KEY POINTS:
Auckland's changeable weather could play into the hands of the New Zealand crews gunning for world titles in the 420 world championships being sailed off Takapuna.
After yesterday's lay day the 116 crews return to the water today for the third day of competition. So far the 232
sailors have battled 30 knot winds and grappled with fickle light breezes.
The forecast over the next two days is for 10-15 knot southwesterlies.
But if the last two days of racing - where conditions have differed significantly from those forecast - are anything to go by, competitors may be in for a bit of everything. It's something New Zealand head coach Mat Brown acknowledges Kiwi sailors are well and truly used to.
The qualifying series in the men's competition finished on Thursday and the 67 crews have been divided into gold and silver fleets.
The defending champions, New Zealanders Carl Evans and Peter Burling, were the top qualifiers with fellow Kiwis Simon Cooke and Scott Illingworth second. Seven of New Zealand's 15 crews finished the qualifying series in the top 10. A further four will join them in the gold fleet. Brown said qualifying 11 of 15 crews for the gold fleet was an achievement on its own.
"It just shows the depth in the class which has been developing over the last two years ... it is coming to fruition."
Eleven races are scheduled for the gold and silver fleets over the next four days.
The 47-strong women's fleet is already into its championship. After four of 12 races, Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie have a 10-point lead. New Zealand also holds second place with Sarah Bilkey and Rosie Sargisson.
Aleh and Powrie have so far sailed a magnificent regatta, finishing in the top three in all four races. The pair, both Laser Radial sailors, only teamed up for this regatta. Aleh is a member of Yachting New Zealand Olympic's squad and will almost certainly represent New Zealand in the Laser Radial at next year's Olympics.
Brown said the 420 was quite a technical boat and he had been impressed with how quickly Aleh and Powrie had mastered it.
"It just shows how good Jo is, first of all as a sailor tactically and that sort of thing but also how she is able to adapt to another style of boat as well."
Brown doesn't believe the pair will ditch their Laser Radials and embark on an Olympic 470 campaign. The 420 is not an Olympic class; the double-handed Olympic class is the 470 in which both men and women compete.