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Tuesday marked the return of summer in Brisbane. Though many forecasts predicted a Groundhog Day, but with sunshine, it was a much nicer day than many expected with sunny skies, rising temperatures and hot 12-15 knots winds, despite the fleet launching into a stiff 20 knot breeze. After several days of rain and cold air, the sunshine state finally lived up to its name.
The day was characterised by huge wind shifts that left many front-runners fighting back from mid fleet. Ian McKillop from Australia was the runaway winner in race 5, leading all the way for a huge win after a big right shift. He won from Marega and Italy’s Marko Kolic. Regatta leader Pedersen struggled to recover from mid fleet to 15th at the finish.
However, by the second race, Pedersen had the measure of the conditions, starting at the pin end and being one of the first to tack across to the right. He led at the top mark and extended away for a huge win. Marega finished with another second with New Zealand’s Karl Purdie in third.
With six races now completed, the discard kicks in with Pedersen building a meagre six point lead. The chasing group though are very close with three other Olympians and two European champions in the top 10.
Ian McKillop said: “The first race today was a pretty good race,. Kind of things went my way, which was good. Whenever you get a race win, it always keeps you coming back. In the second race, the right didn't come in so well, and the left was pretty strong. So, it didn't happen twice in a row, unfortunately, but that's sailing.”
Karl Purdie: “In the first race it was shifty. It was back and forth. The oscillations here, there's a long time between them, probably like 15 minutes. So, you just got to hang in there, and eventually it'll come back for you. You've just got to be patient. In the last race, there were some quite big gaps so I would probably say, in the lighter winds, it was less close, actually.
“But it was fun, you know, racing Rafa and Nocker and managing to pass them on the last downwind was pretty cool. And there's still four races to go, right? Anything can happen. And I'm sure it will.”
On the venue: “This is like my fifth regatta here, and it's always Louise [Davis] who's been the race officer, and she's just awesome, you know, totally awesome. And the race management here and the facilities are second to none. “
Racing continues on Wednesday with two more races scheduled, while the event concludes on Thursday.
