The day was off to a good start when Michala could see out of both eyes and Yoanna could speak, although for a moment I thought Yoanna was acting out the part of Don Corleone in the godfather! But, better a voice than none…

There is a fantastic spirit here at the Worlds, with everyone helping each other, giving advice and general kindness.  The girls are soaking up the advice they get from ‘old’ masters and not least, the young Danish sailors, Trine, Nicolaj and Daniel.

Eager to get started, the Hobiegirls got up early, into their wet suits and off for the morning skipper meeting.  Light winds meant that they did not actually get out to sail until 2pm, by which point not only did they look like dried prunes, but we have discovered that our fake tans are not entirely compatible with neoprene, leaving an unusual resembles to a speckled hen, but hopefully as the sun is shining again, we can aim for an ‘original’ tan this time.

With the wait to sail, the girls received some intensive one-on-one training by Graham Southwick from Fiji, Mark Laruffa from Italy and not least Andy Dinsdale France, to tack, trim and roll under the sail.  Their teaching, allowed the girls to get a great start in the first race with the jib hallard corrected.  The mast had been behind and should have been further forward in day one of sailing, leading to a slower start.  There is a lot to learn, trimming the sails, flag rules, etc., but it has been invaluable.

To avoid day one’s catastrophic entry into the water, and to ensure contact lenses, etc., were in place, the girls managed to convince four strapping men to assist them and the boat through the surf.  I suspect they are quite bossy!

The Hobiegirls are not the only Danes out here sailing in the Hobie Worlds. Trine Bentzen/Nicolaj Bjørnholt and Daniel Bjørnholt/Felix Grech are part of the Youth teams representing Denmark and are placed first (Daniel/Felix) and 6th (Trine/Nicolaj) after the second day of sailing. Yoanna and Michala are the grand (mad) old ladies in comparison.

It’s amazing how one comment can be construed in different ways..multicultural miscommunications. Yoanna passed Tong (from Hong Kong), who was with a group of male sailors from around the world and said “thanks for last night” to Tong’s delight the other male sailors presumed something more intimate took place, leaving him with an admiring pack of sailors.

I would love to report on all manner of dangerous animals we have encountered but apart from Trine, whose crew spotted a shark under their hobie trampoline, the girls have only spotted a whole pod of dolphins, but it is early days yet!!

To be continued….

Blog writer: Kirsten Larsen – Photos by: Kirsten Larsen & Michala Brincker – Web & Design: Michala Brincker.