Graham hopes to come back fresher and faster

The national champion is looking forward to the one-day break to fight his way up from the seventh spot.

Sailors will enjoy a break today before resuming what is an intriguing Moth Sailing World Championships in Dubai.
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DUBAI // Chris Graham, the UAE national champion, will be looking for some speed when the Moth Sailing World Championships resume tomorrow after a one-day break, with the UAE national champion tied in seventh position. Simon Payne, the world No 5, is leading the championship after seven races following a consistent show in shifty eight to 10 knot winds at the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club (DOSC) yesterday. He finished third in two races and fourth in the other.

Brad Funk (20 points) trails the Briton by two points, followed by Arnaud Psarofaghis (24), the world No 3, a further four points down. Dalton Bergan is fourth (27), while Andrew McDougal (34), leader on the first two days, has slipped to fifth. Graham, starting the day from fifth, is four points behind McDougal after a strong fifth in the opening race of the day and two sevenths in the following races.

"I was pretty consistent so quite happy with my performance," said the 27-year-old, who is also a member of the organising committee of this Puma-sponsored event. "It was quite light and a bit shifty, which meant a lot of hard work. "So I am very glad we have a lay day as I need to relax. Coming back, I will have to find a bit more speed for the last few days." Kerstin Sommer, the UAE's only female Moth sailor, has also slipped a spot after leading the women's championship on day two. She trails Emma Aspington now and is 29th overall.

There was good news for the UAE in the juniors, though, with Marcel Herrera leading the table, followed by his compatriot Alex Buerger two points behind. @Email:arizvi@thenational.ae