International 14 World Championship, Wakayama, Japan. Races 2 and 3

Rob Greenhalgh and Dan Johnson from Great Britain repeated the total domination they showed when they won the opening race of the championship yesterday by winning the two races sailed this afternoon (Wednesday).

After coming ashore, Rob commented "We were able to tack on to port just when we wanted to in both races, and found very good lanes to the windward mark. We are very pleased with our speed both upwind and down. We were using a lot of foil today, and the new asymmetric foils we have on our rudder work really well."

Other significant factors in today's races were the consistency of Archie Massey and George Nurton, who added a third and a second to their second place yesterday, and the return to form of reigning champion Zach Berkowitz, racing with Mike Martin this year, who bounced back from thirteenth place yesterday to record second and third this afternoon.

After the first race of the day was held up for a while to allow a fleet of ten fishing boats to move out of the bay, followed by one general recall, the Fourteens got away in bright sunshine and a breeze of 10 knots. Greenhalgh and Johnson led at the windward mark and showed tremendous downwind speed, as well as profiting from a favourable wind shift. They then made their only mistake of the day when they lost an already large lead at the end of the downwind leg by sailing towards the wrong mark, but they soon recovered to win from Berkowitz and Martin, with Massey and Nurton in third place.

The second race of the day got going after two general recalls and a black flag, and it followed the now familiar pattern of Greenhalgh and Johnson leading at the first mark. This time they sailed flawlessly, and finished with a monstrous lead ahead of Massey and Nurton, and then Berkowitz and Martin, who had climbed back from fifth after being fined two turns by the jury for pumping.

The schedule now reverts to one race tomorrow, followed by a lay day on Friday.

Race 2 results:

1. GBR 1482, Rob Greenhalgh and Dan Johnson

2. USA 1137, Zach Berkowitz and Mike Martin

3. GBR 1476, Archie Massey and George Nurton

4. GBR 1484, James Fawcett and Bruce Grant

5. GBR 1489, Jarrod Simpson and Harvey Hillary

6. GBR 1479, Andrew Penman and Tim Bastow

7. USA 1127, Kris Bundy and Jamie Hanseler

8. GBR 1481, Andy Partington and Ben Vervieres

9. GBR 1487, Ian Teasdale and Matt Chapman

10. GBR 1483, Victor Brellisford and Damian Ash

Race 3 results:

1. GBR 1482, Rob Greenhalgh and Dan Johnson

2. GBR 1476, Archie Massey and George Nurton

3. USA 1137, Zach Berkowitz and Mike Martin

4. AUS 616, Lindsay Irwin and Andrew Perry

5. GBR 1487, Ian Teasdale and Matt Chapman

6. GBR 1484, James Fawcett and Bruce Grant

7. GBR 1479, Andrew Penman and Tim Bastow

8. USA 1127, Kris Bundy and Jamie Hanseler

9. GBR 1481, Andy Partington and Ben Vervieres

10, GBR 1495, Chris Turner and Peter Bagwell

Peter Danby