#PERTH2011–Peter O'Leary and David Burrows are back in the top ten of the ISAF Star World Championships in Perth today after briefly dropping to 13th from fifth overall, the result of a poor third race where they scored 33rd in their 42-boat fleet. They scored an excellent third place though in the second race of the day to put the sole Irish pair ninth overall on 46 points, the same tally as Portugal's Afonso Domingos and Frederico Melo in eighth.
Leading the world - the Irish Star rounds the top mark first. Photo: Richard Langdon
Writing on their facebook page the Irish crew said: '
Another outstanding performance from the British Olympic Champions Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson consolidated their first place position in the overall standings after race four in the Star fleet.
Percy and Simpson have a total of 16 points while Mark Mendelblatt and Brian Fatih (USA) are on 28 points, with Germany's Robert Stanjek and Frithjof Kleen just behind them on 30.
"We had a good day today. We weren't going very well but we hung in and fought hard," Percy said. "My body is a bit bruised and battered for it but it's okay".
In race three, Norwegian team Eivind Melleby and Petter Morland Pedersen took first followed closely by Aimilios Papathanasiou and Antonios Tsotras of Greece.
The fight for third was close with Aimilios Papathanasiou and Antonios Tsotras of Greece just making it, putting Germany's Johannes Babendererde and Timo Jacobs in fourth place.
The outcome of race four saw the Swedish pair Fredrik Loof and Max Salminen take first place followed by Brazil's Robert Scheidt and Bruno Prada.
Third went to O'Leary and Burrows while British pair Percy and Simpson were fourth.
With six more races until the medal race the British are aware of the obstacles to come.
"There is still a long way to go, we're not super quick, so not confident we will get too far but we will keep battling to the end," he said.
Star racing is scheduled to continue on Tuesday on the Leighton course from 1300 Perth time.
