Navy 1 confident of catching leaders

The length of yesterday's course (more than 50km), plus light winds of seven knots dropping to five by noon, proved a real headache for sailors, Wiwat included, who blamed them for his disappointing fourth place and third overall. Team Kata Rock, with Peter Dyer as skipper, led the standings, followed by Foxy Lady 5 of Singapore.
"Our boat is a 3.5-tonner which makes it difficult to sail in light winds. The much lighter boats have a big advantage in these conditions,'' said the naval official, whose team won the category four successive times between 2007-2010.
But after checking today's weather forecast, Wiwat hopes improving conditions will boost his team's chances of a win in the fourth and fifth races.
"Strong winds are forecast for today, which is something we are looking for. We still have a chance to catch the leaders,'' said the Thai skipper of a nine-man crew.
In the IRC Zero Class, Team Premier of the United Arab Emirates, skippered by Hannes Weiner, trailed in second in the third race but remained top of the class with five points. Hong Kong's Freefire 52, HiFi, and Jelik II, which dominated yesterday's race, were second to fourth respectively.
IRC 1 captained by Japan's Yasuo Nanamori took the lead with nine points overall after finishing second in race number three. EFG Mandrake from Hong Kong were toppled to second after leading on Monday, with Singapore's Kukukerchu third.
In the Firefly 850 Sports, Britain's Moto Inzit helmed by Roger Kingdon maintained its lead after finishing first for three straight races. Thailand's Voodoo Child and Britain's Twin Sharks were second and third.
In the Multihull Class, Mick Coleman captained Da Vinci from Thailand to the top of the leader board with six points while Miss Saigon of Thailand and Australian Sidewinder took the second and third.
In other classes, Britain's Titania of Cowes skippered by Richard Dobbs took a solid lead in the Premier with back-to-back victories. Skipper Oliver Heer and his multi-national crews from six countries navigated Sail Plane to the top of the Bareboat Charter category. Thailand's Windstar, helmed by Peter Wood, was out in front in the Modern Classic, while Thailand's Odin headed the Cruising Class.