Nick Thompson threw caution to the wind in the first of the Gold fleet races in Oman today and landed his second outright win of 2013 Laser Standard World Championships as sailors start to refine tactics for the sharp end of the competition.

Reigning kiteboard racing world champions, Johnny Heineken and sister Erika, continued where they left off the at last year's finals in Italy. The siblings proved they were the duo to beat, scoring bullets in all their races on the first day of competition at the course racing championships being hosted by China for the first time.

The world's top match racing skippers are in full preparation for next week's season finale of the 2013 Alpari World Match Racing Tour in Malaysia - The Monsoon Cup from 25-30 November.

The breeze turned light in Oman but it was the shifts that made the fourth day of the 2013 Laser Standard World Championships the most difficult yet for the sailors except for Robert Scheidt who by the end of the qualifying series had stretched his lead to five points.

Winner of the NZ Match Racing Championship 2013 Adam Minoprio paid a big thank you to his team for an outstanding win in a trying conditions.

High stakes in the 2013 Laser Standard World Championships grew even higher in Oman today after a day of close and merciless competition produced five winners in six races and added substance to Robert Scheidt's tireless pursuit of another Olympic gold.

Robert Scheidt sounded a warning to his Rio 2016 rivals today with an emphatic win at the 2013 Laser Standard World Championships in Oman, which moved him five places up the leaderboard into second place.

The seventy foot MOD70 trimaran Edmond de Rothschild, sailed by French duo Sebastien Josse and Charles Caudrelier broke the finish line of the 5450 miles Transat Jacques Vabre race this afternoon at 15hrs 03mins 57s local time (17h 03m 57h UTC GMT) to take overall line honours and win the MOD70 class.