1300 hours: Taylor Canfield (USA), Johnie Berntsson (SWE), Torvar Mirsky (AUS) and Lucy Macgregor (GBR) have won their quarterfinal matches at the Argo Group Gold Cup.
The conditions on Hamilton Harbour saw a south/southwesterly breeze between 8 and 13-14 knots. The breeze was slightly more stable in direction than the first three days, but the strength still varied greatly. In the IOD sloops, a 2-knot windspeed difference can mean a difference of 10 degrees or greater in heading.
Canfield disposed of Italian Ettore Botticini, 3-0, Berntsson dominated Charlie Laumiere of the U.S., 3-0, Mirsky defeated Nicklas Dackhammar of Sweden, 3-0, and Macgregor beat Joachim Aschenbrenner of Denmark, 3-1.
Canfield was able to pin penalties on Botticini in Flights 1 and 3, which helped his cause. Berntsson was hardly threatened in his match against Lalumiere. Mirsky played the right side of each race and had to come from behind to win Flight 3 after being on the course side at the starting signal.
Macgregor got a penalty on Aschenbrenner in the first flight, came from behind to win the second flight, lost the third flight when Aschenbrenner used a windshift on the first beat to get well ahead and then then won the fourth flight when she rode port tack across the starboard-tack Aschenbrenner to the right side of the racecourse.
As the leader of the regatta, Canfield earned the right to choose his opponent for the semifinals and he chose Macgregor. That decision forces a match between Berntsson and Mirsky in the other semifinal.
The first warning signal of the semifinals is scheduled for 1330 hours. The winner of each match will be the first to score three points. The race committee still intends to start the final and petit final after the conclusion of the semifinals.