Rick Merriman, a sailor out of the Lake Hopatcong Yacht Club, had a stellar day of sailing on Wednesday at the 2010 Star Class World Championship, finishing in second and first place during the day's two races—and landing him in 17th place overall going into Thursday's final day of racing. 
The competition, located in Rio de Janero, features 73 boats from more than a dozen different countries. Merriman, sailing with regular crew Phil Trinter, has been getting progressively better finishes through the week, starting with a 49th place, followed by 36th, 17th, and then Wednesday's 2nd and 1st. The team sailed together last year on Lake Hopatcong, winning the annual Tomahawk Regatta amid a field that featured several Olympic sailors. Merriman is the second American in the fleet, just three points behind fellow USA skipper Andrew Campbell of San Diego. Great Britain's Iain Percy currently leads the event, which allows for one throwout race. The racing continues today, and updates can be found on the Star World Championship website. Friday Update: Merriman fell to 24th place overall with a 46th on the last day, making him the third American overall in the event.
