Australian Women's Match Racing Champion Katie Spithill led the field at the end of the 15 flight round robin phase of in a star studded field.
RPAYC's Spithill and team-mates Elizabeth Walsh and Emma Bullough then faced 2nd placed qualifier, Australian Match Race Champion Michael Dunstan and his crew Stuart Pollard and Andrew Hutchinson in the first stage of the repechage round. With the scoreline at 1 all in this best of three Spithill rounded the top mark with a big lead for the run to the finish but the large separation proved to be her undoing as Dunstan found a new line of pressure on the left of the course and sailed right around Spithill to move to the top of the repechage ladder.
Finishing third and fourth in the Round Robin were Royal New Zealand's Laurie Jury and Queensland's Mathew Chew with Jury defeating Chew 2-1 in the 1st repecharge so moving up the ladder to face Dunstan tomorrow.
The Alfred's Nick Garland just scraped into the repechage round but then beat NZ Women's Champion Anne Marie Waugh who had qualified in 5th place. Garland's 2-1 win moved him up the ladder to face Club mate Spithill tomorrow leaving Waugh to face Chew.
Not advancing to the repechage were Simon Minoprio NZL who finishes the regatta with a 7th overall, Daryl Wislang NZL 8th, David Barnes VIC 9th and Joel Sterling NSW in 10th place.
The Pittwater laid on a warm and sunny day with NE breeze around 5-8 knots. Principal Race Officer Denis Thompson said
"the light and shifty conditions have been challenging and we are delighted to see such an impressive field show their skills". Tomorrow's final day promises E/SE winds of 10/15 knots.