Lighter, less predictable winds replaced the reliable afternoon sea breeze on day two of the San Pedro Olympic Class Regatta, delivering a different test for the 49er, 49erFX, and Nacra 17 fleets on the future LA 2028 Olympic racecourse.
France's Tim Mourniac and Aloïse Retornaz continued to lead the Nacra 17 fleet after six races. Australia's Brin Liddell and Rhiannan Brown climbed into second overall with a consistent run of second, third, and second, while Sweden's Emil Järudd and Hanna Jonsson held third.
British pair John Gimson and Anna Burnet, Olympic silver medallists, summed up the shift in conditions. "It was really interesting today," said Burnet. "It was a bit of a different day to what we've had since we've been here. It was nice to race in some different conditions – a bit lighter and more unpredictable." Gimson pointed to the directional change as equally significant: "The breeze has been going right every other day and we had a big left shift today. We're learning a bit more every day."
The pair collected an OCS in the opening race but recovered to win the final race of the afternoon. "I think that's what sailing's all about," Gimson said. "It's those highs and lows throughout the week. It's just about getting on to the next race and having the mental toughness to turn it around."
A similar pattern emerged in the 49erFX. Americans Helena Scutt and Paris Porter had struggled with starts on day one, then came back with a race win and a second to climb six places overall. "Yesterday was definitely really challenging," Scutt said. "We had three bad starts, and so we felt like we were fighting from the back the whole way through. But we kept picking off boats instead of falling further back. Today we put all our energy into the starts, and it paid off."
Porter described their approach through a day interrupted by multiple postponements and slow-building breeze: "We just stuck to our guns. It wasn't full on rip mode. It was more about anticipating the lulls. We had really great technique on the boat today, and ultimately, the VMG high felt really nice."
Canada's Georgia and Antonia Lewin-LaFrance kept the FX overall lead. Sweden's Vilma Bobek and Ebba Berntsson moved into second, with Britain's Freya Black and Saskia Tidey dropping to third.
The 49er fleet got underway later in the afternoon once the breeze filled to 13-14 knots. Germany's Richard Schultheis and Fabian Rieger held their overall lead, Australia's Harry Price and Max Paul moved into second, and France's Erwan Fischer and Clément Péquin sit third.
Price and Paul noted the San Pedro start line is unlike most they've encountered, with nearly the whole fleet favouring port tack. "The whole fleet's learning the starting strategy with everyone on port," said Price. "Trying to get out of the blocks pretty safe and with a nice lane to the right is generally the trend." Paul put a number on it: "It's probably the first I've been sailing in the 49er where it's not just a portion of the fleet on port. It's 90% of the fleet on port at every start. So it's about managing the traffic and the chaos. If you execute that part of the race well, you set yourself up for success."
The venue carries personal weight for the Australian pair. Paul's mother represented Australia at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, the last time the city hosted the Games, while Price's sister has competed at two Olympics.
Racing continues through Saturday 8 August.
