| MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA-(5-1-2003) On day two of the Sail Melbourne Warm-Up Regatta for the Europe, Finn and Yngling championships hosted by Royal Brighton YC in Victoria, things are hotting up in some close
racing on Port Phillip Bay.
Race organisers managed to start and finish four races today, with some mixed results in winds that started around 10 knots for the first race, increasing to 15-17 knots by the final race of the day.
In the Yngling keelboat, the battle of wills continues between Sydney's Nicky Bethwaite/Kate McHugh/Kristin Kosmala and Melbourne's Melanie Dennison/Fiona Herbert/Caroline Aders.
Bethwaite claimed the first three races, with Dennison in 2nd, only 4 seconds separating the two in the second race of the day. In the final race, in heavier winds, Dennison was the victor - being equally competent in light and heavy air, while Bethwaite struggles to keep up in the heaver conditions.
While Bethwaite carries the lighter crew weight of the pair, which doesn't help matters, she is aware her crew must overcome this problem by other means if they are to be successful of winning the Olympic spot for 2004.
Progressive scores with one race drop after six races has Bethwaite leading on 6 points from Dennison on 9 and Alesha Thorpe/Karen Lambert/Michelle Vinsen (NZL) tied on 16 points with Hamish Jarrett/Jason Anderson/Chris David.
Victoria's Sarah Blanck continues to hold a narrow lead in the Europe class today after a 5-3-1-1 result from world ranked 2 Carolijn Brouwer (NDL), who lifted today after a shaky start yesterday, scoring a 1-1-2-2 result, with Larissa Nivierov (ITA) and Sarah Macky (NZL) tied for 3rd place after one race drop.
Blanck, the current world champion, has 8 points, Brouwer 10, with Nivierov and Macky on 13. Only seconds separated the top four places in the first three races today, the racing exciting to watch.
Australia's top Finn sailor, Anthony Nossiter, did not have it all his own way today either, with only one win, he leads the scoreboard with 11 points after one race drop. Pascal Rambeau (FRA) is hot on his heels with a win and 3rd place for 12 points to tie with Christoph Burger (SUI), and up-and-coming Finn sailor Josh Beaver (AUS) on 14 points after wins in the first and the final races.
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