International 2.4mR World Championship at Hobart, Tasmania - Day 2
by Peter Campbell 8 Jan 2016 05:59 GMT
5-10 January 2016
Britain's Megan Pascoe leads
British sailor Megan Pascoe is looking hard to beat in the world championship for the International 2.4mR class on the Derwent with two days to sail on Saturday and Sunday.
Her 3-5-1 scorecard yesterday in races four, five and six have given her a net score of 9 points, well clear of the opposition from Australia and Finland.
The only representative of Great Britain in the fleet, the paraplegic sailor from Weymouth, England, has not finished worse than fifth in the 32 boat fleet, having adapted quickly to the winds and waters of the Derwent.
Australian champion Matt Bugg had a luckless day with a 9-3-7 scorecard yesterday to be on a net 25 points in second place overall.
In race one, Bugg was leading the fleet halfway down the downwind run to the finish when the wind died totally for him. The rest of the fleet overtook him and then a major windshift turned to the finish leg from the square run to a beat to windward.
Tasmanian Lisa Blackwood made the best of the wind change to win her second race of the Worlds, with another Tasmanian Stephen 'Rowdy' McCullum in second place and the consistent Megan Pascoe third. Bugg ended up ninth.
Provisionally third overall (there are protests) is ACT sailor Mark Leydon on a net 31 points with Finland's Niko Salomma fourth, also on 31 points, with Lisa Blackwood fifth on 37 points.
None of the top contenders are involved in the protests.
Results can be found here.