Sailing: Zuccoli revels in calm waters of Torquay

TORQUAY LIKES to be known as the English Riviera - and yesterday's Mediterranean autumn conditions were clearly to the liking of the 1996 European champion Giorgio Zuccoli in the mid-stages of the Melges 24 World Championship, writes Stuart Alexander.

The Italian lake sailor revelled in the soft, five to eight knot, winds, hammering in a first and a second place to top the 93-boat fleet with four races still to run.

Chasing in second place is the American Brian Porter, whose fourth and sixth underline the consistency he has shown throughout, while strongly in the hunt in third is the Olympic silver medallist Ian Walker, who had to take over from Vince Brun, who was taken to hospital with a severe back injury.

The reigning British champion, Rob Smith, was one of 10 to be black flag disqualified from the second race of the day.