Day 3 of the La Grande Motte International Regatts for the 49er, 49erFX and Nacra Championships.
The Team GB pair James Peters and Fynn Sterritt (3-8-21) recover the 49er lead and take a two point advantage from fellow Brits, James Grummett and Rhos Hawes (2-21-11) now second overall at the end of the qualifcation stage.
Switzerland’s Sebastien Schneiter and Arno de Planta move up to third on 44 pts, and fourth Ian Barrows and Hans Henken USA in fourth with 54 pts and fifth Erwan Fischer and Clément Pequin of France.
Elliott Wells and Billy Vennis-Ozanne are 22nd and Arran Holman and Sam Jones 28th as the fleet regroups in gold and silver.
In the women’s 49erFX, the drop in wind strength brought huge changes to the leaderboard.
Now three points in the lead are Belgium’s Isaura Maenhaut and Anouk Geurts with 42 pts, with second the Polish team of Alexsandra Melzacka and Sandra Jankowiak on 45 pts.
Third are the unusual pairing of former Laser Radial World Champion Sarah Steyaert, combined with Charline Picon, the Rio 2016 Olympic Champion in windsurfing in the first boat Charline has ever sailed! They are now third with 47 pts.
The Team GB pair Freya Black and Saskia Tidey recovered well to take 5th overall on 58 pts. Eleanor Keers and Jessica Jobson are 21st.
And in the Nacra 17 Laila van der Meer and Bjarne Bouwer surprised themselves with a spectacular day.
The young Dutch team scored 3, 1, 1 in blue group to move up to second overall in the World Championship behind the defending champions from Italy, Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti (9-2-2) who have a nine point lead after nine races.
Third are Italy’s Gianluigi Ugolini and Maria Giubile who maintain a one point gap from Team GB’s John Gimson and Anna Burnet (1-8-1) in fourth.
Gimson commented . . . [The Nacra] “It’s kind of three different boats, because in no wind the Nacra goes from being pretty much a keelboat until you lift one hull and it becomes a catamaran, and then when you’re fully foiling it’s very different again. So we’re trying to make ourselves as all-round as we can, which means you have to make compromises somewhere.”
Fifth are Ida Svensson and Marcus Dackhammon of Sweden who edge ahead of Micah Wilkinson and Erica Dawson of New Zealand.
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