Ireland’s Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove remain in contention for a place in Sunday’s medal-deciding Final Series after a mixed day of Gold Fleet racing at the 49er World Championships in Quiberon, France.
The Dublin skiff duo climbed from 20th to 18th overall after three races sailed in lighter and highly tactical conditions on the Bay of Quiberon.
After heavy winds earlier in the week, crews faced a very different challenge on Friday as the breeze dropped to around 11 knots and shifted throughout the racecourse.
Dickson and Waddilove opened strongly with a sixth-place finish in the opening race of the day. They followed with a 16th and a 24th, the latter becoming their discard score.
The Irish crew now sit 17 points outside the top ten required to qualify for Sunday’s Final Series.
“It was a hard day to stay consistent out there,” Dickson said.
“We had three races in tricky, shifty conditions and only the first race really worked out for us. A lot of crews experienced mixed results and it was much the same for us.”
The pair said they were encouraged by their overall position compared to last season’s world championship campaign.
“We had a tough Worlds last year, so it’s good to be back near the front of the fleet again,” Dickson added.
“We’re really enjoying that, but the aim is to get results so the focus will be on consistency tomorrow and hopefully that will be enough to fall within the top ten for the Final Series on Sunday.”
New Zealand’s Seb Menzies and George Lee Rush moved into the overall lead after a consistent day in the challenging conditions.
Australia’s Harry Price and Max Paul claimed the opening race win while Germany’s Richard Schultheis and Fabian Rieger took victory in the final race.
49erFX
Elsewhere, Ireland’s women’s skiff crew Erin McIlwaine and Ellen Barbour continued their encouraging regatta in the 49erFX Silver Fleet.
The young pairing recorded a fifth-place finish among their results and are now 11th overall in the 24-boat Silver Fleet as they continue their first senior world championship campaign.
Three more races are scheduled on Saturday before the championship concludes with Sunday’s medal series.
