Two more races (R5 & R6) sailed for all fleets except GM/GGM, which has sailed up through R5. Overally, the regatta is on schedule and sailors will be using the reserve day to rest up – no sailing tomorrow.
The forecast for light air this morning held true, with an on-the-water postponement before the Radial fleets started the first set of races. RC set a short (0.4 nm) trapezoid for the 5 to 7 knot winds, but, still, the GMs & the GGM/Legends had their races shortened at intermediate marks, and all fleets waited on the NW breeze to fill before sailing their second races of the day (Race 6).
The NW breeze held through the afternoon, and built to 6-8 knots, for the Standard fleets. Their races didn’t begin until midafternoon, and the multiple general recalls in the Masters and the GM/GGM starts extended the day into the early evening. It’s just plain difficult getting 70 boats to start cleanly on a 300+ meter line!
Scores after Day 3 are extremely competitive, with only a few points separating the leaders in most fleets. Jared West (ESP) and Eduardo Van Vianen (ESP) are tied in Apprentice Standard, with Dave Ridley (NZL) following by one point. The largest leads are in the GGM Standard, with Wolfgang Gerz (GER) discarding a 3, and in Apprentice Radial, with Jon Emmet discarding a 2.
In the end, a successful day overall with all boats off the water by 1930. Marina Port Zélande offered up pulled-pork sandwiches at the hospitality tent, and boats were put away for a day of rest. Racing resumes on Thursday (12 September) for Day 4 of Laser Masters Worlds.