A near-capsize gave Kiwi Finn sailor Dan Slater a few nervous moments before he secured a much-needed victory to keep him in the medal hunt after the second day of racing in the Olympics regatta off Weymouth.
Slater, who started the day seventh, almost tipped out of his boat on the third leg of the opening race after an aborted tack in a testing 15 knot breeze.
But the 34-year-old from Auckland recovered to go on and claim a valuable win after an indifferent first day.
He backed up in the fourth race with a sixth-placed finish to improve one place overall, just three points outside the bronze medal position occupied by British triple Olympic gold medallist Ben Ainslie.
Dane Jonas Hogh-Christensen leads the regatta after winning won both races on the opening day and finishing second in the third race.
Star pair Hamish Pepper and Jim Turner bounced back after a sub-par first day to register a win and a 13th to move up to 10th overall.
The women's match racing crew of Stephanie Hazard, Jenna Hansen and Susannah Pyatt lost to Spain but then defeated Denmark to lie equal fourth with a two win, two loss record.
The young 49er combination of Peter Burling and Blair Tuke kicked off their campaign with a ninth and seventh to be eighth after the first day.
Andrew Murdoch lies ninth after a 12th and eighth on the first day of racing in his class, with Australia's five-time world champion banking a second and first to lead and underline his favouritism for the gold medal.
It was an opening day to forget for Sara Winther in the Laser Radial with two poor results, a 23rd and a 31st, to sit 27th in the 41-strong field.
NZN