The British Sailing Team returned to British soil with an impressive four medals from the popular Kiel Week sailing regatta taking two silver and two bronze.

As the return to international racing continues for the British sailors, Team GB athletes John Gimson and Anna Burnet took silver in the Nacra 17, Elliot Hanson claimed silver in the ILCA7 with Charlotte Dobson and Saskia Tidey taking 49erFX bronze. Hanson was joined on the ILCA7 (formerly Laser Standard) podium by team-mate and training partner Michael Beckett who took bronze in Germany. Current Nacra 17 world champions Gimson and Burnet have been training in mainland Europe but had their first taste of racing since taking that title in February.

For bronze medal winning 49erFX crew Tidey, who also last tasted competition in February at the Worlds in Australia, there was a lot of excitement just to be racing again.

“Back in the game,” exclaimed the 27-year-old from Portland, Dorset. “It was a last-minute decision to make the dash to race at Kiel but it was a really good opportunity to check in with some of the top international fleet after three months of sailing at home in the UK.” Helm Dobson, 34, from Rhu, Scotland, said: “It’s been a great reminder of how much we love racing and why we get up in the morning and train so hard. After a long time away from the fleet we came into the regatta with no expectations, but with perhaps a bit of apprehension as to whether the rest of the fleet might have made a leap during lockdown.

“We are pleased with third and that our key racing skills were still solid but we know we left a lot of points on the racecourse, so it provides a great line in the sand as to where we are and where our focus should be over the coming months.