2. Jennifer Provan-Martha Henderson-Katie Abbott, CAN (9pts)
3. Mandy Mulder-Annemieke Bes-Merel Witteveen, NED (10pts)

You can follow racing, with leg-by-leg results, at www.sailing.org/olympics/resultscentre.php