Races 2, 3 and 4 of the Silva J/80 World Championship were sailed yesteday in Falmouth under the burgee of the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club. Light south to south-easterly breeze predominated and Race Officer Jeff Martin set windward/leeward courses in the estuary.

An excitable fleet (perhaps a little too eager for the off) lined up and Race 2 of the championship series got underway with a black flag start following a general recall. Ruairidh Scott in Team Volvo settled in to his stride on the left hand side of the racetrack and was first to the windward mark from where he then proceeded to lead the 53-boat fleet through to the finish. Glen Darden from the USA in Red Sky Glide worked his way up from 5th place to 2nd and Kevin Sproul in Silva Dream Machine took 3rd place.

Race 3 also commenced with the black flag flying high but it was the star spangled banner of Red Sky Glide which lead round the first mark. This is a strong fleet and conditions today taxed the best tactical minds in the Class. A twitchy race, more frustrating for some than others, saw the lead change a number of times but at the finish the boys and girls in the Swedish Team SBAB of Mikael Lindquist took the honours with Team Volvo 2nd and Roger Gerrish and Peter Blackler 3rd in Aqua J.

The late afternoon sunshine apparently had a calming effect on the competing teams and following a clean start another Swede, Michael Sundelin sailing Tyra, lead from the off. In fact the first three boats didn’t change places at all and at the finish it was Tyra first, Team Volvo second and Silva Dream Machine third.

With four races sailed and another three planned for today, only three points separate the first three boats in the 2005 Silva J/80 World Championship; Team SBAB lead with 16 points, Silva Dream Machine have 18 and Team Volvo have 19.

Close and exciting racing is the order of the day, and it’s certainly hard out there. It’s very plain to see that winning the start is half the battle but as Ruairidh Scott explained, ‘I have an awesome tactician in Ben Field. He works hard to get us off the start line and then the whole beat is about finding the right lanes and clear air’. So now you know!

The fleet are hoping for a little more breeze tomorrow if all goes to plan, three races will be sailed outside the estuary in the bay.