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Contributed Mark Coakley of Halifax, right, handles the sails while skipper Eric Holden of Vancouver steers their catamaran during a race in Travemunde, Germany on July 22. Coakley is one of two Nova Scotians competing in a pre-Olympic regatta in Athens, Greece, the site of next summer's 2004 Olympic Games.

By Chad Lucas / Herald Sports

Two Nova Scotian sailors are getting a taste of what the 2004 Olympics will be like next summer in Athens.

Mark Coakley and Brent MacDonald, both of Halifax, are sailing on separate boats at the pre-Olympic regatta that starts Wednesday in the Greek capital.

The event is an opportunity for race officials as much as sailors to fine-tune for next year, Coakley says.

For sailors, it's a chance to gear up for world championships in Cadiz, Spain next month, where a strong finish will earn a return trip to Athens next year for the real thing.

"We really want to make sure everything is running smoothly and we're on our game for the worlds," Coakley said Thursday from his Athens hotel. "Obviously a really good result here will help us a lot. . . . It's of paramount importance for evaluating our real progress and trying to get to Olympics."

Both sets of sailors will need to finish within the top 12 countries either at Cadiz or at the world championships next spring in order to earn a berth in the Olympics.

"We were the 14th country at the 2002 worlds, so it's well within reach," Coakley said.

Coakley is the crew for skipper Eric Holden of Vancouver. They sail a two-man catamaran in the Tornado class.

MacDonald sails in the two-man 470 class with skipper John Russell of Edmonton.

Coakley and Holden arrived in Europe in April, sailing in France, Holland, and Germany before arriving in Greece on Aug. 1.

They had their first look at the Olympic site on Thursday. The city is buzzing with pre-Games activity, Coakley said.

"We've noticed the change just in the two weeks we've been here," he said. "All the Olympic stadiums, you can see they're finished or well on their way."

MacDonald and Russell have also spent most of the summer competing in Europe, with a short trip back to Halifax for a training camp in July.

It's been a season of ups and downs, as the team showed strongly in Germany but struggled at European championships in France, MacDonald said.

The duo's trip from France to Greece was the stuff of a Chevy Chase movie after their van broke down in the Italian Alps.

It took a week to make it to Athens, travelling by planes, subways, trains, cars, tow trucks, ferries, buses, and taxis, Russell said in an e-mail.

"If we had used a hot-air balloon and a dog sled, then I think we would have had every mode of transportation covered," he said.

But now that they've made it safely, the team is looking forward to the regatta, MacDonald said.

The regatta starts Wednesday.