After three days of classic match race sailing on Hamilton harbour, six teams now qualify for Thursday?s King Edward VII Gold Cup with New Zealander Cameron Dunn at the top of the leader board after finishing the series with a score of 9-1.

During yesterday?s final round robin, 20-plus knots of breeze and shifty conditions gave those teams that got off the starting line first and played the shifts the winning ticket. Certainly Dunn and his team seized every opportunity handed to them.

?We really just got better each day and that is the most important thing for us,? Dunn said.

?Today we got off the starting line and tried to go with the windshifts more than match race. Now, we are here to stay and want to win it. We want to go as far as we can. This is my third time qualifying to sail for the Gold Cup. I hope this third time is the charm.?

New Zealander Cameron Appleton, who sails under the Triangle Rigging of Bermuda flag with team-mates Britt Jones, Peter Marington and Dee Smith, is a favourite here. He has demonstrated decisive sailing and after placing second in the round robin qualifiers is now closer to his goal of winning The King Edward VII Gold Cup

?If we want to win the Gold Cup, we have to beat the best teams in the world so know what we are up against,? Appleton said. ?This remains an event that I really enjoy coming to, and although the last three days have been very tough, we are happy with how we have sailed. We approached the event focused on staying in front and staying in control.?

Polish sailor Karol Jablonski arrived late to the regatta because of passport issues but has made up for lost time to finish as the third qualifier. He is new to these classic International One Design keelboats but has quickly come to terms with them. He sailed brilliantly in the light air breezes on Sunday, finishing top skipper that day, and lost only to Cameron Dunn in the heavier winds yesterday.

?I prefer the light air but had a lot of assistance from my tactician John Cutler out there today,? said Jablonski.

?I have participated in this event a number of times,? added Cutler, who is a veteran New Zealand match-racing sailor.

?I always say that Bermuda has very shifty conditions and it is always important to get good starts and sail where the pressure is coming from.?

In fifth and sixth place are Takumi Nakamura of Japan and Eric Monnin of Switzerland. Monnin recovered well from a less than stellar day on Sunday to finish in sixth place while Nakamura consistently sailed with good boat speed.

Among those to miss the cut was Bermuda?s Alec Cutler who sailed a consistent and steady regatta and finished on the losing end of a three-way tie for sixth place.

?Match racing is difficult but this event gives great exposure for Bermuda,? said crew member Adam Barboza.

?We are on the world circuit of match racing and we are recognised as one of the oldest sailing nations in the world. The people competing here are the Tiger Woods of sailing and you can?t get any better than this.?