France made the best start to Day 2 in Abu Dhabi, taking Race 6 in conditions that barely let the fleet get moving. With the breeze sitting low and the course full of stoppages and penalties, Quentin Delapierre’s crew kept the boat tidy and stayed clear of the trouble spreading through the pack behind them.
From the start the French held their lane and kept the bow pointing at whatever small patches of pressure drifted across the track. Others weren’t as lucky. Boundaries, protests and early OCS calls broke up the fleet within the first minute, and France simply sailed away from the noise.
Denmark were the only team able to stay in reach. Nicolai Sehested and his crew carried their form from yesterday, kept their manoeuvres steady, and rounded each mark within sight of the lead. They crossed the finish line 48 seconds behind France and looked comfortable doing it.
Spain kept things simple and earned a clean third. Diego Botin’s crew didn’t have the pace to challenge the top two, but they avoided the worst of the light spots and held their line whenever the breeze softened.
The United States came through in fourth after working their way out of the mid-fleet scrap. Great Britain took fifth, with Italy close behind in sixth.
New Zealand could not shake free of the traffic. Peter Burling’s Black Foils were pinned soon after the start and never found a gap to climb. They crossed in eighth, ahead of only Switzerland, Australia, Brazil and Germany. Germany’s race never recovered after an early boundary call, and Brazil battled heavy displacement sailing all the way around.
France’s win tightened the front of the standings, Denmark kept their momentum alive, and Spain stayed well in the frame heading into the second race of the day. For New Zealand, the pressure now shifts to Race 7. One solid result is needed to give them any realistic chance of reaching the three-boat Grand Final later this afternoon.
Two races down, here in Abu Dhabi. Championship final up next.
Points
Fleet Race 5 points
1. France, 10pts
2. Denmark, 9pts
3. Spain, 8pts
4. USA, 7pts
5. GBR, 6pts
6. Italy, 5pts
7. Canada, 4pts
8. New Zealand, 3pts
9. Switzerland, 2pts
10. Australia, 1pt
11. Brazil, 0pts
12. Germany, 0pts
Event points
After Fleet Race 5
1. Denmark, 47pts
2. Italy, 33pts
3. France, 30pts
4. Canada, 30pts
5. USA, 27pts
6. GBR, 27pts
7. Germanu, 24pts
8. Switzerland, 23pts
9. New Zealand, 21pts
10. Spain, 20pts
11. Australia, 17pts
12. Brazil, 16pts
