RS:X Youth World Championships in Clearwater, USA - Day 3

RS:X Youth World Championships day 3 © Icarus Sailing Media

Shake up at the top on Day 3 of the 2014 RS:X Youth Worlds in Clearwater, Florida! Fully recharged thanks to the lay day yesterday, all competitors were eager to enter the final stretch of the competition in Clearwater, and the planing conditions in the forecast certainly contributed to the excitement on the beach.

With cooler temperatures this morning (16C this time of year in Florida!) came a 10-14 knot side-off breeze and the race committee wasted no time to set the course for the first race of the day. The windward mark for the inner loop of the course was set barely 200 yards from the tip of Pier 60, allowing spectators to enjoy the mark rounding action up close and personal.

It was Frenchman Clement Guevel who took charge in the first race of the day before letting a couple of competitors slip past him at the finish. The French team found extra motivation today in the early departure of their teammate Clement 'Boubou' Bourgeois, who cut his foot during rest day yesterday and had to be flown back to France before the conclusion of the championships. That would be a big disappointment for any racer this week, but it was especially hard to take because Clement was standing in 3rd position this morning.

"Very good day for me today," wrote French teammate Berenice Mege. "The wind was shifty and patchy and I was able to figure it out. The top step on the podium is really close. I want to climb up there for 'Boubou.' Her sentiment was echoed by her teammate Adrien Mestre, who joked that he wouldn't make a push to the front out of respect for his wounded teammate, before promising that he would in fact fight 'til the very end in his honour. The race committee moved briskly to run two more races in very technical conditions.

Those able to stay alert, read the current and find the patches of wind on the course were richly rewarded. Besides the early departure of Clement Bourgeois due to injury, there was another factor that contributed to the shake-up at the top of the men's leaderboard: Radoslaw Furmanski (POL) and Mattia Camboni (ITA) were granted redress for an OCS earlier this week, along with four other competitors. Camboni moved straight to the top of the rankings as a result, while Furmanski stepped up to 3rd. Overnight leader Toni Bonet (ESP) lost the lead but is only 1 point behind Camboni tonight.

While Berenice Mege had the best combined score for the 3 races contested today in the women's fleet, overnight leader Ma Kwan Ching (HKG) had very steady results and padded her lead a little over Marta Maggetti (ITA). With Mege, Wilson (GBR) and Czurylo (POL) all within a few points of the lead, it's still all to play for.

Tonight's dinner party was at Crabby Bill's, a laid-back and colorful restaurant located directly across from the venue on Clearwater Beach. All competitors had a nice meal and headed in early: three more races are scheduled for tomorrow!

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