Heading into the halfway point of the regatta, Will Cooper and Hugo Allison on Impulse from Tasmania have etched out a nice little buffer.

The duo from the Sandy Bay Sailing Club have been rewarded for their consistency of not having a worse score than seventh, while all other boats around them have had at least one race outside the top 10.

In what is an incredibly tight series with the leaderboard getting tipped on its head each race, Cooper and Allison have been chipping away almost always in the lead group around the top mark and holding their position or moving forward on the pack.

They have been hitting middle-left side of the course and starting off the pin has been the safe option during the classic Largs Bay sea breezes.

Another feature of this tight regatta is that after five heats we have 5 different race winners — all of them have come from Tasmania and Victoria as well, showing their skills in the moderate to fresh sea breezes and increasing wave patterns.

The 82-boat Cadet fleet has been extremely competitive. Photos: Dave Birss, Epsom Rd Studios.

The 82-boat Cadet fleet has been extremely competitive. Photos: Dave Birss, Epsom Rd Studios

In second place going into the lay day is Archer Ibbott and Sammy Legg on Little Devil, roaring into contention with a win in Heat 5, while third overall is the Sea-Ya team of Matilda and Oscar O’Donoghue who have been consistent as well.

They were buried in Heat 4 but managed to salvage a 10th place which could be very important further along in the series.

For South Australia it was a fantastic day for the Endless Summer team of Brooke Gaffney and Darcy Conry who leapt to fifth place after a third and a seventh on the second day of racing.

The strong Largs Bay winds have been a feature of the regatta. Photos: Dave Birss, Epsom Rd Studios.

The strong Largs Bay winds have been a feature of the regatta. Photos: Dave Birss, Epsom Rd Studios

It is great to see all competitors absolutely loving these nationals at the Largs Bay Sailing Club — right through the fleet there are stories from the day and it’s exciting to see so many kids loving their sailing.

Stay tuned for the rest of the series.

CLICK HERE for the overall results.

Racing has been close at the pointy end of the fleet. Photos: Dave Birss, Epsom Rd Studios.

Racing has been close at the pointy end of the fleet. Photos: Dave Birss, Epsom Rd Studios