Highlights Sailing: World Championships

Every four years sailing's elite converge in the World Championship

for all the Olympic Classics. It is just two years since the next games

and Santander's read about mantic coast is where 2000 of the worlds

best sailors have gathered. World champions will be crowned in all ten

Olympic disciplines and success here is white or for anyone hoping for

medals in the 2016 Rio games. -- vital. For 12 glorious years Great

Britain ruled the waves in Olympic sailing but at London 2012 that

Dynasty suffered the indignity of losing its crown on home waters.

Many of the old guard have moved on and Team GB has fresh faces hoping

to write their own history. And it is here in Santander at the world

sailing Championships that we will see whether re-gaining pole position

is a reality or fantasy for Team GB. I have been joined by two former

stall wards of that great British Olympic team, to discuss where the

team is and who we can expect to shine. Iain Percy has two Olympic

gold medals and a silver on his sailing CB. Paul Goodison won gold

in 2008 in the laser. So there is plenty of Olympic bling in the room.

With two years to go until Rio you can look at Santander and think it

is not important, but when you speak to the sailors it seems crucial. It

is one of the best competition is one of the best think people

therefore take it seriously. Everyone tries to be on their games

so it is a real form guide. In that sense you know if you are doing well

at this event you are a player and if you're not you have work to do.

It is the start for the British sailors of the selection trials for

that one Coveted Place at the games, and it is also about funding, there

is pressure not just in terms of being the world champion but the

next two years. But I think that is a good pressure. You put yourself

under pressure to perform which is exactly how the Olympics is. I guess

it is a good test stop to ultimately we will lose people as well as

select them. It is sad but part of the process. There were ten

different disciplines at the Olympics but only one vote per class

from each country can go to the games, so the competition to be

selected can be cut-throat. The Finn has been raised at the summer

Olympics since 1952 -- raced, but it is still a purist favourite, Compper

and tough. I have always said it is my favourite boat. On a windy day

you are literally on a surfboard. On another day you are on a technical

board, trying to maximise performance of the sails and mast,

and it is pretty brutal. People say the hardest bit is beating the boat

itself because you need to be so strong. If you don't have that

physicality, it beats you. Thanks to the likes of Iain Percy and the most

successful Olympic sailor ever, Sir Ben -- Sir Ben Ainslie, this medal

has been in British hands since 2000. And there is a young man in

Santander who was good enough for gold at London 2012 had he not lived

in the shadow of Sir Ben Ainslie. Now at these World Championships

Giles Scott is looking to confirm his credentials for Rio. Why do you

think you are so good at sailing, particularly in the Finn? I don't

know, I can't say I have thought about it much. I suppose physically

I am suited pretty well to it. It is a natural fit for me in that way.

Other than that, I have worked pretty hard at it over the last five

years. I suppose sailing is a little like gambling in a way. You are

managing risk the whole time. Over the years I have developed a skill

at managing risk slightly better. I know I am doing something right at

the moment and I will try to continue to do that. Although Ben

Ainslie made the headlines, Giles Rankine plays in the London

selection trials and narrowly missed being selected himself -- ran him

close in the selection trials. What have you learned from Ben Ainslie?

In a lot of ways I was very fortunate to race against him so

closely. From that, I picked up and learned a great deal, just from the

ways he ran campaigns, to the attitude he took to sailing. There

was a great deal I have learned from him. Maybe I taught a few things, I

don't know! You are a firm favourite for the World Championships, how

does that affect you? I am just going to embrace it, I think. I

think you need to do that if you want to continue winning streak. Do

you have a weakness? I don't know. I try not to think about my weaknesses

a few days out from all World Championships! Giles Scott is

probably our only dead cert in the British team, you could put your

mortgage on him winning. For sure he has been the one performer, pretty

much, at a regatta he goes to, he is winning and close to winning --

every regatta. In Rio in the pre-Olympics he won every race which

is something to behold. Talk about his attitude. He doesn't get fazed.

He always puts on a good show. In sailor you need to be -- sailing you

need to perform through many conditions and fight back from tough

races. He has that mentality, he just keeps pushing. I know him well

and when he goes into a vent he goes on to win, then he comes home and I

think he does a good job of switching off am playing golf,

stepping away. Maybe that is what gives him the intensity when he is

at a regatta to perform, which he has done so well this year. What is

he like on a golf course, is he like Ben Ainslie, as to win everything?

He might want to win but he doesn't! LAUGHTER. He is amusing on the golf

course. The fact that he is six foot six makes him look amusing and his

swing is worse than mine. Giles is out of the blocks fast and

right from the off he sets the pace in the Finn class. In the first race

of the regatta he beats both the silver and bronze 2012 medallists.

It set the trend which sees him when the first five races and answered. I

have had a pretty good day, came away with three firsts, which I am

happy with. We had 25 knots for the first two races, then for the last

one and it got as low as maybe three knots as the wind began to die

completely. It switched through 180 degrees so it made for very

difficult racing. In contrast to the vintage Finn,

there is a radical new lightweight catamaran, the Nacra 17, the latest

addition to the Olympic fleet. It is a controversial new development.

Mixed six sailing and high-speed knife edge action, and it is

rattling a few experienced sailors. It is fast. Right on the edge.

Terrifying. Out of control. Exciting. Paying. Yellow dangerous.

It is a wicked boat but it can be dangerous at times. Hannah has been

on crutches twice, I think. There are lots of combinations in

the Nacra 17 people are sailing with buoy helms and girl helms like we

are, and both boats go just as fast. We are racing really had out on the

water. We have big competition with the French and Australians, they can

be really competitive. We have three or four British boats that could

definitely be up there on their days so it is wide open, one of the

classes any number of boats could win. When we jumped into the boat on

a windy day, it is fast and scary -- when we jump into it. We have to

work completely together, if one of us doesn't trust or commit

completely to the other one it will have a spectacular capsize or an

injury. The Nacra 17 is new for Rio, a major step up. In a way it is the

most exciting boat in the repertoire now. It is amazing for me to see a

mixed crew competing together. I never thought it would happen, and

it seems to be working. Surprising that a lot of the crews have stayed

together longer than we would have thought initially. Wide EU say that?

We always thought it wouldn't quite work spending your time on the road

with your sailing partner. Why? He is digging himself a whole! LAUGHTER

. Jot don't judge everyone by your own values! They are professional

athletes. If you mention that to the crews out there it will be the last

thing they would think about because they spend seven much time together.

It is a good boat, and catamaran is back in the Olympics, I always

thought that was an important part of our sport. Are you surprised by

how hard they are finding it to sails got -- sail, lots of crashes

and cap signed capsizing and a lot of injuries. You are coming off and

hitting hard things that speed and that is never good for your body.

Windsurfing has been an Olympic sport since 1984, but that RS:X

didn't become the boat of choice until Beijing 2008. Britain has two

medal hopes in this class and both Bryony Shaw and Nick Dempsey will

hope for strong performances in Santander to secure their place in

the British team. Bryony and Nick both represented their country at

London 2012, but with contrasting results. I challenged Nick to a

quick nine holes during a brief quiet moment before he left a

Santander. Just to there? Yes. Not very far, is it? It is not. What is

your top tip? Keep your eye on the ball, head still. Well... More of a

hockey swing, I think. That's all right. Beat that!

Can't catch that right. LAUGHTER. There can't be that much more to get

better, the incremental improvements are tiny, and they? You would think

so. Certainly they are starting to... I have this nailed, but when

someone else comes along and they update and change something, a few

people have done that this year, and it has been really hard adapting to

new techniques, but techniques that are definitely better and proven to

be faster. How are you in the bunker, is it your speciality? This

is more like gravel, but normally I am pretty good. It is Weymouth

gravel. Yes. We are not on form, are we? What is wrong with that? Oh... .

This is just a practice hold. You took time away, was it as a prize

when you came back and saw whether Barr was? Yes it was a surprise. In

the past I have been able to have a couple of months off and come back

on board and be competitive again, maybe not the best, but... Never

before have I come off the board and back on and gone, oh, wow, OK. I

need to really think about this, I need to do this properly. Is it an

age thing do you think? That is the question I ask myself. LAUGHTER. You

forgot I used to be competitive, Nick. Oh! Cracked under pressure.

Excuse me, I will just come in. You have still got it. I can beat and

non-golfer, yes. LAUGHTER. That is all I have got. You have no fun food

in the house. Rice cakes, fruit, fruit tea, it is just... It is

boring, isn't it? Decaffeinated tea. How many years have you been

eating rice cakes? Not enough, I would say. I have done too many

years of eating cakes! The 2012 Olympics marked the high point in an

already illustrious career. Nick sailed a superb series to win a

silver medal in front of a rapturous crowd. Because Weymouth was such a

perfect ending, I always remember you running up and grabbing Thomas,

it was such a great moment, it just felt it was your place and your

time. I wondered how much thought it required to come back, and why, I

suppose. It was hard to come back. I found myself needing destruction in

life. Yellow mac -- distractions. LAUGHTER. Sadly, just after the

games, Nick and his wife split up and his two small children now live

several hours away. Most people imagine the life of a windsurfer,

you are hanging out on the beach and occasionally you go to the gym, but

just perhaps described your life. It is... A reasonable amount of

windsurfing, reasonable amount of training at the gym, on the bike,

fitness staff, a ridiculous amount of travelling, and a lot of people

pulling on my time constantly. You have this windsurfing life, I have

my two boys, a girlfriend, it is kind of... It is always just a

balance. Generally my time off is with the boys. I wouldn't call it

relaxing time, I would call it good times, but certainly not relaxing.

But it is I suppose my happiest. How important is the result in

Santander? I need to do very well, you have to be top three to stay on

the top level of funding, which is a must to live, so I think I will be

in reasonable shape, and I think I will be racing somewhere near the

front. But it is going to be tough. It is quite tough to watch him, we

all know pretty well he is not necessarily in the best place. No,

it is a tough time for him. But maybe the windsurfing can be a

release, something he can focus on. I guess channel his energy into.

Let's hope he can step it up and get a good result in Santander, because

I think it is really important for his confidence, and with his hopes

for a medal in Rio. The first half of the World Championships throws up

unpredictable conditions and Nick struggles to make anything like

winning form. In every race I was doing OK and each time came unstuck

at windward mark. So not the best day. Certainly probably lost any

chance of winning. Bryony Shaw is Britain's best female windsurfer and

knows how it feels to stand on an Olympic podium. I had a quick chat

with her at her parents house to find out how her build-up to the

World Championships in Santander was going. I need to step up and make

sure my mindset is there. I think we have done a fantastic preparation,

so it is those fine details at the end of the day. My miniature goal is

on my mindset and making sure I am focused and fired up for that event.

How do you do that? LAUGHTER. Well... I think it is about routine,

it is about balance, it will be a long regatta. So very much trying to

make sure I am enjoying the racing and being happy Bryony on the water.

And then... You know, being able to... Yes, see my boyfriend and my

friends, and make sure that is not too much of a distraction, and

hopefully it is... Happy Bryony will be successful Bryony. LAUGHTER.

Bryony Shaw was tipped for a medal in London and it all didn't quite

work out. She is another one I am surprised by how motivated she is,

to go again and right the wrongs. I think she is one of those people who

almost had a hangover from her medal before. Certainly for me, after the

Olympics in 2000, it came a little easy, won the gold there and you

somehow I believe it comes from talent alone -- somehow believe. I

am not saying she didn't put in work, you have two, but I think she

has woken up from that and realised you can leave no stone unturned, you

have to do everything you can. I saw her recently, she looks back in

great shape physically and she is definitely a medal contender for us.

You learn a lot when it doesn't work out. I remember in Atlanta finishing

fourth, I just had a different perspective on life and sailing

after that. Motivations. A hell of a motivation. It has changed me

massively as a person. Maybe I am more boring, I think, but I would

not go into a competition of that importance, to me and my team,

knowing I could have done more. She is loving her life at the moment,

she has a new boyfriend, she is so excited about life and loving her

windsurfing. It sounds great. LAUGHTER. When she is in frame of

mind she is almost unstoppable, isn't she? She thrives off her own

self-confidence and at the moment she is smiling, beaming, so I think

she will do well in Santander. Midway through the World

Championships, we join Bryony at her prerace morning ritual. This is a

way to get me into a better, less panicky morning, I guess, so I feel

like I have enough time to get everything that needs to be done

done. It is something new to be integrated, but hopefully I buy into

it and it is really helping my racing. Briny is expected to do well

here and is obviously feeling the pressure. I had a windy day

yesterday, and just a couple of mistakes cream creeping in, and

every mistake -- mistakes creeping in. I will try to keep a clear head

and chip away points where I can. I have been working on everything

physically and mentally, so it is all work in progress. Is ongoing,

and mental strength is always ongoing. I am potentially going for

my third Olympic Games now, and all the highs and lows of going through

all of that. The 470 is a tactical two-handed

Dinky, and at the last Olympics Britain one two silver medals in the

class -- Dinky. Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark won the women's medal,

and Luke Patience and Stuart Biffle took the men's. I met up with Luke

Patience in a sunny Weymouth. He is confident at the next Olympics he

will upgrade silver to gold. I remember I spent two weeks in front

of the TV watching the 96 Olympics, just a possessed, and Ira member the

feeling I would have watching these athletes go up on the podium, or

not, you know? The raw emotion you would see as they were in tears or

joy -- of joy or sadness. That was me hoped, done. I was like, that is

what I'm doing with my life. Quite a young team, this. We have had some

of the old guard leave us, Ben Ainslie has gone, Iain Percy has

gone, and do Simpson tragically died last year, Paul Goodison has gone --

and resumes on. These are some long-time gold medallists who have

gone -- Andrew Simpson. We are a young bunch which is cool, bringing

youth and enthusiasm into it. Am quite an energetic highly strong

lad. I do well to sail with a partner who is quite grounded,

calm, logical and predictable, maybe you could say. Because I am the

opposite. Just five months ago, Luke teamed up with two-time world

champion Elliot with -- Elliot Willis. Santander will be a proving

ground for the pairing. Away from sailing, road biking clears my mind.

It is the few habits that clears space, away from the whole circus

and the scene. I enjoy the technical aspect of it a lot, things like

power pedals. A chance to look down at some numbers. I see a different

way of technically switching off, but also, I guess, it applies to the

sailing as well, a very strong technical aspect, I guess I am

mildly OCD about it. Nick and I, despite being different characters,

have always been good mates. We complement each other quite well,

especially in the boat. There are moments when the tempo needs to be

brought up, and he is good at that. There are other points, critical

parts where the tempo needs to be settled, and I think that is where I

come in. We are still a way out from the Olympics, but at the moment it

looks like we are in a head-to-head battle with the Australians. What

are we thinking, go at this one? Probably a bit risky for falling. I

have slid down this piece of rock before, I will not lie to you. My

fingers are still tingling at the thought. LAUGHTER. He has an amazing

ability to bring out the best in people he works with. I have never

known anybody who operates, we talk about a note blame culture but Luke

lives that -- no blame culture. If anything happens in the environment

which is not perfect, use all about, let's move on. That is such a

refreshing place to be. All the gear on. I like climbing because it

scares me. Life is to secure sometimes. I want to get some

concentration here. Easy, lovely hold there. I have spent my whole

life in the sea, surfing, windsurfing and sailing. I am good

at sailing about fast, simple as that, having that feel and

understanding of what the boat once at any given moment -- sailing a

boat fast. I pride myself on being good at that. I know that can sound

arrogant, but it is not. At the end of the day, you have to be aware of

your strengths as much as your weaknesses. If you don't know what

you are good at, then I don't know what place you have in sport. Brazil

gold medal, Rio 2016, is the goal, it is absolutely the goal. When you

ask me in two years how confident I am of a gold medal, in the first

race of the and pics, I will say "I am completely confident". -- first

race of the Olympics. I remember interviewing Luke before 2012, and

being quite surprised by his confidence, and just watching him in

the film, his confidence, if anything, has grown. It is a brush

of fresh air. -- breath of fresh air. Luke is the different one in

the team, he craves the attention, he loves the media and being the

centre of attention. I guess you cannot knock it, and that enthusiasm

and confidence helps drive their results. He must have realised over

the years that going in and telling people how to do well helped him do

well. A lot of us feel that puts more pressure on but it takes it off

him which is important. They will need something extra to beat the

Aussies. Matt Belcher is the most consistent manner in sailing. Was it

12 months they were unbeaten with a new pairing? That for me is amazing.

Looking at Luke, they have started a new pairing as well, and they are

there and there about already. That confidence Luke has means he will

not be daunted by it. He will just keep pushing on their own programme,

go in, and I have every confidence they would be as good as they can be

on the day and if that is good enough to win, then they will. Like

others in the British team, Luke and Elliott are finding the northern

Spanish conditions tricky to read. We have had an up-and-down regatta

with regards to wind. It has been wacky racing. So far we have pulled

out a few consistent results, we are in a confident position and have

avoided protests and redraft crane. Really, the end of qualifying

signifies the halfway stage. The real racing begins after that. We

have had a great first few races, and nice platform to springboard us

into the business end of the regatta -- a nice platform. Britain has also

got great depth and talent in the women's 470 fleet. Saskia Clark

disappointed with her Beijing games results but teamed up with the very

young but talented helm Hannah Mills for the 2012 Olympics. They

performed so well that with two days to go, they had already secured a

silver medal. In the final race, they had to fight it out with the

Kiwis for the gold medal. I was just gutted. I really believed

we could win and I believed we were good enough. And just one tiny

mistake of the start line, that was game over, and I just felt really

responsible, you know? I knew how much everyone had put in, our

coaches and support staff, my family, obviously, and I just felt

gutted. Winning a silver medal is absolutely amazing, but we had one

that already two days earlier and had got over that. For us it was all

about the gold medal and any competitive person will know it is

all about winning, so it was an emotional time for sure.

On the eve of the first race, Saskia is determined that their combined

skills can reverse the trend. There must be pressure to nail this, to

get a result here. We are definitely bored of coming second!

Hannah will only be happy with a gold medal, she has that steely

determination. Tell me a bit about Hannah. She is this mixture of fun,

energy and excitement and then she has this will of steel. What is she

like when she badly delayed the pressure is really on? She has had

an amazing career from a young age, some real pressure of events and is

cool as a cucumber when she needs to be. She kind of controls me a little

bit, actually. I get very excited. On paper, the 470 women are very

similar to Luke and Elliott, just missed out on the gold in the last

games. Two years on, how do you think they are shaping up? I have a

lot of confidence in them, they are both very talented. It is a nice

balance, Saskia has that maturity and experience to keep calm under

pressure and Hannah is clearly a real talent. Physically, they are

the right size, especially for a lighter crack, no one can get much

smaller than Hannah, she is tiny. So I am confident for them in Santander

but particularly Rio. The women's 470 racing is proving to be very

close. Halfway, Hannah and Saskia are in third place, just ahead of

their archrivals the Kiwis. We have seven races left so we are hoping to

win them all, I guess, but we would probably take just being aborigine

well. We just want to be in the medal race with the chance of a

medal, hopefully a gold medal. -- take just being aborigine.

medal, hopefully a gold medal. -- take just being aborigine --

average. The man who has the job of managing the team is Stephen Park,

and he has presided over the team's rise to be, at one stage, the best

in the world. You have lost many of your dead

certs, people you could have relied on to deliver when they had to. How

has that changed your thinking towards Rio? In terms of those

bankers that you think you have going into this time, I think at the

moment, we would be confident enough to say we have got more of those

going into Rio, at this stage, emerging than we did at this stage

going into London. Albeit, their names are not as well-known as Ben

Ainslie and Iain Percy, Shelley Robertson. It is difficult to talk

about medal hauls, but talk about in context of this event, what you're

looking for, hoping for and perhaps what is realistic version mark at

the end of the day, we have a target to win four medals, so there is no

shying away from that. I have no doubt it is more competitive ban it

has ever been so as a result of that, it is harder to be confident

about who will win in any given class. There are only a few classes

where there are any sailors from any country that are able to get that

consistency, and right now, there are probably only too, that is the

thin and the 470 men, and in the 470, it is our Australian

colleagues. In 2012, we were not top of the medal table. We won more

medals than anyone else but at the table counts gold medals first, so

Australia are currently top of the medal table. And it irritates me

that we are not, you know, the top nation at the moment. It grinds, and

it does on a number of our sailors and that is what gets you up in the

morning, get you motivated to make sure you are going to go out

tomorrow and make them sure it is going to be different next time. The

49er is the mono hull speedster of the Olympic fleet. It has

electrifying pace, but with twin trapezes, it is challenging to say.

Britain has only won bronze and one silver medal in this class but there

are no several British crews at the top of the world rankings. I got

into sailing when I was about 11 years old. We used to live near

London... Actually, it is not really London, I tell people that who don't

live in London, it was Kingston. Mum and dad were both ballet dancers and

I think their genes are being flexible and powerful have helped,

it is useful around the 49er. Sailing on little lakes and ponds

helps out, you pick up a lot of knowledge on the feel of what is

going to happen next. When I started sailing with Alain, it was a good

mix. He is from the sea and we have been sailing together for eight

years now and we know what the other person is about to do, so we don't

have to say as much in the boat, it is inherent, we know what we are

doing. Dylan is a fiery person, I think you need that in the team, and

I am quite quiet, so we gel quite well together. I think if we both

had two nutcases in the boat, it wouldn't work, you would bang your

heads together. We are aiming for a medal, a medal would be good, we

have never got one at World Championships, but we won't really

be happy unless we win. From the outside, one of the classes that is

hardest to call is the 49er. There seems to be a real depth but perhaps

no real winner there yet. You look at the results and you see Dylan is

almost at the top performer with Alain. They seem to do really well

when it comes to the end of the week and the race and on the smaller

courses, their boat handling is a bit better than the others and they

seem to perform under the pressure on the final day. Dylan and Alain

are confident they can perform, but things in Santander are proving

light and tricky and did their first two races, they get too shocking

results. We haven't had many days tougher than that. Unfortunately, we

started a little bit early in the first race, so we got a

disqualification and in the second race, we were going for the line and

were sort of fighting our way through and it is pretty hard work

with 40 49ers on a short course. Over the course of the series,

hopefully we can fight our way back. Unfortunately, things go from bad to

worse. Dylan and Alain go on to pick up a 41st and 42nd, didn't qualify

for the medal race and up 54th overall.

The all-female 49er fracture is another new class to the Olympics

and, just its big brother, it brings twin sailing into the event. In the

qualifying stages of the regatta, Charlotte Dobson and Soviet threat

has shamed their male team words -- Sophie have shamed their male

team-mates. We couldn't be happier, we have had managed to have for

really good races, going into qualifying in second and it is a big

difference to this time last year. We didn't even qualify for goal

fleet, so to be second, we are pretty happy with. My boyfriend

sails of 49er and he is having an absolute disaster. Dylan sailing the

49er, I have learned a huge amount from him. And Sophie's boyfriend is

in the nigra, so between the two of them, they have taught us a lot.

Nobili, it is the other way around. I have a lot on physically, I pulled

the kite up and down and Charlotte hangs around at the back pushing the

stick. It goes quiet in the race, she can't breathe at all, working

her little heart out and I am sort of sitting there, shouting

encouragement as much as I can. Every day after racing, Charlotte

and Sophie trek back to the team house to endure a bone numbing

treatment. I am not sure why I do this, all I want to do is get out.

The icepack fleshes the lactic acid from their systems but also gives

them a chance to reflect on the dynamics of their partnership. When

was our must fight? You forgot our anniversary. We haven't really had a

rough ride. -- haven't really had a fight. When we first started sailing

together, we thought we were really similar and then you get in a boat

and you think, you get that competitiveness and you go separate

ways, so I tend to get quite fiery and Sophie gets a bit quieter, kind

of thing. What we have found works quite well is if anyone is getting

particularly grumpy, you just offer them some food. Most things are

solved by this. New for Rio, the 49er FX, it is great to see more

women. A big fan of that. I think it has been a good addition to the

line-up. I think it is a good class, it is exciting, it is the one that

people want to watch. You look at the slower boat, like the Finn, we

agree they are amazing bows to sail and race but it doesn't have the

visual impact of the 49er. People want to see both going fast, people

capsizing, falling in. The boats are quite fast, quite frightening and

quite a handful for the girls. You will see them at the moment,

swimming around a little thing and you will see them in the physio room

getting patched back-up. Are they too soft, need to toughen up? I

wouldn't say that, seeing what they lived in the gym, they are quite up,

but when you hit a wire at 20 knots, it is going to do some damage. The

laser is the ultimate one design single-handed dinghy, the world's

most popular sailing boat. Britain has an medalled in this class since

Beijing. Nick Thompson has his sights set on a medal in Rio and is

hoping to prove himself in Santander.

Nick, nearly halfway through, it has looked really challenging all week

but you are in good shape. Yes, so far the idea has been to get into

goal fleet and not make any mistakes like last year. You are at the top,

world-class, but you haven't gone to the Olympic Games. It was always

going to be closed between Paul and myself up to the last games and he

managed to pick me in the selections. I know straight away the

focus would turn to the Rio Games and that has been my goal for a

while so although it is frustrating to not go to the Olympics, I have

learned a lot from the experience campaigning to so many. Leak always

seems to me to perform under is not on and maybe sometimes in the key

events, part of the trials Championships, he doesn't always

deliver the goods. I think it will be interesting. Ben performs better

under pressure than in a relaxed competition, he always steps up and

others, I would like to think me and Paul and yourself, are the same and

there are some people who don't like the pressure and to win at the

highest level, you need to be go out at least with your normal game and

like Ben, you can raise it. Nick got off to a brilliant start, winning

the first race. He continued to sail consistently throughout the regatta

and has qualified for the medal race in second, poised for the podium

and, if the stars aligned, the top step.

In Olympic sailing, every event concludes with a medal race final,

where only the top ten boats qualified. Crews carry their points

from the previous results but the medal race counts double. This is

where the colour of the medal is decided and they are staged right

next to the shoreside grandstand, a great view but often makes for a

tricky sailing. On the day of the laser medal race, the conditions in

Santander are stronger and gusty, conditions that suit Nick. He needs

to beat the Australian Tom Burton and be within two places up the

Dutchman Nicolas Hyner to be in contention. Halfway up the first leg

and he has the Dutchman tucked away, a great start. With two legs of the

course to sail, Nick is lying in silver medal position, pushing hard

to secure that second place. But by the final mark, the Dutchman has got

past and a sailing away. Gold is heading to the Netherlands. Nick is

fighting for silver against a new rival, the Australian. Giving it

everything, Nick sticks the nose of his boat into a wave and nearly

wipes out. He loses grip on the silver and comes home to take

bronze. I felt the one last run, it was all

to play for and it didn't quite work out. It was a tricky downwind, where

we are racing is really chopped up water so it is difficult to get the

boat going well downwind and I had a nasty nosedive and threw away a few

places, which is disappointing. I know you came here wanting to win

and lay your marker down and you so nearly did. Yes, really frustrating

week. It has been challenging, a real mix-up conditions but to come

away with third is good. But it was the gold I was after, for sure.

At her first big regatta since recovering from illness, Allie Young

secures a respectable ninth place in the women's laser relay. On the day

of the women's race, Brierley is ten spots off the podium, but is still

confident about her chances. Briony shawl with a great start. Briony has

a great start, powering to the left line of the course. These are tough

conditions for RS:X sailing, it really is difficult to read.

Approaching the first weather mark, she is fighting for first place with

the Chinese and Italian sailors. Hold on here and Briony will take

bronze. Terrific performance but that is a disaster for Bryony Shaw

she misses her mark, stalls out and loses a couple of places. By my

reckoning, and officially, she is now out of the medal positions. Just

frustrating trying to find the speed and I found it today and it is all a

bit late and then just mistakes creeping in, like just missing the

windward mark when I am... I don't know, just silly amateur and the

men's 470 medal race, barring disaster, the Australians Mat

Belcher and will Ryan have the gold medal, but Luke and Elliott have an

outside chance of winning bronze. We still have a chance today, ten

points behind in fourth place, they will go out to win the race and

hopefully one or two of the other competitors will mess it up and they

will have a chance of winning a bronze medal. Here comes the men's

470 final. And there is the British pair are blue patients and Elliott

Willis. -- of Luke Patients. The British bear whether the lead pair

going reasonably well -- the British pair going reasonably well.

Great Britain doing a good job. Where is Australia? A very risky

move by Great Britain, right ahead of another boat coming up ahead of

Australia. They now go downwind on the final leg. Looks as though this

is going to be victory for Spain. Behind them, six points manoeuvring

and any one of them could get second place Spanish victory. Great Britain

cross in second place. The Australians will take the gold

medal. Luke and Elliott finished the medal race second but out of the

medals. To stand on the podium was always

going to be a long shot, there was a lot to do. It is frustrating

finishing fourth, we have had a great year and have been on the

podium a few times and no one likes coming forth but, in the same

breath, after five months of the boat together, we have to stay

philosophical and we are right at the front of the fleet, challenging

at the very top end in a short space of time together, so it stings a bit

right there but that is what the next two years are about, to get the

Olympic Games and rectify these things.

In the medal race for the new Nacra 17 class, Britain has two boats in

the final. Both Andrew Walsh and Lucy MacGregor and Pippa Wilson are

out of medal contention, so a good medal result is the target of the

start line. At the first stop mark of the Swiss league and head right.

The Argentinians are second and head left. The British boats are involved

in a collision with France. The French boat receives the judges'

penalty but paper and John are left stationary. It takes them a few

minutes to get back on track, hoist the kite and get back downwind.

Tough and exciting, challenging to sail, this is modern Olympic

sailing. The Kiwis and Argentina are locked in the silver medal

position. French confirm gold, Argentina takes over. The Kiwis just

pipped the Australians are malign but need a boat between them -- on

the line. GB couple MacGregor and Walsh and in a creditable seventh. A

lot about Scott and very good start and found the breeze on the first

beat and got away, but the rest of the pack was swapping places that

right and centre, a couple of big crashes. It was a good Nacra final

race. To keep the momentum through the week has been tough and I think

we have done a good job about and the regatta on such a high, with a 7

second first and a better race today, we have to be proud about.

And the men's RS:X windsurfing, Nick Dempsey has made it through to the

medal race. Gold has gone but he is philosophical about what lies ahead.

There isn't any pressure on me, I am in sixth place, I have a bit of a

proper behind and in front, so it is a nice attacking place to be -- a

buffer. I can sail a relatively free race. The race for the medals is a

real tussle in strong, gusting winds and a sea that is bouncing off the

harbour wall. Nick finishes fifth and fifth overall. He misses the

podium but reaches his pre-event ambition. It is disappointing,

because I enjoy winning and I do it to win, but the reality is I came

here to try and finish top five and I did, so that is good and means I

am on target and the areas I didn't perform in our very easily sorted

out, so it is, I suppose, a good end to quite a tough week.

Saskia and Hannah are in bronze medal position going into the final

day. I guess we are a bit disappointed that we are not close

to first and second, so we can really properly take the fight to

win the regatta, but just happy to be in with a shout of a medal. And

the race is under way. In light, shifting conditions, Hannah and

Saskia start clean and immediately had the right hand side of the

course. It is a gamble that pays off, the wind shifts to the right,

take some of the third of the first mark and they have the Austrians in

rage. Great Britain have moved up into second place behind the lead

Austrian pair. Hannah Mills and Saskia Clerk were in bronze medal

position before this medal race, so they will be pleased. By the next

upwind leg, they are duelling for the lead. There is very little

between them, this is a great race. Can Austria attack ahead? Great

drama, this is a key moment. The wind has shifted left, giving the

advantage to Austria. But only a length separate them for the lead.

Kerb round the mark at the top of the cause and downwind on the final

leg, Austria and Great Britain. Great Britain doing everything they

can in their power, and they between them have put in a lead over the

rest but New Zealand could be clawing them is cells way back into

the silver medal position. -- clawing themselves back. Coming down

towards the finishing line and the final manoeuvres. Gary? Australia is

in good shape. Great move by Great Britain, keep the fight going, back

into the centre, it is the only thing they can do, I like their

feistiness. It is going to be a gold medal for Austria, they are coming

up to past the line and they are the winners of the race. Second placed

the Great Britain. Overall, they will take the bronze medal but what

a terrific effort from Hannah Mills and Saskia.

I know you came here to win, but to deliver in the medal race and come

away with a podium position, you must take something from that we

definitely do. We have moved forward to the end of the week and to top it

off and claimed the bronze medal is wicked. The British pair of John and

Stewart make it into the 49er final but are out of the medals. And away

they go. Gold is already claimed by New Zealand, but behind them is a

closely contested race where positions change every few seconds.

The lead changes five times and the silver medal is decided in the

closing seconds of the race. The Austrians going through in second

place ahead of Great Britain. The British pair finished the medal race

third, giving them sixth overall. Per day, happy. Best outcome for us.

For the week, it is another story but we are happy today. In the new

women's 49er FX class, Charlotte and Sophie have made it through to the

medal race but the magical form they showed early in the regatta has

drifted, finishing seventh overall. With the like we can achieve more

than we have, we have more to give. It gives you something to go home,

work on, reflect and move forward. Giles Scott has done what he

intended in Santander. He came here and dominated the Finn fleet, making

him the man to beat. But he is not the only Brit in the medal zone. Ed

Wright has performed brilliantly and has the chance to win a bronze medal

with a good performance in the final race. Going into the medal race, he

must avoid disqualification -- Giles must avoid disqualification to win

the gold. At the first mark, he is lying comfortable in second place.

At this point, Ed Wright is in last place and firmly out of medal

contention. On the second upwind leg, Giles

drops a place but is still winning goal. Ed Wright, however, sails as

sensational legs to climb from last into fourth place, putting him in

bronze medal position. Giles still has the gold in the bag but Ed

Wright has two byte of France. Whoever crosses the line first wins

the bronze. -- has to fight off. Ed keeps the Frenchman at bay, crosses

in third and wins the bronze medal. Gold, though, is safely in the hands

of Giles Scott. It is a big milestone. I don't know, I try to

stay very realistic and the fact is my big goal is in two years' time.

But this is a very big step towards that and I am kind of looking

forward to the next couple of years. It has been a great season and I

couldn't think of a better way to round it off than with a world

title, some, really happy. One gold and three bronzes puts

Britain fourth on the medal table. What does Sparky take from that? We

came with the aim of winning for medals and to qualify the country

for the Olympics in all ten of the offence, and we have managed that,

just. I think a number of the sailors will go home a little bit

disappointed, partly because the competition continues to increase,

gets tougher and tougher every event, but also because we set such

high standards and everybody coming into the team is expecting to medal,

so when you finish fourth or fifth, you are going home disappointed. So

there will be disappointed sailors but at the end of the day, the key

goals, for medals, qualifying in all ten events for Rio, those boxes are

ticked, so as a team we have to be content with that. For ten years,

British sailing was unstoppable. Winning was expected and more often

than not, delivered. But it appears that we can no longer assume the

glory days are ours by right. Here in Santander, the fresh faces has

shown glimpses of brilliance. And with the time, Team GB has the

experience to get through this transitional period. You can't hide

from it, though, there is a lot of work to do. But with two years of

preparation ahead, the road to Rio for Team GB is still very much under

construction.