GILES Scott took Britain’s second title in two days at the Open European Champ-ionships in Helsinki.

The Portland sailor sealing gold in the Finn class with team-mate Andrew Mills winning bronze to join him on the podium.

Scott, 24, adds his gold to the 49er Europeans victory of Dylan Fletcher and Alain Sign on Wednesday.

He claimed his first European title by the narrowest of margins, toppling Croatia’s defending champion Ivan Kjlakovic Gaspic on countback, with the two sailors finishing level on points after the final 10-boat medal race on Thursday.

But it was Scott’s superior position in the medal race which split the deadlock, with the Skandia Team GBR sailor winning the finale and Kjlakovic Gaspic finishing fourth on the water.

The Croatian had a tricky six-point lead heading into the final day, but World Championship bronze medallist Scott came out fighting for the European crown in the 12 knot conditions that graced the Finnish capital for the final day of racing for the heavyweight dinghy fleet.

Scott, who admitted that things had not quite gone to plan for him at the start of the regatta, said: “I managed to get three boats between us but someone was over the line at the start, so there was a bit of a tense wait at the finish to try and find out who that was.

“I had a really shaky start to the event if I’m honest. On the first day I was in absolute agony with cramps.

“It’s been so hot, and the hotel we’re staying in hasn’t had air-con so I’d been sweating all night and was obviously lacking in salts. But I got on top of that, and from then on had a pretty good event and have been sailing consistently all week.”

Britain’s triple Olympic gold medallist Ben Ainslie beat Scott at last month’s Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta – part of the selection process for British sailors for 2012 – but Scott hopes this European title will show the RYA’s Olympic selectors that he’s still worthy of consideration for the sole Games spot in the class.

Scott added: “I’ve been in a bit of a no-man’s land since Sail for Gold, as what happens next in terms of selection is kind of in Ben’s hands really.

“All I could do was come here and get a decent result in an effort to put doubt in the minds of the Olympic Selection Committee, so hopefully winning here will have helped do that.

“After this, I’m looking forward to a bit of chill time and to doing a bit of sailing for fun. I’m doing Cowes Week in an SB3 with Nick Thompson and I am also off to Garda for the One World Championships. “That will be a bit different, sailing with an asymmetric kite. I think Nick and Tom Slingsby are going as well so it will be fun to sail against them again.”

For Andrew Mills, 25, his European bronze marks the best result of his career. He completed Thursday’s medal race in eighth place to comfortably secure the third spot on the podium, 13 points ahead of Frenchman Thomas le Breton.

n For full results visit the website openeuropeans2011.com