Helensburgh sailor Luke Patience and his 470 partner Stuart Bithell sit third in the standings after an impressive day’s racing at the Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta in Weymouth.

The pair finished second and fifth in their two races on day four, while British team-mates Nic Asher and Elliot Willis leapfrogged Australian pair Mathew Belcher and Malcolm Page to top the 470 standings.

Patience - who won a silver medal with Bithell at the World Championships last month, said: “It was a brilliant day - it was the first day the fleet had been split and to go out and have a couple of good results to put us up to third was fantastic.

“I don’t want to speak too soon but certainly we will looking to have another good day tomorrow and hopefully we will be in with a shout of a medal on Saturday.”

Meanwhile, in the Laser Radial class Charlotte Dobson grabbed a second-place finish to remain in fifth place in a field led by Finnish sailor Sari Multala.

Inverclyde’s Mark Andrews dropped to 14th in the Finn class, but a ninth-place finish in his second race ensured he remains in the running to qualify for Saturday’s medal race.