SAILING/Sovereign's Cup:Rain and wind prevailed for day two of the Sovereign's Cup off the Old Head of Kinsale yesterday as the 158-boat fleet was battered by winds gusting to near gale force at times. Nerves of steel and real skill separated the contenders within the four main divisions as spinnaker-handling technique played a deciding role.

Or should that be roll? In fact between rolling seas and rolling boats, the at-times hypnotic sight of racing boats powering downwind on the edge of control prompted repeatedly the question: will she wipe out or can they hold together?

Class Two provided the best action as, one by one, the 46-strong fleet rounded the windward mark and bore away for the downwind dash under spinnaker.

For those more cautious competitors at the back, the sight ahead proved a timely warning as spectacular crash gybes, broaches and assorted sail problems littered the course ahead.

For the skilled, the reward was advancement in the ranks. And so it was that in Class Two, Colm Dunne's Kinsale entry Grin and Bear it! did just that and added their second win of the series to hold the overall lead.

Among the elite racing machines of Class Zero, the extensive reaching conditions for the Round the Cans course especially suited Anthony O'Leary's Antix Dubh, which scored a first and second place yesterday. Though the class leader, Conor and Denise Phelan's Jump Juice, matched this result to retain the overall lead.

In Class One, Howth's Emma McDonald dropped from the overall lead after a disappointing eighth and 15th yesterday, which allowed Dermot Cronin's Malahide J35 Same Old Story to take the lead.

But it was in Class Three where one of the most impressive displays of boat handling was delivered by Athens veteran John Twomey and his paralympic team in training for China 2008 on board their Blazer 23-footer.

Though normally training on a Sonar class used at the Games, their able-bodied coach Matthias Hellstern joined Twomey, a paraplegic, and disabled crewmen Brian O'Mahoney and Anthony Hegarty for the single race, which they won by 47 seconds on IRC-corrected time, their second race win adding to a second place in the series so far.