Brian McKee and Ian Smyth lead Irish hopes after five races sailed at the Flying Fifteen World championships at Hayling Island Sailing Club this morning. The Strangford Lough pair have had a consistent string of results in a mainly patchy light winds series that has threatened the two week regatta to date.
Counting 52 points McKee lies in tenth place overall, his results tally includes a race win in the opening race in the 120-boat fleet that - controversially - has been divided in to two fleets for this, the 18th World Championships.
Other Irish results include John Lavery and David O'Brien in 23rd, Peter Lawson and Barry Bridges in 40th, 59th Ben Mulligan and Alistair, Doherty, 70th David Mulvin and Ronan Beirne, Tom Murphy and Steven Lloyd in 82nd.
Racing continues until Thursday.
More on yesterday's racing from the organisers here:
Three more races in a good breeze got the Flying 15 Worlds back on schedule Sunday. Mike and Gemma McIntyre headed the list of winners with a 1, 5, 1 score line. Series leader Graham Vials and Chris Turner keep their overall lead, winning their first flight race but suffering a black flag DSQ in the final race. Other race winners were Andy McKee and Richard Jones, Russell Peters and Tim Hall, and Mike Hart and Richard Rigg.
Winners in the Classic/Silver fleet were Bobby Salmond and Robert Till in Classic GBR627 from the Holy Loch SC. Malcolm and Alex Hall, keep the overall lead and first Silver boat. First Classic overall are Gavin Cassidy and Lucy Clough.
Three more races in a good breeze for each of the flights allowed PRO Roger Palmer to get the Flying 15 Worlds back on Schedule Sunday and complete the qualifiers. The westerly breeze stayed around the 15 knots mark, providing the best day of the competition so far.
Championship leaders Graham Vials and Chris Turner keep their overall lead, winning their first yellow flight race but suffering a black flag DSQ in the final race. The day produced some dramatic place changing. The defending champions, Grant Alderson and Dean Mcaullay from Australia, resurrected their challenge with a steady 5, 5, 3, to move from 16th to second place, five points off the leaders.
[Grant Alderson and Dean Mcaullay AUS]
The Aussie pair were surprised at their overall position, Alderson describing it as a steady day, holding their position off the line and maintaining it round the course, with no big gains or losses. The elevation of Alderson and Mcaullay was balanced by their compatriots, Ron Packer and Peter Mudford, who dropped from second to finish the day in 14th.
Greg Wells and Mark Darling finished the day as they started, an 8, 6, 2 score keeping them in third place overall, six points off the lead. It was Mike and Gemma McIntyre who made the most of the day, rocketing from 27th to fourth with two race victories and a fifth. In their first blue flight race they came out the line at the committee boat end to go right. At the first mark, Mike Hart and Richard Rigg led, the McIntyres second and Jeremy Davy and Simon Childs third. McIntyre passed Hart and Rigg on the run and then held off Davy and Childs. On the next beat they went on port to the right corner and were 50 meters ahead on the reach and run and into the finish, Davy and Childs taking second and Hart and Rigg third.
In Race 2 the Irish pair, Peter Lawson and Barry Bridges port tacked the fleet and the McIntyres, who had over stood the windward mark, rounded in 12th. On the run they stayed on the right-hand side took the right-hand mark, tacked onto port and pulled themselves through to a fifth place finish.
