Taylor Canfield, Bjorn Hansen, Adam Minoprio and Keith Swinton all advanced to the semi-finals of the Argo Group Gold Cup in Hamilton Harbour today.

The foursome coped best in the light and fluky breezes that pushed the International One Design sloops around the harbour at pedestrian pace.

Canfield and US One extended their overall unbeaten streak to ten after defeating Chris Steele 3-0 in the first-to-three points quarter-finals.

The 2012 Gold Cup winners posted the best record during the quarter-finals to earn the right to pick their opponent for tomorrow’s semi-finals.

Canfield chose Minoprio and BlackMatch who edged Phil Robertson and Waka Racing 3-2 in all New Zealand quarter-final contest.

“We chose Adam because we think he’s a little rustier than the other two,” Canfield said. “Adam hasn’t done a lot of match racing this year.

“Björn looks like he’s on point and Keith has been sailing very well. So we’ll take our chance with my good friend Adam.”

In another close quarter-final series that could have gone either way Swinton and Black Swan Racing came from behind to beat Ian Williams and Team GAC Pindar, the world match racing champions and 2006 Gold Cup winners. 3-2.

“Full credit to Keith and his crew,” Williams, the five-times match racing world champion, said. “It was hard to know today whether to be ahead or behind at the windward mark.

“All the situations that were fifty-fifty went Keith’s way. They had better execution and deserved to win.”

The remaining quarter-final had Hansen and Nautiska Racing beat Eric Monnin and Team SailBox 3-1.

Swinton, who qualified for the quarter-finals through the repechage, will face Hansen in tomorrow’s remaining semi-final while Robertson, Williams, Steele and Monnin will sail in the fifth through eighth play off.

Meanwhile, Spainard Nacho Davila still leads the RenaissanceRe Junior Gold Cup fleet

The female sailor holds a four-point advantage over Mathias Berthet, of Norway, who leap frogged past Ryane Duff, of the British Virgin Islands, to take over second. Duff sits in third five points off the lead pace.

Tayte Stefaniuk has replaced Jordan Etemadi as the leader of the local fleet.

Stefaniuk is tenth followed by Micah Raynor who climbed two places from thirteenth to eleventh. Etemadi slipped from twelfth to thirteenth.

Christian Spodsberg, the defending champion, climbed from tenth to seventh.