2026 ILCA national championships: Mickey Beckett, Erika Reineke set the pace on Day 2 as top Kiwi sailors chase leaders in Bay of Islands
New Zealand's top ILCA sailors are in hot pursuit of the internationals after two days of racing at the ILCA national championships in the Bay of Islands, with the visitors leading in two of the fleets.
A light sea breeze filled in just before yesterday's scheduled 1pm start, allowing three races to be completed in warm, sunny conditions. With the wind rarely exceeding 10 knots and a left-favoured course in play, consistency proved elusive, and gains were hard to make for those on the wrong side of the shifts.
In the ILCA 7, world No 1 Micky Beckett was the dominant performer, with the Brit winning the first two races and finishing third in the final race. His charge has brought him to within a single point of overall leader Duko Bos of the Netherlands, who remains in control after posting two seconds and a sixth. Leading Kiwi George Gautrey slipped down the standings after a 12th in the opening race of the day and now sits fifth overall - nine points behind Beckett.
Under-21 sailors Caleb Armit and Zach Stibbe continue to sail solidly in sixth and seventh overall, with George Pilkington in 10th and Nik Burfoot 11th. Burfoot, a former class world champion, has built a commanding 18-point advantage in the ILCA 7 Masters division.
Meanwhile, American Erika Reineke extended her lead in the ILCA 6 with two wins and a second, opening a clear points buffer over New Zealand's Olympic representative Greta Pilkington and Australian Frances Beebe. Arran Begic produced a strong late surge to move into fourth overall and lead the youth division, though the top three have begun to separate themselves.
In the ILCA 4, Nathan Soper continues to set the pace, holding a narrow overall lead over Ava Wu after Wu claimed two race wins on day two. Sofia Turner remains close behind in third, with Ellie Tapper and Madi Smith rounding out the top five.
Defending champion Phil Wild strengthened his grip on the ILCA 6 Masters title with two race wins after an early slip, while Graeme Tee holds a slim advantage in the Grand Masters.
Three races are scheduled for day three, with the first discard coming into play.
Click here to follow the racing via the live tracker.
Click here for the complete results and standings.
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