The second day of the Laser Radial Open and Women’s World Championship in Brisbane started with no wind and it had not arrived by the time the fleets were due to leave the shore. By the start time the fleet were pleased to be still on the shore as a rain squall came through and the visibility had dropped to 200 metres! As the squall cleared the wind filled in and by the time the fleet were at the starting area there was a steady 18 knots oscillating through 30 degrees to give great sailing conditions.

Australian’s Michael Blackburn and Tom Slingsby both had a perfect day’s racing leading their respective fleets from start to finish in the both races held today. Matt Blakey NZL, who on the first day had matched the results of the Australians, lost contact in his second race when he got caught on the wrong side of a left hand shift caused by an active rain cloud passing nearby the course and could only manage a 6th.

Racing was a lot closer in the women’s fleet. Christine Bridge, from the home club, got the locals cheering when she led round the first mark in the first race of the day. She said: “It was a bit shifty and I got into the sequence. Downwind I lost several places but the fortunately not Krystal who capsized just behind me.” Weir took up the story “It was quite a bad capsize and I lost several places. At the downwind gate I rounded the left hand mark whilst everyone else rounded the right hand one. I locked into a good shift which got me up to first which I held until the last windward leg. I failed to cover Christine on the last leg and she got a good shift. She cam in from the right and I was on port and in trouble. We finished on opposite ends of the line.” Bridge said “I thought I just got the gun but it was exciting.”

Bridge was dominant in the second race working the shifts well up the first windward leg to hold a comfortable lead at mark 1 ahead of Jane Macky from New Zealand. Weir did not have a good start and was eighth round the first mark, about three quarters of a leg behind Bridge. Weir said: “I said myself I am in trouble here but I had a good downwind leg and was able to slowly work my way back through the fleet but not enough to catch Christine and Jane.”

Two more races are scheduled for today.

Overall results (provisional)

Results Male 1 AUS 178785 SLINGSBY Tom 5.0

2 AUS 178640 BLACKBURN Michael 5.0

3 NZL 175277 BLAKEY Matthew 11.0

4 CRO 167831 LOLIC Aron 12.0

5 NZL 178663 MCLAY Blair 19.0

6 NZL 136721 ORAMS Mark 22.0

7 AUS 178788 CHEW Matthew 23.0

8 AUS 177729 SKULANDER Nick 25.0

9 AUS 178646 SCHMIDT Andrew 25.0

10 NZL 175279 WINTER Martin 27.0

Results Female

1 AUS 180195 WEIR Krystal 6.0

2 AUS 153136 BRIDGE Christine 15.0

3 NZL 159153 POWRIE Miranda 16.0

4 ARG 179356 CARRANZA SAROLI Cecilia 19.0

5 SUI 179395 MEYER Corinne 24.0

6 NZL 176918 WINTHER Sara 26.0

7 IRL 173815 HANNA Debbie 33.0

8 ISR 168365 EDELMAN Nufar 35.0

9 NZL 177775 ALEH Jo 38.0

10 AUS 178789 SLINGSBY Alana 43.0