BIG breezes ensured an action-packed day on the borough’s Olympic waters with Britain’s sailors proving to be a dominant force at the Skandia Sail for Gold regatta.

Close racing in the men’s Finn dinghy fleet saw Portland’s Giles Scott overtake Olympic and world champion Ben Ainslie on the leaderboard.

The 24-year-old Scott posted one and two yesterday, which combined with his three race wins on Tuesday and a discard of Monday’s 21st place ‘shocker’, has given him a six-point lead.

The 2012 Finn UK national champion, who missed out on Team GB selection to Ainslie, is competing in his first ISAF World Cup event of the year after taking time out to focus on America’s Cup big boat sailing.

Scott, of Fortuneswell, was feeling ‘relaxed’ after two good days on the water.

He described the first race as ‘quite tricky’ and said Ainslie managed to get past him in the second with a ‘really good run’.

Scott added: “A win here would be good for my sailing profile, especially because Wey-mouth is where the Games are going to be in a couple of months’ time.

“Ben and I do a lot of training together, we get on fine but when we’re racing the gloves are off, we don’t give an inch, that’s for sure.”

Ainslie, who is suffering from a virus but determined to compete in the last big event before the Games, praised Scott’s performance.

He said: “We had two good races, I got third and first – a nice final race to end the day.

“It’s good racing with Giles, he’s sailing really well. He’s certainly got a good turn of pace upwind.

“I’m very lucky he’s my training partner and not anyone else’s.

“It’s going to be a good next three days.

“I haven’t been 100 per cent but this is really such a good opportunity to get out on the water and see how the competition is doing and learn a little more about the venue, it’s worth doing.

“Hopefully I’ll start feeling better towards the end of the week.”

“Portland’s Team GB-selected sailors Luke Patience and Stuart Bithell are third overall in the men’s 470 fleet and ‘loving the racing’.

Patience, 25, added: “Racing is very much more enjoyable than training, we’re mad for it.”

Poole’s Match Race girls Lucy and Kate Macgregor and Annie Lush won their first round-robin event and have begun another round-robin in the gold group, which will decide the teams for the quarter-finals.”

Lush admitted that Tuesday’s torrential rain made her team so cold they dashed up Wey-mouth Harbour between races to get coffees from a chip shop.

Sherborne’s Andrew Simpson and helm Iain Percy are leading the Star keelboat fleet after achieving two and one in yesterday’s races.

Olympic windsurfer Nick Dempsey is second overall, while Weymouth Laser Olympic champion Paul Goodison has progressed to sixth place.

Both Portland’s Sonar team John Robertson, Hannah Stodel and Steve Thomas and the Skud-18 duo of Alex Rickham and Niki Birrell are leading the charge in their Paralympic classes.

Portland’s 2.4mR sailor Helena Lucas is currently second overall.

Sail for Gold is scheduled to finish on Friday for the Paralympic classes and Saturday for the Olympic classes with double-point medal races and a public Spectator Day.

n Hong Kong windsurfer Hei Man ‘Hayley’ Chan is recovering in hospital with suspected broken ribs after a pre-regatta collision with a 49er Skiff on Saturday.

Skandia Team GBR windsurfer Izzy Hamil-ton witnessed the collision and dived in the water to help Hayley. Hamilton, 19, said: “Everyone really hopes she’s ok.”

* Track the races online at skandiasailforgoldregatta.co.uk, listen to the event radio on 87.7FM and follow @WeyOlympics2012 on Twitter.