Sailing: Brady pays heavy penalty of run in with Law

GAVIN BRADY will forever curse a pair of unnecessary penalties and the squandering of the third semi-final race of his third attempt to win the Hoya Lymington Cup, writes Stuart Alexander.

At 1-1 in a best of five, the New Zealander had Britain's Chris Law in all sorts of pre-start trouble. Law had two penalties against him, which Brady took advantage of with a clear run at the start line. But he put his nose over early and, in returning to restart, Law exonerated one penalty and thus managed to keep a lead.

At the second 800-yard beat Law cleverly held Brady out and then quickly executed his second penalty turn to go into the final leg ahead and hold off a determined bid by Brady to run him down.

As Brady had thrown away the chance to win the first race because of picking up a penalty, and then was rewarded with another for being too early into the manoeuvres at the start of the fourth, his goose was cooked.

Meeting Law in the best-of-seven final today will be France's Bertrand Pace, who dispatched another Kiwi, Murray Jones, 3-0 without ever having to stretch himself.

The two New Zealanders will fight it out over five races for third place.