Race ten of the Laser world championship got underway in a light offshore gradient wind and sunshine yesterday. The 7-8 knot wind was switching through 30 degrees causing a delay in the start of the first race, until it finally settled sufficiently to set a course.

The wind wound left on the first beat with those who started at the boat end getting stranded, including team GBR sailor Ed Wright, fellow Brit Mark Howard and Australian Brendan Casey among them.

The leaders reached in to the windward mark just over the port lay-line with European championship runner up, Fred Lassenius of Sweden, leading from British sailor Dan Holman. Lassenius was struggling to hold off the challenge from Holman on the first reach and received a yellow flag for pumping. The resulting penalty turns put him back in the chasing pack with double Olympic champion Robert Scheidt of Brazil, Karl Suneson of Sweden, Brit Paul Goodison, Gareth Blanckenburg of South Africa and Roope Suomolainen of Finland.

Holman allowed the pack to split to his left on the run and opened up a huge lead. With the wind getting shiftier and gustier the conditions got exciting on the second beat with Scheidt working the first half of the beat perfectly to challenge for the lead. Daniel Birgmark of Sweden made the biggest jump up the fleet, finding his own private gust on the left to close up on Holman.

As the second windward mark got closer it became apparent that the race was to be shortened. Holman did well to cross the line to take the race win, Suneson held off his compatriot to take second place with Birgmark third, Scheidt fourth and Goodison fifth.

Scheidt now has an eight-point lead over Suneson, with Casey in third place just two points behind Suneson. Paul Goodison has moved up into fourth place overall with team mate Edward Wright in sixth place.

With the second discard kicking in the leader board hasn’t changed much but with some big discards around plenty could change if the two scheduled races are sailed tomorrow and the fact that the second discard can only be taken from the final series of races from race eight onwards.

The final day’s racing is scheduled to start at this morning in an attempt to try and get the final races in before the forecast afternoon calms.

Results (gold fleet)

1, Robert Scheidt, BRA ((15),1,2,5,1,1,1,(6),2,4) 17 pts

2, Karl Suneson, SWE (8,2,(10),1,1,1,(9),1,9,2) 25 pts

3, Brendan Casey, AUS (3,4,1,2,5,5,(23),3,4, (30)) 27 pts

GBR

4, Paul Goodison (8,3,(19),4,3,4,2,(24),6,5) 35 pts

6, Edward Wright (2,1,1,(18),3,9,10,4,10,(27)) 40 pts

11, Mark Howard (12,3,8,(34),4,2,14,19,5,(42)) 67 pts

28, Jim Taylor (11,14,16,(17),11,11,8,27,(54),51) 149 pts

30, Peter Walker ((36),25,24,22,13,12,6,17,31,(63)) 150 pts

34, Mark Powell (14,21,6,21,14,21,(25),37,(50),28) 162 pts

36, Daniel Holman (28,27,(44),29,15,36,19,12,(45),1) 167 pts