Sailing Team Germany's half-time results at the World Cup regatta off Miami are impressive. In the 49erFX, Berliners Vicky Jurczok and Anika Lorenz defended their lead over Norwegian sisters Ragna and Maia Agerup with another race win. The team from the Seglerhaus am Wannsee club has already built up a ten-point lead after seven races so far. Their team-mates Tina Lutz and Susann Beucke (Chiemsee Yacht-Club/Hannoverscher Yacht-Club) also moved up to fourth place on the third day of the high-calibre series with second place and thus also within medal range.
In the Laser field, Philipp Buhl left the strong competition with a brilliant start-finish day victory with a 20-second lead at the first mark and a 35-second lead at the finish with only his stern in sight for an entire race. "It was exhausting, but the victory was fun," said the 28-year-old from Sonthofen from the Alpsee-Immenstadt Sailing Club, who finished seventh in the second race of the day, improved by four places overall and will start the next races in second place behind Olympic champion Tom Burton from Australia and ahead of double world champion Nick Thompson from Great Britain. Buhl was also satisfied with seventh place in the evening. "I had a significant right-hand spin in the second race, which initially hurt me a lot on the left side. The fact that I still managed seventh place was strong and very satisfying."
With 17 to 22 knots of wind, the wind and wave conditions off Miami changed significantly on Thursday after two calm opening days. Several crews returned to the harbour early. "I'm hanging on for all I'm worth," said Buhl, commenting on the beautiful but also very challenging conditions that turned the day off Miami into a sailing festival. Tim Fischer and Fabian Graf from Kiel's Norddeutscher Regatta Verein also took advantage of the fresh winds to move up to fourth place - right in the middle of the assembled world elite.
In the Nacra 17, Johannes Polgar and Carolina Werner had to make up some ground in their first joint World Cup regatta after a successful start and dropped back to 15th place. At the top of the field of foiling catamarans, the Olympic medallists from Rio are fighting a thrilling battle. The Australian silver medallists Jason Waterhouse/Lisa Darmanin are in the lead ahead of the Argentinian Olympic champions Santi Lange and Cecilia Carranza Saroli. Bronze medallist Thomas Zajak from Austria is in fourth place behind Great Britain's John Gimson and Anna Burnet.
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
