The French duo finished fourth, first and third to help build a lead of 25 points over second-placed Italians Vittorio Bissaro and Silvia Sicouri and edge a step closer to maintaining their grip on a title they have won every year since its inception in 2013.

Bissaro and Sicouri moved up to second spot with third, 10th and second place finishes and are refusing to rule out the possibility of overturning the deficit.

"Boatspeed was critical today, and we were fast so that made life easier," Bissaro said.

"So far at these Worlds we have had a big variety of conditions.

"Every day is different, so it's a fair battle across many different types of wind.

"Billy is doing better races than us at the moment, but we have everything we need to be in front, we are confident."

Australia’s Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin, silver medallists in 2014, made the best of a light airs to elevate themselves to third after registering finishes of fifth, fourth and first.

Denmark’s Allan Norregaard and Anette Viborg Andreasen slipped from second to fourth, while surprise package Tom Phipps and Nicola Boniface have risen to seventh, leading their more experienced British team-mates despite not being considered serious prospects for Rio 2016 selection.

In the 49er World Championships, New Zealand’s Peter Burling and Blair Tuke produced another strong performance on the yellow course to take four straight wins.

Australia’s Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen sailed consistently all day and find themselves 10 points behind the Kiwis in second.

Great Britain’s John Pink and Stuart Bithel sit in third after scoring two sixths, a fifth, and a second.

As for the 49er FX, Germany’s Victoria Jurczok and Anika Lorenz followed up two wins at the start of the day with a second and a fifth to take control of the competition.

Denmark’s Maiken Foght Schütt and Anne-Julie Schütt occupy second place, while Great Britain’s Charlotte Dobson and Sophie Ainsworth are third.

Action is due to continue in Clearwater tomorrow.