Eve McMahon moved six places up the leaderboard to 11th overall after the opening day of Gold Fleet racing at the ILCA 6 Women’s World Championship on Dublin Bay.
The Howth Yacht Club Olympian produced a seventh-place finish in light and shifty conditions to put herself just one point outside the top 10 with two days of Gold Fleet racing remaining.
Breeze of between eight and 10 knots made for a highly technical day on the water, with shifting winds and uneven pressure across the racecourse forcing the 54-boat Gold Fleet to constantly adapt.
Racing was delayed briefly as the Race Committee waited for the breeze to settle, but McMahon made the most of the lighter conditions after starting the day 17th overall.
Her race got off to a difficult start in a congested opening, with several sailors caught over the line, but she quickly fought her way back into contention and took advantage of the shifting breeze to cross the line seventh.
“I’m happy with my result today. We’re back in the game now, and we’ll keep going tomorrow,” McMahon said.
“It was nice to have some different conditions today, and tomorrow is looking pretty different again. We’ll take it as it comes and see how I do.”
There was less joy for fellow Irish Olympian Annalise Murphy, who also completed one Gold Fleet race but was caught up in the melee at the start.
The National Yacht Club sailor was unable to make up sufficient ground through the fleet and now lies 32nd overall.
There was also a change at the top of the standings, with Belgium’s Emma Plasschaert moving into first place ahead of USA’s Charlotte Rose and Australia’s Mara Stransky.
In the Silver Fleet, young Irish sailor Lucy Ives enjoyed an impressive day, finishing seventh to move to 23rd overall in the fleet.
Sienna Wright, meanwhile, continues to lead the Irish challenge in Silver Fleet after finishing ninth.
The Howth Yacht Club sailor missed out on Gold Fleet qualification by the narrowest of margins on Tuesday, but responded with another strong performance to move into second overall in Silver Fleet.
“I’m disappointed, to be honest. I had really hoped to qualify for Gold Fleet, but it is what it is,” Wright said.
“I’ll now focus on correcting some of the mistakes I made during the qualification series and gaining as much experience as I can from the remaining races.”
Wright welcomed the change from the stronger winds of the opening days but admitted the shifting breeze presented its own challenges.
“It was nice to have a break from the stronger winds today, although the breeze was very shifty, which made conditions difficult,” she said.
“Getting a good start is crucial in lighter conditions because it can be very hard to recover if you are behind early.”
And with the championship taking place on home waters, Wright said the support around the event had added to the experience.
“It is really special to be racing on home waters. All the volunteers have been incredibly supportive, and that has made a huge difference.”
Stronger winds are forecast for the second day of Gold Fleet racing, with the first start brought forward to 11am as organisers aim to complete three races.
Two days of Gold Fleet competition remain before the championship concludes on Saturday, September 12, with the Medal Series to decide the final podium positions.