Consistency has helped propel Matt Wearn to the top of the Laser class leaderboard, while Australia’s top Nacra 17, 49erFX and Finn sailors all improved their placings with the conclusion to the 2018 World Championships coming into sight.

On another day of light and variable winds hovering around 10 knots, Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin overcame their BFD the previous day to score 4, 5 and 5 and move in to 3rd, and the Outteridge siblings, Nathan and Haylee, jumped to 6th with gold fleet Nacra racing ahead.

Both Nacra crews moved ahead. PHOTO: Beau Outteridge

Natasha Bryant and Annie Wilmot took advantage of the only 49erFX race of the day, finishing 2nd, to enter their gold fleet contest in 7th. Teammates Amelia Stabback and Ella Clark are 13th. And, in the Finn, Rio Olympian Jake Lilley began his gold fleet tilt with a drop and a 3 to improve to 17th.

Amelia Stabback and Ella Clark are ready for gold fleet. PHOTO: Beau Outteridge

“It was a bit up and down, that first race was super light, like seriously marginal,” Lilley said. “But the second race was in about 8 to 10, 11, 12 knots and I had a much better race.

“I’ll go give it a good crack again tomorrow. It’s been a long week, I think most of the boys are pretty tired and generally that plays into my hands a little bit. I always love a last day, so I’ll go give it a good fight and see what happens tomorrow.”

Like Lilley, Wearn, the 2018 European Champion, sailed to a discard and 3, but moved up to 1st after New Zealand’s Sam Meech fell off the pace. Wearn is now four points ahead of 2nd placed Cypriot Pavlos Kontides and placed well, as his discard is low.

Matt Wearn has continually applied pressure. PHOTO: World Sailing

“Good results for myself, a pretty solid day, happy not to have a big drop going into the last day before the medal race. That’s always a good thing,” Wearn said.

“It was a long time sitting in the sun. The first race was probably a bit marginal in the conditions we had, but they did the best job they could. They moved the course, which ended up being a really good idea, and the second race was fantastic.

“I’m looking to just build throughout the event … and hopefully I’ll hold that [lead] for the next couple of days.”

Three Australians remain in the Laser fleet top 10, with Tom Burton 4th and Luke Elliott 7th.

Elsewhere, 470 World Champions Mat Belcher and Will Ryan scored 12 and discard in the second and third of their gold fleet races to drop back to 3rd. 49er men’s finals racing starts tomorrow.

FAST FACTS

This is the fifth edition of the Sailing World Championships. The event is held every four years.

The previous World Championships were held at Cadiz, Spain (2003), Cascais, Portugal (2007), Perth, Australia (2011) and Santander, Spain (2014).

Australia won four medals at Santander: Mat Belcher and Will Ryan (gold 470M), Tom Burton (silver, Laser), Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen (bronze, 49er) and Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin (bronze, Nacra 17).

At the past three Olympic Games Australian sailors won five gold medals and four silver medals.

HOST SITE - www.aarhus2018.com

RESULTS

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AUSTRALIAN TEAM AND SQUAD RESULTS

Laser

Matt Wearn – 7, 4, 1, 4, 3, 1 Gold Fleet 3, (9) – 1st

Tom Burton – 1, 5, 6, 1, 2, (27) Gold Fleet 11, 5 – 4th

Luke Elliott – (13), 1, 2, 6, 3, 1 Gold Fleet (48), 21 – 7th

Mitch Kennedy – 8, 10, 22, 3, 4, 5 Gold Fleet (42), 25 – 23rd

Finn Alexander – 6, 7, 5, 40, 16, 14 Gold Fleet 10, (BFD) – 31st

Laser Radial

Zoe Thomson – 28, 15, 4, 24, 5, 30 Gold Fleet (35) – 32nd

Elyse Ainsworth – 21, 27, 28, 23, 22, (38) Gold Fleet 34 – 54th

Mara Stransky – 27, 34, (43), 41, 41, 12 Silver Fleet 11, 5– 62nd

49er

Will Phillips/Iain Jensen – 3, (19), 6, 1, 6, 12 – 7th

David Gilmour/Joel Turner – 5, 1, 15, 14, 2, (23) – 15th

Lachy Gilmour/Ryan Donaldson – 20, 13, 7, (26), 14, 7 – 43rd

Kurt Hansen/Harry Morton – 15, (27), 18, 18, 17, 18 – 67th

49erFX

Natasha Bryant/Annie Wilmot - 7, 13, (14), 1, 9, 2 – 7th

Amelia Stabback/Ella Clark - 5, 5, 13, 12, (17), 9 – 13th

Tess Lloyd/Jaime Ryan – (21), 20, 18, 17, 8, 15 – 41st

Nacra 17

Jason Waterhouse/Lisa Darmanin – 5, 4, 3, (BFD), 4, 5, 5 – 3rd

Nathan Outteridge/Haylee Outteridge – 5, 5, (13), 5, 8, 3, 7 – 6th

Paul Darmanin/Lucy Copeland – (20), 14, 5, 20, 5, 17, 20 – 29th

Conor Nicholas/Hayley Clark – 11, 31, 21, 27, (DNF), 7, 5 – 37th

Finn

Jake Lilley – 20, 23, 6, 2, 15, 9 Gold Fleet (28), 3 – 17th

(Tom Slingsby) – 11, 18, 16, 17, 18, 21 Gold Fleet 13, (27) – 30th

Oliver Tweddell – 11, 17, (24), 21, 24, 15 Gold Fleet (45), 21 – 41st

Jock Calvert – (44), 24, 17, 26, 30, 25 Silver Fleet 1, 2 – 48th

Lewis Brake – (34), 14, 23, 17, 30, 30 Silver Fleet 32, 6 – 53rd

470M

Mat Belcher/Will Ryan – 3, 13, 8, 4, 2, 4 Gold Fleet 1, 12, (14) – 3rd

Chris Charlwood/Josh Dawson – 19, 12, 10, 20, 9, 16 Gold Fleet 12, 5, (26) – 22nd

470W

Nia Jerwood/Monique de Vries – (35), 16, 14, 22, 29, 24, 14 – 25th

Dana Tavener/Katherine Shannon – 27, 41, 26, 40, 41, (46), 38 – 43rd

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