Sailing: Patience rewarded with bronze medal win

Scotland's Luke Patience and crew Stuart Bithell made up for their world championships disappointment, where a broken rudder robbed them of a medal chance, when they finished in the bronze medal placing in the 470 class at Skandia Sail for Gold off Weymouth.

For the duo who teamed up only last year it is their third major podium finish after a second place in the world championships last year and twice finishing in the medals at this major regatta on the 2012 Olympic waters. Again they eclipsed the British duo Nic Asher and Elliot Willis who have twice won the 470 world title.

"It's such a tough class in the 470 so we'll draw a lot of confidence from this.We'll go into 2011 as a stronger team," said Patience.

Giles Scott claimed Britain's only gold out of a total of eight medals for British sailors, and in doing so ended four times Olympic medal winning Ben Ainslie's six-year unbeaten run in the Olympic Finn class.