Kiwi sailors occupy strong positions at World Cup

Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie (pictured) sit just two points off first place in the women's 470 event (AAP)
Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie (pictured) sit just two points off first place in the women's 470 event (AAP)

Five New Zealand sailors find themselves within the top five places on the third day of the Sailing World Cup in France.

Erratic wind changes made life tough for the Kiwis racing in Hyeres, but still five of New Zealand's sailing crews are positioned well to push for a place on the podium.

49er duo Peter Burling and Blair Tuke were again in fine form, and they've now established a 34-point lead over the Australian crew in second place, despite only sailing in just two of the day's scheduled races.

Another Kiwi pair, women's 470 crew Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie, sit third overall after a solitary race on day three, one point behind the British team in second and two off the Brazilians in first.

Aleh said they had ticked off a few areas that had been wanting to work on, but said it was far from a perfect day.

"We got straight into it, with an okay race for us," she said.

"Solid enough, but just felt a little rusty. We made a few simple errors, and were not quite able to make the most of the opportunities."

In the men's 470 event, Paul Snow-Hansen and Daniel Wilcox occupy fifth after a single race, and still have a realistic chance of claiming the bronze medal position come the end of the World Cup.

Sam Meech, meanwhile, has climbed up to 2nd after beginning the third day in 9th – although he'll need a string of flawless performances to catch Australian Tom Burton, who leads by 13 points in the Laser event.

Another Kiwi, Josh Junior slipped down the leaderboard after the day's races, but still maintains a solid position in fifth – five points behind third and seven behind first.

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