Helensburgh's LUKE Patience and team mate Stuart Bithell are intent on showing just why they were handed the sole 470 men's host nation spot at London 2012 by ending this week's Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta clutching silverware. The duo, have endured a Jekyll and Hyde start to their time at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, the same venue as the Games themselves, with finishes of first, second and third being brought down by an eleventh on day one.

This leaves the 25-year-olds as the leading British boat after four races, sitting sixth overall with compatriots Nic Asher and Elliot Willis hot on their heels just one place behind.

Aberdeen-born Patience admits it has been a mixed start, but is adamant the only way is up from here on out.

He said: "It was a pretty difficult first day with the weather, the forecast wasn't great with the winds due to swing almost 180 degrees and it started to do that.� We won the first race so that's fine. You can't win the regatta on the first day but you can lose it, so we are happy to have got a bullet under our belts, but there is a long way to go; it's a marathon.

I think that any race we do is important. You always want to win and you want to learn so by that logic any race in any regatta is important, but it's not the Olympics yet.

But we would love to come away from this week having had a good series under our belt and hopefully that means standing on the podium with a medal."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ak_Cfni9vU Investment specialist Skandia is the principal sponsor of the British sailing team. For more information go to www.skandiateamgbr.com