The Official
Website of the
International
Sailing Federation

Yesterday the classic Lake Thoune thermic wind, with 10-15 knots blew on a sunny Thursday afternoon. Usually, the right side of the course is favoured, but wind shifts must be observed very carefully to stay in the race. Local experience has therefore been of advantage as the seven Swiss teams in the top-ten prove.

The winners of race four were the young Danish team of Christian MONBERG and Martin LEIFELT, who, after a 30 second lead at the first windward mark had to defend their lead right to finish from Philipp ROTERMUND and Nils HOLLWEG (GER). With an attack on the opposite side of the course, Arie VAN HARWEGEN (NED) and his American crew, Brad NICHOLS, climbed from sixth to finish in third. Behind these three crews the rest of the top seven saw a Swiss clean sweep.

The day proved difficult for the teams occupying the three spots at the top of the leaderboard overnight. At the first windward mark all three found themselves amongst the backmarkers. Overall leaders, Robert STANJEK and Markus KOY (GER) reduced the damage by fighting through the fleet to finish 13 and maintain their position at the head of the leaderboard.

The racing on Lake Thoune remains close © Ueli Meier

Marin LOVROVIC junior and senior (CRO) came in at 20 and hang on to second place but 22 for Paulo SEVESTRE and Vincent BÉRENGIER (FRA) sees them drop out of the top three. MONBERG and LEIFELT's bullets sees them rise to third place overall and the second place of ROTERMUND and HOLLWEG puts them fourth, tied on points with SEVESTRE and BÉRENGIER.

Mateusz KUSZNIEREWICZ and Dominik ZYCKI (POL) could not find the brilliant form they showed on Wednesday. They never mastered the tactics yesterday and finished 26, a result that drops them out of the top 20. Home favourites and 2004 Star World Championship runners up, Flavio MARAZZI and Magnus LILJEDAHL (SUI) finished fourth yesterday and look like they will shoot up the leaderboard when the discard comes into consideration.

Two more races will be sailed today and Saturday with the weather expected to be similar to yesterday's conditions.