BRITAIN’S best sailors battled against gale force winds at the second National Ranking series event in Weymouth and Portland.

Stage two of the 2013 RYA Autumn Olympic Classes National Ranking Series felt the full force of the storm last weekend at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy (WPNSA).

Racing got underway on Sat-urday across the six Olympic classes in a strong 20-25 knots of breeze with gusts of up to 30 knots across Weymouth Bay and Portland Harbour.

All classes managed to complete two races apart from the RS:X windsurfers who only managed the one.

All racing on Sunday was cancelled by race officials on safety grounds due to the extreme weather conditions across the south coast with gusts of up to 60 knots battering the 2012 Olympic sailing venue.

In the heavyweight Finn class, Portland’s Giles Scott revelled in the blustery conditions clinching two races wins to take his second back-to-back National Ranker win.

The 2013 49er European champions Dylan Fletcher and Alain Sign also continued their momentum from the opening event of the series taking both race wins in the 11-strong 49er fleet.

In the 49erFX event, Weymouth’s Charlotte Dobson and Sophie Ainsworth clinched a race win ahead of Frances Peters and Nicola Groves in the opening race of the regatta before both boats suffered a DNF – did not finish – in race two, therefore giving the weekend victory to Dobson and Ainsworth.

Weymouth’s Olympian Nick Dempsey made the most of the single race in the RS:X event to take weekend honours.

In the Nacra 17 catamaran class, Pippa Wilson, who sailed to Olympic glory with Weymouth’s Sarah Ayton in the Yngling class, and crew-mate John Gimson, clinched their first National Ranker win.

The pair finished one point ahead of Poole’s Lucy Macgregor and Elliot Willis in second.

The third and final event of the series will be held on November 16-17.