Video interview with Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson

Silver for Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson (left) at the Weymouth and Portland International Regatta © Richard Langdon / Skandia Team GBR

Sailor Andrew Simpson found himself battling Lady Luck as well as a world-class fleet at last week’s Weymouth and Portland International Regatta – but insists all the signs point to a successful London 2012 after battling his way to silver.

The 34-year-old couldn’t have asked for a worse start to his London 2012 test event alongside Star partner Iain Percy, as the pair found themselves way off the pace and with a broken boat after just the second day.

But the duo rallied to finish the fleet races with six consecutive top-five finishes before storming to victory in the medal race, propelling them from fourth to second at the death.

And after leaving his medal surge late on Olympic waters, Simpson was left to think what might have been if fortune were on his side.

“Winning the medal race fairly comfortably was a pleasing way to finish and it is great to end a tough regatta with a silver medal,” he said.

“The aim was to win like it always is in these big events but it never really looked like it was going to go to plan from the very beginning as we dropped the rig and broke it and the poor boat fell apart as she is a bit old now.

“So we had to fight really hard to get ourselves back into it and it was a real achievement really to not just do that but to end up finishing second.

“Without our broken rig it would have been quite a close regatta for top spot and we think we could have given the shot at gold a bit of a better show.

“But to fight back shows great character and we can take a lot of confidence from the recovery and us working together as a team and it proves we always pull it out when it counts.”

Simpson and Percy could only watch as Brazilian duo Robert Scheidt and Bruno Prada stormed to gold before the medal race had even begun – their second victory at the Olympic venue after June’s Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta success.

And Simpson believes it will be their South American rivals that pose the biggest threat as he looks to hold on to his Beijing 2008 crown.

“The Brazilians are a good team and they have had a lot of success in Weymouth and clearly like it here,” he added.

“They finished second behind us in Beijing and I think that if you beat them at the Olympics then you will win gold – I am 100 per cent confident of that.

“So we will push hard over the next 12 months to get the job done because we aren’t going to give up our Olympic title without a fight.”

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