Eve McMahon and Annalise Murphy have secured places in the Gold Fleet after the second day of the ILCA 6 Women’s World Championship in Dún Laoghaire.
A fresh north-westerly breeze of 15 to 20 knots produced challenging racing conditions on Dublin Bay, with both Irish sailors successfully navigating the qualification series to advance to the championship’s top division.
McMahon finished the day with two mid-fleet results after difficult starts left her battling through a highly competitive fleet. Despite the setbacks, the Paris Olympian ends the qualification phase in 17th overall and remains well placed heading into the Gold Fleet races.
Murphy, the 2016 Olympic silver medallist, enjoyed her strongest day of the regatta, securing fifth place in the second race. The Rio Games medallist said she was pleased to achieve her primary objective of reaching Gold Fleet and described the opening days as physically demanding against a world-class field.
American sailor Charlotte Rose leads the overall standings after posting two race victories on day two. Belgium’s Emma Plasschaert is second, with Denmark’s Anna Munch third.
Gold Fleet racing begins on Wednesday, with sailors competing over the next three days for places in Saturday’s Medal Series.
Elsewhere, Irish Sailing development sailor Lucy Ives will compete in the Silver Fleet after missing out on Gold Fleet qualification. Howth Yacht Club’s Sienna Wright came agonisingly close to making the cut, finishing just two points outside the Gold Fleet places.
Lighter winds are forecast for the start of the final series, conditions that could yet reshape the leaderboard as the championship enters its decisive phase.