Sailing for Gold

The Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta

Great Britain, USA and Spain were among the big winners at the Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta - the biggest Olympic and Paralympic classes regatta that Great Britain has seen.

Team GB won five World Cup titles, with other World Cup winners including USA, Denmark, France and Portugal, as well as Spain, who enjoyed a late surge of success on the final day.

The regatta, which ended at the weekend was held at the London 2012 Olympic sailing venues in Weymouth and Portland. It was the final date in a series of worldwide events in the inaugural International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Sailing World Cup series. The British team ended the 2008-2009 World Cup with 13 gold, 15 silver and 14 bronze medals, topping the medal table and winning the World Cup Nations trophy.

British duo Andy Rickham and Niki Birrell won silver medals in both the regatta and the World Cup series. Rickham said: "All in all I think we're in a really good position... We just need to make sure we are as close to the top as we are now and make sure we're still there in two and a half years. Nothing would be nicer to qualify for 2012 and win a medal here at home alongside Niki, considering our disappointment in Beijing."

All energies are now focused on London's Olympics in 2012.

For more on the ISAF World Cup, including the seven events of the series, featuring competitions in Australia, USA, France and the Netherlands, visit: www.sailing.org/isafsailingworldcup