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Wind and rain cause procession to be cancelled in coastal town where the welcome for the Games has been far from unanimous
The rain tipped down and the wind swept in, forcing the cancellation of the 1,000-strong procession that was due to welcome the Olympic flame to Weymouth and Portland, the biggest venue for the 2012 games outside London.
Still the spirits of Tina Stevenson, who was serving steaming cups of tea at the Nothe Cafe, could not be dampened.
"I'm getting a zingy feeling about the Games," she said. "I can't wait. And the weather's got to get better soon."
At times in the runup to the Games it has felt as if most businesspeople and residents of Weymouth and Portland cannot wait for the end of the Olympic sailing regatta off the Dorset coast.
Many hoteliers and shopkeepers have expressed concern that rather than boosting the economy, the Games will prompt regular holidaymakers to stay away.
And residents have complained that the area has suffered years of disruption as it prepared for the Games and cannot see what legacy will be left once the hoopla of the Olympics has come and gone.
But as the torch arrived on Weymouth beach – carried in on a pilot gig boat – the mood seemed to be improving.
Stevenson admitted she has a vested interest – her cafe is slap bang in front of the entrance to the ticketed sailing viewing area at the Nothe Gardens.
"It should be a good time for us when the crowds come but we've already done quite well. The French sailing team has been training nearby and they come here for ham and cheese baguettes and cheeseburgers. They are very nice and they eat loads."
Some businesses are seeing the opportunities. The Stable bar and restaurant (57 varieties of cider plus tasty pizzas that the New Zealand team are particularly fond of) has opened a pop-up fish restaurant, Salt, on the opposite side of the harbour.
"It was mainly started with the Olympics in mind and is doing really well already," said barman Lee Pritchard.
Torchbearer Peter Fry, dodging the rain in the foyer of Weymouth Pavilion, said the naysayers were being shortsighted.
"Even if some do lose a few regular customers for the year, this puts the place on the map. There will be benefits for decades ahead."
Both the government and the local authority are keen to flag up the business opportunities the Olympics affords.
Weymouth is following London in hosting a "British business embassy" that will aim to show visiting entrepreneurs what is on offer in Dorset.
Those that do not have tickets to the Nothe Gardens (it is a sellout) are being encouraged to watch the sailing and other sports on big screens as part of the Bayside Festival on the Weymouth seafront.
Organisers have planned for up to 60,000 people a day.
Rob Andrews, London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (Locog) sailing competition manager, summed up the experience as an "Olympic day out at the seaside."
It is unlikely to be a very sophisticated experience – Weymouth remains largely a fish-and-chips, bucket-and-spade kind of place. But that is its charm.
The critics remain. Dave Price, chairman of the Weymouth Hoteliers, Guesthouses and Leaseholders Association (WHGLA), said some members were reporting bookings down by 75% for the period of the Games.
"The message that has got out is that Weymouth is going to be gridlocked and regular visitors are deciding to give it a miss this year," he said.
Bookings at Price's own Molyneux Guesthouse on the seafront are down by 60% on last year.
Chris Steadman, owner of Tom and Erin's ice cream parlour and patisserie on the Esplanade, said takings were down by 50% on what he had anticipated this summer.
"We're just about ticking over. Of course, the weather and the recession aren't helping but when you add in concerns over the Olympics, it is a disaster."
There is also anger that the Nothe Gardens will be fenced off to keep out those who have not paid for tickets.
Rumours still swirl that Olympic organisers are going to set up barriers to prevent people with sea views from watching races or are banning those with views of the sailing area from having people to stay.
Such whispers are strongly denied and would be impossible to enforce even if there was a will to obscure the bay – thousands of homes have sea views.
Down on Weymouth beach, Bernard Weldon, whose family has run a children's amusement park on the beach – merry-go-round, trampoline, swing-boats – since 1919, said the Olympics was bound to be good news.
"I know a lot of people have been down on it but it's got to be a boost in the end. It's the rain rather than the Games that is keeping people away. It can't keep raining, can it?"