PORTLAND-based Stuart Bithell and racing partner Dylan Fletcher scooped European gold in the 49er class in a flurry of success on the home waters of Weymouth and Portland.

After a lack of wind halted proceedings before the medal race, Bithell and Fletcher finished second overall behind reigning Olympic champions Pete Burling and Blair Tuke, but the New Zealand team’s result does not count in the European standings.

Britain’s Ben Saxton and Nicola Boniface were crowned Nacra 17 European champions after a thrilling win in the double-points finale at the Volvo 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 European Championship held at Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy.

Bithell, 32, who won a silver medal in the 470 at London 2012 with Luke Patience, added: “It was a bit deflating that we couldn’t fight with the Kiwi lads in the medal race but at the end of the day we’re the European champions and we’re stoked about that.”

Fletcher, 31, who represented Team GB at the 2016 Rio Olympics, said: “We’re very happy with how we sailed, especially given our preparation for the event. We came here straight from competing in Sail GP in San Francisco and we were really warmed up for this regatta.”

Silver medals fell to British Nacra 17 pair John Gimson and Anna Burnet and 49er crew James Peters and Fynn Sterritt as Britain exerted its dominance on the international Olympic circuit.

The medals come just a day after Olympic champion Giles Scott won his third European Finn class title in Athens, while Henry Wetherell picked up silver in the under-23 category.

In the 49erFX fleet, Britain’s Charlotte Dobson and Saskia Tidey were in medal contention until the final two days of the regatta when they were caught out by the lighter breeze.

A fourth in the medal race saw the pair, who both went to Rio 2016 but with Tidey representing Ireland, finish as the fifth European crew and seventh overall.

The flurry of medals marks the end of an incredible week of racing in Portland Harbour and Weymouth Bay, dominated by big breeze and waves early on before light winds set in later in the regatta.

More than 400 athletes competed at one of the most significant regattas on the calendar with numerous nations counting it towards selection for Tokyo 2020.

Crucially the regatta, run by the RYA and part-funded by the National Lottery and Volvo Car UK, continues the legacy of London 2012 by delivering world-class racing and shining a spotlight on WPNSA’s excellent facilities and organisation.