Royal Irish Yacht Club sailor Saskia Tidey has moved into the overall lead of the 49erFX fleet at the San Pedro Olympic Classes Regatta in California, the official test venue for the sailing competition at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
Representing Great Britain with helm Freya Black, Tidey completed a steady climb up the leaderboard on the third day of racing, taking over first place after two top-five finishes and a race win.
The British pair discarded a tenth-place finish after taking avoiding action at the start of the second race before bouncing back with victory in the day's final race.
"We've just been trying to keep a consistent scoreline," Tidey said.
"It's been a challenging place to sail. Sometimes it's pretty obvious what to do, and other times it's actually quite confusing. So, executing at the start is really what we've been focused on, and then just getting into the race and using our speed."
Black added: "Our speed is pretty good. Being one of the quickest boats on the race course gives us options of where to start, and that's the really key bit."
The British crew now lead Sweden's Vilma Bobek and Ebba Berntsson, with Spain's Paula Barceló and María Cantero third.
Dickson Holds 18th
Ireland's Robert Dickson, sailing with temporary crew Jack Hildebrand while regular crew Sean Waddilove continues his recovery from injury, remains 18th overall in the 49er fleet after nine races.
At the top of the standings, Germany's Richard Schultheis and Fabian Rieger retained the overall lead, while Uruguay's Hernán Umpierre and Fernando Diz climbed to second. France's Erwan Fischer and Clément Péquin are third.
Six qualifying races remain before Saturday's medal race, with only the top ten crews advancing to the final.
The San Pedro OCR has attracted 140 competitors from 20 nations, including 27 Olympians, and is one of only two major Olympic class regattas held annually in the United States.
