PORTLAND’S Hannah Mills and Eilidh McIntyre opened their scorecards with a win before adding another to their tally to sit second overall in the women’s 470 at the Sailing World Championships in Aarhus, Denmark.

Top 10 results from Portland’s Luke Patience and Chris Grube sees them remain in medal contention in eighth place, five points off the lead.

Mills said: “Today was an awesome day – we managed to rectify the errors that let us down in yesterday’s races and come away with two bullets.

“This venue gives nothing away though and it’s going to be a long hard week.”

Amy Seabright and Anna Carpenter came home in second behind their Mills and McIntyre in the second race of the day to claim 10th overall, while Jess Lavery and Flora Stewart posted a solid 13, eight to sit 15th.

Great Britain’s Nick Thompson, Michael Beckett and Lorenzo Chiavarini laid down a marker to the huge Laser Standard fleet as they got their championships underway with a string of podium finishes.

Two-time world champion Thompson, who represented Great Britain at the Rio 2016 Olympics, ended his first day in Aarhus, Denmark, with a three, two to sit third overall in the 165-boat fleet.

Thompson said: “It was a cracking first day’s racing here in Aarhus,” the Lymington sailor said. “We had a building sea breeze which made for some nice tight racing. I’m happy to come away with two solid results and pleased to have racing underway.”

The British Sailing Team’s Laser squad is so strong that Beckett and Chiavarini found themselves in a battle with one another for victory in the second race of the day.

Chiavarini was leading until the final leg when Beckett passed him to steal the glory.

Beckett said: “In the first race I was pretty inconsistent, floating around in the middle of the fleet seemingly picking up every last little bit of weed in the bay.

“The second race was much better and I felt a little bit bad as I overtook Lorenzo on the last run to win it, but that’s racing.”

The battle for supremacy in the Finn class resumed in front of Aarhus’ grandstand in much better breeze than the opening day when only one race could be completed.

After a 13th in the opener, reigning European champion Ed Wright found his pace with an emphatic win in the second race of the day, following it up with a fourth to go into day three in 12th overall.

Wright, from Bournemouth, said: “It was quite physical and tactical today which made for great racing.

“I had a good day text. I was a little unlucky in the first race dropping seven boats on the second beat, but then won the second and placed well in the last.”

Two top-10 finishes including a third behind winner Wright for teammate Ben Cornish propelled him to seventh overall, just 11 points off the top spot with three more days to go.