Half-a-dozen Kiwi crews are within the top ten of their fleet as they reach the business end of the 2015 Rio Test Event.

Light conditions on day five of the eight-day event interrupted the planned racing schedule, with reduced racing across most fleets, but none at all for the 49ers, meaning Blair Tuke and Tauranga's Peter Burling remain in the lead.

Tauranga sailor Jason Saunders and Gemma Jones opened day five in Rio with a second-place finish. Photo: Supplied.

Gemma Jones and Tauranga sailor Jason Saunders were the first fleet to race in the Nacra and they opened with a second place.

'We got sent out in the northerly breeze and we raced in that which was a bit of a surprise, but it was steady and fair,” says 21-year-old helm Gemma.

The wind then stopped and the multihull fleet drifted on the bay, in anticipation of a south-easterly which didn't eventuate until around 4pm.

'We raced another race in that breeze, which was very flaky with tide lines,” she explains.

'It was a crazy race in which we recovered well to get sixth, so we were happy. It could have gone really bad. Lots of good boats were not doing well.”

Day six is all set to be a big one for the Nacra fleet, with four races scheduled.

'I think there is a bit more breeze scheduled, which will be nice,” adds Gemma. 'It's all very close on points so tomorrow will be a big day.”

Just one race was possible for both the Men's and Women's 470 classes. Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie placed 12th in their race and end the day in ninth position overall, while Paul Snow-Hansen and Daniel Willcox placed 16th today to hold 16th overall in the men's division.

Josh Junior placed second in the opening Finn class race, but wasn't able to replicate that in the subsequent race, recording a 17th which becomes his drop score. Junior is in seventh on 23 points – just one less than Norway in sixth.

Andy Maloney placed third on the water in the Laser class is his best race of the regatta so far, and it lifts him from 10th up to eighth overall. Andy reported a decent breeze of around 12-15 knots on the Copacabana course for their single race.

Burling and Tuke did not sail on day five and remain in the lead in the 49er class. But they'll be back on the water tomorrow.

The lack of wind over days four and five of 2015 Rio Test Event sees the schedule of competition compressed tighter into the remaining three available days, with race officials doing their utmost to get races underway where possible.

'It's been tricky for the race officers the last couple of days,” says Team Manager Jez Fanstone.

'We haven't had good steady winds so it's been really hard to set a course. And it's also been really tricky to sail in.

'For the rest of the week it means they may well try and squeeze more races in. For example, on the Nacra course there could be four races in one day, which can make a big change to the whole outlook of the regatta.

'At the moment we're looking at a southerly front to come in with a bit more wind, so we're all hoping for a more stable set of conditions, and I know that's what the Principal Race Officer will be hoping for as well.”