Kiwis make it four in a row at 420 World Championship

Another day of cracking race track conditions at the 420 Worlds in Vilamoura, Portugal where the 456 sailors in the 420 Open, Women and U17 fleets moved onto races 3 and 4.

No change at the top as the series leaders from day 1 hold onto exactly the same positions, for some helped by the race discard coming into play after race 3. Defending 420 Champions Seb Menzies/Blake McGlashan had no need to discard a score, knocking out another exceptional performance to claim two more race wins, making it four in a row.

Over in the 420 Women and 420 U17 though, the discard came in useful, although the top two teams in each of the Women and U17 leader boards remain locked in a tiebreak.

Two more races on Monday 8 July will complete the 6-race qualification series and we are guaranteed to see the leader board shake up as teams make a massive push to advance to the gold fleet cut for the 6-race final series, which starts from 9 July.

Open
Defending World Champions Seb Menzies/Blake McGlashan hold tightly onto the overall lead, and team mates Mason Mulcahy/Andre Van Dam shift up the leaderboard to second overall from their 2,1 performance.

"The day started with lighter wind but along the day it picked up and delivered amazing sailing conditions,"explained Mulcahy. "Vilamoura is a dream venue. I'm very happy with our performance today and I expect to get the best possible result."

All change behind, as Spain's Spain's Conrad Konitzer/Fernando Rodriguez move up three places, from 6th yesterday to 3rd today, after delivering solid results of 1,4
Jumping up into the top 10 go Great Britain's Haydn Sewell/William Heathcote, France's Youen Fourn/Mathis Guessard and Spain's Pablo Ruiz/Miguel Martinez Fortun, with the biggest climb going to the British partnership who move up to fourth overall.

"It was a very good day out on the water today," said Sewell who counted results of 3,4. "It was challenging, tight racing and really fun - and the waves were fun."

Competing at his first 420 Worlds, Sewell shared his thoughts on the reasons for their improved performance, saying, "We just had a bigger focus on our straight line boat speed and getting through the fleet and just sending it."

A significant escalation also to Brazil's Bernardo Peixoto/Marcos Arndt, the reigning 420 South American Champions, who climb to 16th.

"We went very well. I really enjoyed it out there," said Peixoto after racing.

"The wind was very strong and is good conditions for us and we got really good results, a 2 and 6," continued Arndt. "We are very happy. We hope for a top 10 overall."

This pair also has the world's premier youth event in their site, as they head to Poland and the Youth Sailing World Championship later this month, as Arndt concluded, "Our target is also the Youth Worlds, and we are here to train too."

420 Open - Top 10 after 4 Races
1. Seb MENZIES/Blake MCGLASHAN (NZL 56674) - 3 pts
2. Mason MULCAHY/Andre VAN DAM (NZL 56163) - 5 pts
3. Conrad KONITZER/Fernando RODRIGUEZ (ESP 56259) - 8 pts
4. Hadyn SEWELL/William HEATHCOTE (GBR 54483) - 9 pts
5. Martin WIZNER/Pedro AMENEIRO (ESP 56005) - 9 pts
6. Onan BARREIROS/Ana SANTANA (ESP 56579) - 13 pts
7. Youen FOURN/Mathis GUESSARD (FRA 56567) - 14 pts
8. Tal SADE/Noam HOMERI (ISR 54121) - 15 pts
9. Pablo RUIZ/Miguel MARTINEZ FORTUN (ESP 56187) - 16 pts
10. Luís NIZA/Paulo BAPTISTA (POR 56741) - 16 pts

420 Women
Overnight leaders Eleanor Keers/Faye Chatterton (GBR) hold the lead on countback over new tiebreak rivals Gabriela Czapska/Hanna Rajchert of Poland. Moving up to third overall are Vita Heathcote/Milly Boyle, reigning British Spring National Champions and RYA Youth National Champions, after winning race 3 and following up with a third in race 4.

Fortunate for Keers/Chatterton that their UFD penalty in today's race 3 was discarded, although they are fully aware there is no room for further mistakes. Still early days, but after 4 races there is just 2 points between the leading five teams.

The 73 boat 420 Women fleet has one more day of qualification series racing tomorrow, before the top 37 boats advance to gold gleet and the remaining 36 battle it out in the silver fleet.

Taking a break from Olympic campaigning in the 470 Class is Great Britain's Jess Lavery who makes a return to the 420 in partnership with Rebecca Coles. The pair scored 3,2 today and sit in 7th overall.

"It was a bit of good breeze and it was absolutely wicked on the water," grinned Lavery, who is also a former Youth Sailor of the Year and 420 Junior European silver medallist, alongside numerous 470 successes. "It is definitely a bit different," she continued in reference to being a 420 Class coach, adding, "I just have to make sure I beat them all!
"It has been really good racing a 420 and is a great chance to get some really good tactical racing in, which is also good practice for my 470 sailing. The venue is wicked, we have had great conditions."

420 Women - Top 10 after 4 Races
1. Eleanor KEERS/Faye CHATTERTON (GBR 56339) - 7 pts
2. Gabriela CZAPSKA/Hanna RAJCHERT (POL 56805) - 7 pts
3. Vita HEATHCOTE/Milly BOYLE (GBR 55244) - 8 pts
4. Paula VAN WIERINGEN/Maria Del Mar GIL (ESP 56417) - 8 pts
5. Marina GARAU/Blanca CABOT (ESP 56762) - 9 pts
6. Sophie STEINLEIN/Oda HAUSMANN (GER 56772) - 12 pts
7. Jess LAVERY/Rebecca COLES (GBR 54480) - 13 pts
8. Lucille FRASCARI/Arianna LANZETTA (ITA 56373) - 13 pts
9. Patricia REINO/Isabel LAISECA (ESP 56490) - 13 pts
10. Elisabetta FEDELE/Beatrice MARTINI (ITA 56729) - 14 pts

420 U17
The leading two teams in the U17 fleet hold firm and locked in a tiebreak of 2 points each, with Odysseas Spanakis/Konstaninos Michalopoulos (GRE) and Ange Delerce/Timothee Rossi (FRA) counting 3 race wins each.
"This is my first 420 World Championship and today was a good day because we won race 4 and got third in race 3," commented Ange Delerce. The pair might be competing at their first ever 420 Worlds, but they already have established form picking up 8th in the U17 fleet at last year's Junior Europeans and just last week winning the U17 division in the inaugural EUROSAF 420 Race Circuit.

Moving up from 10th at the start of today to 3rd at the end are Spain's Alberto Morales/Miguel Bethencourt from scores of 2,2. Only just though, as they are also on tiebreak with Germany's Florian Krauss/Jannis Suemmchenm in fourth.

420 U17 - Top 10 after 4 Races
1. Odysseas SPANAKIS/Konstaninos MICHALOPOULOS (GRE 56478) - 3 pts
2. Ange DELERCE/Timothee ROSSI (FRA 56650) - 3 pts
3. Alberto MORALES/Miguel BETHENCOURT (ESP 56600) - 7 pts
4. Florian KRAUSS/Jannis SUEMMCHEN (GER 56437) - 7 pts
5. Oscar POUSCHÈ/Luca COSLOVICH (ITA 56771) - 11 pts
6. Neus BALLESTER/Andrea PERELLO (ESP 56769) - 12 pts
7. Elena SOTIRIOU/Eleni GIANNOULI (GRE 56073) - 13 pts
8. Federico FIGLIA DI GRANARA/Riccardo FIGLIA DI GRANARA (ITA 56335) - 14 pts
9. Kerem ERKMEN/Berke Burhan GUNDUZ (TUR 56494) - 15 pts
10. Sacha BARAZ/Yannic FLANDORFFER (FRA 55095) - 16 pts