Australians rise to the top on day two at the World Cup Series Regatta in Miami
by David Sygall 24 Jan 2018 22:30 PST
21-28 January 2018
Laser sailor Tom Burton © Jesus Renedo / Sailing Energy
Laser sailor Tom Burton and Nacra 17 pair Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin have shot to healthy outright leads in their respective classes after day two of the World Cup Series in Miami.
Burton, the Rio Olympic gold medallist, was 14th after the first two races on the opening day but scored a two and a seven in variable winds to leapfrog the other competitors and head the 70-boat fleet by five points from his nearest rival.
"Today was pretty tricky," Burton said. "Shifty and patchy, as to be expected in Miami, although I was able to get a nice start and go the right way the majority of the day. More good calls than bad ones lead to some nice results.
"From now on it looks like it'll get pretty windy so it will be totally different and, with not having had much wind for training, it will seem even windier I would expect."
Like Burton, Waterhouse and Darmanin, who won the silver medal in Rio, mastered the second day conditions to score a stunning three wins from three races and streak to a nine point advantage in the 19-boat Nacra fleet.
"We're really happy with our improvements since the Worlds but still had some really tight racing today," Darmanin said. "Can't complain after three bullets."
Darmanin said it would be "all on" tomorrow when the expected stiffer breeze. She added that it was great to see Australian Sailing Team colleague Burton have a strong day as well.
Fellow Australian Nacra 17 crew Tayla Rietman and Lachlan White are in 18th. In the Laser, Matt Wearn is 15th and Finn Alexander is 35th. 49erFX duo Natasha Bryant and Annie Wilmot are 12th after six races.
Australian Results after Day 2:
Nacra 17
- Waterhouse/Darmanin – 1, 4, (12), 1, 1, 1 – 1st
- Rietman/White – 14, (17), 15, 7, 17, 12 – 18th
49erFX
- Bryant/Wilmot – (13), 8, 12, 6, 12, 13 – 12th
Laser
- Tom Burton – 4, (34), 2, 7 – 1st
- Matt Wearn – 27, 11, 9, (28) – 16th
- Finn Alexander – 26, 17, 51, (53) – 35th
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