Yachting: NZ sailors on the pace in England

Andrew Murdoch is second in the Lasers. Photo / Brett Phibbs

New Zealand sailors have continued to impress at the Weymouth and Portland international regatta in England.

Seven of nine New Zealand crews are in the top 10 of their respective fleets after racing overnight (NZT) at a venue to be used for next year's Olympic Games.

The best of them is Laser sailor Andrew Murdoch, who remains second overall after enjoying a rest day.

The 49er skiff pair of Peter Burling and Blair Tuke hold on to third place overall after posting ninth, fifth and third placings.

They have 38 points, 10 behind Australians Nathan Outteridge and Ian Jensen, and 14 behind Iker de Lizarduy and Xabier Fernandez Gaztanaga, of Spain.

Boardsailor Jon-Paul Tobin improved from eighth to fifth place overall after having his best day of the regatta by finishing second and fourth in his two races.

Natalia Kosinska, representing New Zealand in the women's boardsailing fleet, was 12th and 14th and sits in ninth place overall.

Both Dan Slater in the Finn and Hamish Pepper and Craig Monk in the Star will be frustrated to collect a discard race overnight.

Slater came back strongly to finish fourth in the next race but slid from sixth to ninth in the standings.

Pepper and Monk finished 10th in their opening race of the day but suffered rig damage and were unable to start the second race and dropped to eighth overall.

That is one place higher than the 470 women's pairing of Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie who posted two third placings.