It is all to play for in the final day of the Mirror World Championships at Kingston on Lake Ontario. Ross Killian and Darren McCann of the National YC, Dun Laoghaire, slipped into second place overall behind the British crew, Christopher Balding and Nicola Harper going into the final day's racing, with overall honours wide open.
The British pair are looking very good, however, being placed within the top 10 in all eight races so far and have a 10-point lead with two races remaining.
Killian and McCann had top five places in five successive races before slipping to 15th in the eighth race, sailed in very tough conditions with over 20 knots of wind and difficult seas.
This race was won by Jerbil Owens, of the Royal St George YC, who has Ross's sister Rebecca as his crew, and they are holding fifth overall within 20 points of the leaders and still within striking distance of the championship when two discards are applied if the 10race programme is completed.
Mirror World Championship - Race 7: 1, S McElwee and J Fletcher (Aus); 2, D and J Gebhard (Brit); 3, E Moloney and A Woodward (Irl). Race 8: 1, J Owens and R Killian (Irl); 2, C Balding and N Harper (Brit); 3, I and F Capener (Brit). Overall: 1, Balding and Harper 31 pts; 2, R Killian and D McCann (Irl) 41 pts; 3, Gebhard and Gebhard 45; 4, Moloney and Woodward 49; 5, Owens and Killian 51; 6, Capener and Capener 62. Other top Irish places: 7, B Foley and S Mitton (Dun Laoghaire Motor YC) 69; 10, E McDonald and I McSweeney (Howth YC) 88; 11, M O'Loughlin and G Henderson (Malahide YC) 103 ; 13, M Treacy and N Craig (Royal St George YC) 117 pts; 15, R Craig and C Cassidy (Royal St George YC) 121; 17, M Hellstern and J Dolan (Kinsale YC) 125; 18, R Coveney and C Forristal (Royal Cork YC) 141.