After two more races in the Image Skincare-sponsored Irish Optimist Championships at Howth, there are new leaders in both fleets, with Peter McCann of Royal Cork YC now heading the senior division and UK Junior Champion Max Clapp of Royal Southern YC taking a commanding lead in the junior ranks.

Douglas Elmes of Royal Cork won the first race of the day ahead of Sean Donnelly of the National YC, who took the honours in the second, but it was the consistent McCann – with a 3^rd and 2^nd – who jumped to the top of the leaderboard.

His cause was helped immensely by a poor day for the overnight leader Adam Hyland (Royal St George YC) with a mid-fleet result and a retiral which drops him to 19^th overall.

After a slow start on the first day, Ireland’s World Championship representative Sophie Browne from Tralee Bay SC scored a 7^th and 3^rd to move up to 4^th overall, just a few points behind Skerries’ Sean Waddilove.

Max Clapp demonstrated why he was one of the pre-event favourites for the Junior title by recording two bullets, results which leapfrog him to the top of the table with a massive 24 points margin ahead of another British entry, Benno Marstaller of Restronguet SC.

The early series leader, Howth’s Ewan McMahon, slipped up a little with results in double figures yet remains in 3^rd place overall after five races and very much in the frame. Welsh entry Huw Edwards from Port Dinorwic made major ground, jumping from 10^th after day one to just behind McMahon.