Rowing: Greek weather puts the wind up Evers-Swindell twins

By DAVID LEGGAT

It sounds a nightmare scenario for champion rowing twins Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell, but their coach Dick Tonks isn't losing any sleep over it - just yet.

"It" is the prospect of the winds turning the regatta on the Schinias course this month into a lottery.

Critics of the course point to a wind farm on the hills overlooking the site as proof of its unsuitability as a rowing venue.

A year ago a test regatta on the course north-east of Athens was blown away as crews capsized in the seasonal winds known as meltemia, which traditionally arrive in August.

Among the possible repercussions if the winds blow are racing being reduced to a series of time trials rather than the heats and repechage system usually employed, and chopping the 2000m course in half.

Tonks, New Zealand's head coach as well as the twins' mentor, is aware of the various scenarios. He said time trialling was introduced by world governing body Fisa before the Sydney Olympics in 2000 because of similar fears.

"We experimented with time trials at some World Cups," he told the Herald last night from the squad's pre-Games base at Hazewinkel in Belgium.

"We didn't have to use it but it stayed on the [Fisa] books. It is an option that they could run heats as a time trial.

"It's not what we want, but it should be fair for everybody."

However, the prospect of a 1000m course holds no appeal. All pre-regatta strategy for the five New Zealand crews would go in the bin.

But of the five it would be the double world champion Evers-Swindells who potentially would face the most significant planning upheaval.

They have emerged as firm favourites for the gold medal and are undefeated in big races over 2000m since 2001. Their tactical approach, which has been so successful, would need an overhaul.

"That would be our least favoured option," Tonks said. "It comes down to more of a sprint and more power. It's not what we want. We want to be having a race."

Other possibilities to make the best of the weather if it turns grubby for racing are to start earlier in the morning or race at night.

The regatta, which runs from August 14-22, begins each day about 8.30am (5.30pm NZ time), with racing ending around midday (9pm NZT).

The New Zealand squads are finishing their leadup for Athens this week.

They have been trialling the cooling vests they will use in Athens. Although temperatures have been in the high 20s, Hazewinkel is still about 10C cooler than they expect to encounter in Greece.

The New Zealand team head for Athens next Monday.