Pathfinder Homes B14 Global Championships 2026 - Day 3
by Brady Tassicker (Aus) & Crispin Taylor (GBR) 26 Jun 06:15 BST
Pathfinder Homes B14 Global Championship at Torbay Day 3 © James Clapham
It was a frustrating day for many sailors, with large seas and light winds causing multiple start line incidents. As always, the key was to get away cleanly - unfortunately easier said than done for many.
The second race of the day was a general recall, resulting in the U flag making an appearance for the rest of the day. And it certainly got a work-out, with 4 boats U flag disqualified the first time it was used, with three of them front-marker boats (Glenn and Karen in Bandit, Richie and Lissa in The Nude, and Peter and Henry in Demelza). And Ryan and Tim in Significant Other were finally starting to put together some consistent results before learning they too came unstuck. Fortunately they redeemed themselves in the final race, with an outstanding 6th - being unfortunate to lose a few positions in a hole near the finish line.
If four U-flag disqualifications wasn't enough to shake up the standings, in the final race of the day, there were an astonishing 9 disqualifications, and one boat (Tony and Jamie in Admiral Trailers) that assumed they were UFD and withdrew, but were in fact not on course side.
Close battles have continued throughout the fleet, with On the Edge and Pretty in Pink having their third finished decided by less than a boat length between them.
Several boats generally in the back half of the fleet have had their best races today, with Steve and Hannah in Shirley scoring a 13th, then bettering it with a 12th, Ralph and Dominik in Bone Work getting an 11th (and the top Australian for the race), and Anthony and Amanda in Yellowbone getting a ninth.
At this stage in the competition the Ashes look to be decided, with only one Australian boat in the top half of the fleet. However there is still a lot to play for tomorrow, with almost all boats in the fleet having potential to move up or down the standings.
This article is also available to read over at Yachts and Yachting.