Windsurfer Nikola Girke of West Vancouver is in Weymouth, England for the Olympic sailing competition and she sent the North Shore News these photos from inside the Games. Here's how she described the scene, in her own words:

"I have to say I'm getting pretty excited to race. It's been a week since I've arrived back in Weymouth, I have settled in nicely, am happy and relaxed. I couldn't want it any other way.

We are in a remote village as our venue is too far away from London to commute. Canada has two houses in this village; one for the athletes and the other for the support staff. They are well equipped and it is great to be staying with the rest of the Canadian team. We can walk to our venue and everything is very well organized. The volunteers, workers and security are doing a great job and are very friendly - always saying hello and wishing us well. All round, it is a great experience.

I've had some really great training days both on and off the water. It's been sunny and hot, with little wind < a not so common occurrence - so I

decided to be a tourist and do the picture thing while the weather is nice.

I've attached a whole lot of pictures so you can see what it's like over here. Reading the captions of the pictures will explain things. This is how my racing works: There will be 26 women windsurfers from 26 countries. In fleet racing, each event has a series of races. Points are awarded in each race: first scores one point, second scores two points, etc. After 10 races, points from the worst race are discarded. The remaining points are added together. The 10 best athletes then advance to the medal race.

Points are doubled, so first place gets two points, second gets four, etc. The points total after the medal race determines the placings. The athlete with the lowest number of points is the winner.

My race schedule: Not sure what TV Stations will be showing but heard that NBC will be streaming races online. Times below are London, UK time:

Tuesday, July 31: 2 p.m. Race 1, 2:45 p.m. Race 2

Wednesday, Aug. 1: 2 p.m. Race 3, 2:45 p.m. Race 4

Thursday, Aug. 2: 2 p.m. Race 5, 2:45 p.m. Race 6

Saturday, Aug. 4: 12 p.m. Race 7, 12:45 p.m. Race 8

Sunday, Aug. 5: noon Race 9, 12:45 p.m. Race 10

Tuesday, Aug. 7: 2 p.m. Medal Race

Tomorrow I will walk into the Opening Ceremonies, waving my Canadian Flag proudly, thanking each and every one of you for supporting me and being with me on this incredible journey. I have never been more ready than I am now."