Algae still an issue at Olympic sailing venue

Finn class sailor Dan Slater is expecting the algae bloom to be a significant issue at next month's Olympic regatta at Qingdao. Slater has just returned to New Zealand after a two-week stint where officials are still trying to clear the Olympic course. The 32-year-old says he did not expect to get much out of the experience as a lot of sailors before him had not been able to train at all. He says as it turned out he managed to sail 13 out of 14 days, which is not bad going and they achieved all they wanted to. Slater says the algae is not as thick as it has been, but it is still a problem and he could not sail as confidently and straight as he normally would. He says there are still patches in the water which wrap around rudders and centre boards which makes sailing really tough as the weed is not easy to see in water that is... [read full story]