Day two of the Noble Marine RS700 National Championship at Royal Torbay Yacht Club saw the fleet face three races in a busy day on the water, with Rob Higgins continuing his remarkable run of form.
Higgins once again proved to be the sailor to beat, adding three more race wins to his scorecard in races 3, 4 and 5. The Chew Valley Lake sailor has now won all five races sailed so far, putting together an almost faultless opening two days.
Behind him, the battle for the podium remained much closer. Jack Grogan had another strong day, posting a 2, 12 and 2 to retain second overall, while Thomas Dutton produced a consistent 3, 6 and 3 to move into third overall.
Matt Conner also had a productive day, bouncing back from a fifth in race 3 with a second in race 4 before finishing fourth in the final race of the day. That consistency leaves him fourth overall and firmly in contention.
Marek Dudak continued to show good pace, scoring a 4, 8 and 5 across the three races to hold fifth overall. Further down the fleet, there was plenty of close racing, with Oli Grogan having an especially strong day, improving from seventh in race 3 to third in race 4 before finishing seventh in race 5.
With five races now completed and one discard in play, the fleet has begun to settle into some clear battles, but there is still plenty of racing ahead. Higgins has built a formidable lead, but the fight for the remaining podium places remains very much alive, with the chasing pack separated by only a handful of points.
With three more races scheduled tomorrow and a lighter wind forecast, there is still everything to play for as the RS700 fleet heads into day 3 of the Noble Marine National Championship.
Report by Laurie Callaghan
Photos by Will Howitt
