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 With the polluted waters of Guanabara Bay a concern and the Zika
virus also a worry, the athletes are taking no chances as they seek
to improve on Britain's 2012 home tally of five medals and regain
the advantage they lost to Australia.
Giles Scott, who has taken over the men's Finn single-handed class
mantle from sailing's most successful Olympian Ben Ainslie, said the
focus is on getting as much time on the water as possible in Rio to
help conquer the vagaries of complex tides, flukey winds and
floating garbage.
However, one of the main concerns for Scott, who will be competing
at his first Olympics, and other British sailors is making sure that
they avoid getting ill from the water and they have a strict regime
to limit the risks.
"(It's) really simple stuff... like bathroom hygiene but all the
time. We get that nailed and then we can focus in on the sailing,"
the 28-year-old, who is world number one in the heavyweight Finn,
told Reuters ahead of the RYA Dinghy Show.
Assuming they stay healthy there is then the danger of getting
plastic bags and other garbage, which washes into the bay along with
the flows of raw sewage, tangled with their boats.
"That is a bit of worry for us, but it is just going to be part of
the Rio Olympics unfortunately," said Scott, who is taking a break
from Ainslie's America's Cup team to concentrate on the "personal
battles" he anticipates at Rio.
Scott is expecting to see strong competition from New Zealand,
French, Croatian, Dutch and Slovenian rivals with Britain having a
less experienced team than the one that competed in 2012.
MOSQUITOES AND MUGGERS
Windsurfer Bryony Shaw said avoiding the debris which can be found
floating below the surface in parts of the sailing zone in the bay
"could be the difference between winning medals or not".
If rubbish does get tangled in her RS:X windsurfer's fin the board
comes to a complete standstill, Shaw, a bronze medalist at Beijing
in 2008 and current world number one, told Reuters.
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The mosquito-borne Zika virus, which has been linked to thousands of
birth defects in Brazil, is just one of many preoccupations for
Shaw, 32.
She will be taking garlic tablets, in addition to using insect
repellent as part of a "protection package" to stay fit in her quest
for a gold medal.
Rio's varied and challenging conditions will mean that "the person
who wins in Rio will be the most versatile sailor, the most
adaptable sailor," Shaw added.
For Hannah Mills, 28, and Saskia Clark, 36, who won silver in the
470 dinghy class at London 2012, it is also important not to be
distracted by health concerns or the hazards of trash.
The pair were mugged at knife point while training in Rio in 2014
and are still "not comfortable" about security but now take greater
precautions. They are confident the authorities will do all they can
to make it safe for athletes during the Games.
Their main focus is on factors they can control and getting "on top
of the podium" in what they told Reuters will be their last Olympics
together as Rio will be Clark's final Games.
"We want to give it absolutely everything these last six months to
make sure we go there and give it our best performance," Mills said.
(Editing by Alan Baldwin)
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