New women's event in Rio an Olympic dream come true for 2 sailors

A new event introduced at the Rio de Janeiro Games this year means two Nova Scotia athletes finally have the chance to make their Olympic dreams a reality.

Erin Rafuse and DanielleBoyd sail a 49erFX, a small high-performance skiff that requires both teammates to hang off the edge to navigate the waters.

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The 2016 Rio Olympic Summer Games is the first time women's skiff has been represented at the Olympics. For Boyd and Rafuse, it was the right boat at the right time.

"I've sailed since I was seven, but until this year there wasn't a class for me," said Boyd, 26, originally from Kingston, Ont.

Boyd has always been a skiff sailor, and she would have had to learn to sail a different boat in order to make it to the Olympics.

Once she realized her class was in the 2016 Games, she immediately tried to find a partner who had an Olympic dream as big as hers.

Boyd calls herself lucky to have found Rafuse, a skipper from Nova Scotia who was ready for a change and a challenge.

Serendipitous teaming

Rafuse, 27, tried to compete in laser radial, but didn't qualify. So, she started looking for another sailing event to compete it when she met Boyd.

"I started sailing when I was 11 and I'm pretty driven, pretty competitive," said Rafuse. "[The Olympics] has always been an end goal for me."

That serendipitous meeting was in January 2013. Now, the two say they know each other better than anyone.

"We've become really close," said Boyd. "When we first got together we didn't know anything about each other and now I'd say we know more about each other than we do about our own families."

Even playing field

Boyd and Rafuse say the new class will bring some new excitement to the Games and it gives them a better chance of a podium finish.

"Everyone is on kind of an even playing field," said Rafuse. "Most people are learning fresh, so it'll be really exciting to watch."

"It's a unique boat, it's a really challenging boat. Everyone has to be exactly on time," Rafuse added.

For Boyd, the FX is best because of its speed.

"I love how fast the boat goes and how it gets the adrenaline pumping," she said."You're always on the edge of control."

Water, pollution concerns

The size and speed poses a problem when it comes to Rio's much-discussed pollution in Guanabara Bay. Drinking at least a little of the dirty water is unavoidable while leaning over the water.

I don't think I'll believe it's happening until we're walking into the opening ceremony.- Danielle Boyd

"We sail a really wet boat so we do get a lot of splash. Hopefully it just stays in the lower half of the body," said Boyd. "Luckily I turn away from the water when I talk to Erin. She has to talk forward."

The team returned in mid-July from their third trip to Rio to train and get their boat ready, and they say the garbage floating in Guanabara Bay is noticeable and unavoidable.

Both women acknowledge concerns about polluted water and the Zika virus in Rio, but added they are taking precautions. They wear bug spray, as well as long sleeves and pants on the water.

But they say nothing would stop them from missing the Games.

'Just can't believe it's happening'

Even though they are first-time Olympians, Boyd and Rafuse are hungry for a medal and believe they have a shot.

The Rio course is tricky, Rafuse said, but training in Halifax may give the team a slight advantage.

"Halifax can be a tricky venue as well, but in Rio there's a lot of land masses, a lot of shifty winds," said Rafuse. "You can compare it in a small way and we'll take that down with us and try to use that."

The team leftJuly 29for the Summer Olympics, and said their Rio journey will feel real only when they actually get there.

"We've been working really hard for four years, putting everything we know into this one event," said Rafuse.

"I just can't believe it's happening," said Boyd. "I don't think I'll believe it's happening until we're walking into the opening ceremony."