RS500 Report for Day 2 and exciting Dutch party

Day two of the Magic Marine RS500 World Championships brought totally different wind conditions and introduced a mix of top contenders. Alex Mobbs and Bryan Taylor proved they�re not just made for the high winds, winning both races. However, they had to fight for their wins with the racing incredibly close and hard fought right to the finish line.

Around 60 boats started the two races that were held inside the harbour. The light, shifty conditions meant that it could have been any of the top 10 boats making it over the finish line in first position. Significant wind shifts during the starting sequence made it difficult for race officer �Arky� to get the second start underway, with two last-minute postponements and, finally, the black flag coming out again.

Showing good, consistent form in the difficult conditions were team Hong Kong � Lars Schkade and Justin Tse � who claimed two third positions with exceptional downwind speed. Fellow team mates � Cosmas Grelon and Will Stephens � along with Brits Mike Saul and Meg Fletcher, and 2010 World Champions Tim Wilkins and Heather Martin also did well.

Close racing throughout the fleet was shown by the fact that the whole fleet finished within five minutes of each other.

Overall, Alex and Bryan are looking good for the championships, but Dutch team Barend and Max are in second, and looking forward to another windy day! Mike and Meg are in third, closely pursued by Tim and Heather in fourth. It�s anyone�s game.

Following the official racing was a �fun race� to end the day. The fleet attempted a gate start, which was led by RS International Chairman Michiel Geerling as the �path-finder�. He successfully got the fleet off to a good start with a number of boats having a good tussle up front. Rounding the windward mark in first position was husband and wife team - James and Lucinda Tanner (GBR) - who kept their lead and finished in first. Johan Rook swapped his usual crew for fellow Swedish team mate Axel Lohansson and came a close second, with father and son team - Peter and James Curtis (GBR) - coming in third; youngster James helmed the boat instead of sailing in his usual crewing position.

The Dutch sailing team held a party for the RS500 sailors in Weymouth town at the local theatre, and proved they know how to work hard on the water and play hard on land. The hosts wore custom made Dutch outfits and served tasty (dangerous!) green and brown spirits to the crowd as they enjoyed the view of Weymouth carnival from the sun-deck. The Red Arrows performed overhead and fireworks were let off from the bay, and then it was back indoors for some dancing to the �Magic Marine� song, specially composed for the RS500 Worlds by a Dutch DJ. The crowd was pleased to welcome GBR Olympic sailor Ben Ainslie along, who must have heard about the legendary Dutch party spirit!