The RS700s enjoyed a fantastic opening day of the Noble Marine National Championship, with sunshine, around 15 knots and flat water providing near-perfect conditions for the fleet.
Rob Higgins wasted no time in showing his intentions, taking two convincing bullets to sit at the top of the leaderboard with a perfect score of 2 points. But behind him, the battle is already looking tight.
Thomas Dutton had an excellent opening day, backing up his third in Race 1 with a second in Race 2 to sit just one point behind Rob. Jack Grogan is also right in the hunt, opening with a second before adding a fourth, leaving him just one point further back in third overall.
Matt Conner also had a consistent day, posting a fourth and a third to finish the opening two races on 7 points and comfortably within striking distance of the leaders.
Further down the fleet, Marek Dudak sits fifth after a 5th and 9th, while Simon Hawes leads the Silver fleet in sixth overall following a 10th and a very tidy 5th in Race 2.
There were plenty of other battles developing throughout the fleet. Elliott Booley bounced back strongly from a 12th in Race 1 to take an impressive 6th in Race 2, while Oli Grogan recovered from a DNF in the first race with a solid 8th in the second.
With only two races completed, the leaderboard is already looking tasty at the top. Rob may have started with the perfect score, but Thomas, Jack and Matt are all within striking distance — and there’s a long way still to go.
After a great first day on the water, the RS700s will be hoping for more of the same Torbay conditions tomorrow.
