The 31-year-old windsurfer is at the Games venue this week – the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy – looking to retain his title.
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NICK Dempsey is more than happy to take the rough with the smooth at the Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta with London 2012 looming on the horizon.
The 31-year-old windsurfer is at the Games venue this week – the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy – looking to retain his title from last year.
And he certainly is well placed to do so after day three, sitting second overall and heading into today’s action with a victory in his last race.
Sitting atop the RS:X men’s standings is Julien Bontemps, the Frenchman fresh from claiming the world title in March in Cadiz, where Dempsey was forced to settle for silver.
But while Dempsey is keen to reverse that result from Spain at Sail for Gold this week, he is just as happy to experience all that Weymouth can throw at him ahead of his return for the Games in two month’s time.
“The regatta has been okay so far,” he said. “It’s often tough at the beginning of the week as all you really want to do is stay in the game and not really make any big mistakes and I had managed to do that until the first race yesterday where I finished 13th.
“It has not been too bad, I think a few other people have got some big numbers, so it has been good and we have a good forecast for the rest of the week so I’m looking forward to it.
“But it is fantastic to experience all the different conditions because we had light winds on Monday, we had the south-easterly direction wind after that and here we were out in the bay so it is kind of mixing it up and throwing everything at us and a perfect test for the Games.
“I learn something everyday. The first race here I thought the wind was going to be slightly different to how it was and it can easily catch you out so you never know at all.
“It is so much about learning this event, and putting everything into practice. It constantly throws everything at you.”
Investment specialist Skandia is the principal sponsor of the British sailing team. For more information go to www.skandiateamgbr.com.
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