STRONG winds led the second day of Olympic rowing to be cancelled but organisers allayed concerns the regatta could descend into a farce.

Athletes complained about having to race as the wind whipped across the Lagoa yesterday with Great Britain's Katherine Grainger calling it the worst Olympic rowing conditions she had faced.

The Serbian men's pair capsized during the heats but such issues were avoided today with the Albano buoy system that marks the race course being blown off track before the increasing wind situation led the day's racing to be abandoned.

Gusts of up to 15 metres per second battered the course shortly after the postponement.

The fact several boats capsized in training underlined athletes' view the Lagoa was unrowable, something reigning men's four champion and former Evesham rower Alex Gregory, who was due to see his heats under way today, expressed.

"You've seen that since it was called off, how worse it's got since then," he said.

"None of the rowers would've liked to have run out in that, especially the ones who have the repechages which determine whether they stay in the Olympic regatta or not.

"Some of the ones who know they won't get through would've been happy to have gone out as they'd have thought there might have been a slim chance if a few of the boats hadn't made it to the end as we saw on Saturday.

"What we want is the best conditions to get the best results with the right boats winning the medals. The whole programme is geared up to make sure you have the fastest boats in the final.

"We are an outdoor sport and in outdoor sports you are open to the elements and you have to deal with that.

"We've raced in conditions similar to this and there is a point you have to call it and I guarantee you 99 per cent of the athletes will be pleased."