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Andrew Bridgman finished third in the Foiling Waszp UK National Championships last weekend.
He surpassed his seventh-place finish last year to claim his podium place at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy.
Competing under the banner of the Guernsey Yacht Club in a field of nearly 80, Bridgman fought back from 10th overall after the first day and eighth going into the final day to finish just one point short of second.
“It was great to end the week, and the season, on a high with a podium place at the UK nationals.
“It was a really tough week, and I had a couple of bad races on the opening day so I just had to hang on in there and in the end I had a very good final day.
“We had very windy conditions for the last set of races which meant that most of the competitors struggled but I managed to finish second, fourth, and second in the final three races which really helped push me up the leaderboard.”
The regatta, held at what will be the venue of next year’s Foiling Waszp World Championships, was the final event of the season for Bridgman who is coming back to Guernsey briefly before departing to participate in the Rickshaw Rally across India in aid of charity Cool Earth, which is working to protect endangered rainforests alongside local communities.
“I’m very happy with my progress this year, and that all the hard work and training has paid off. It’s awesome to represent Guernsey both at these UK championships and across Europe during the season.
“I’m really grateful to my sponsor TISE Private Markets for their support and without whom none of this would be possible. Ultimately it would be amazing to compete at the World Championships in the next best thing to Guernsey soil, down in Weymouth next year.
“With the boat speeds increasing by 20% with the release of a new rudder shortly, the racing is only going to get more intense and exciting, and if the rumours are true could be well suited to my style of sailing.”
Mark Oliphant, Head of Marketing and Communications at TISE, said: “We are so pleased to see Andrew finish in the top three at these UK national championships. It’s very impressive to see his resilience throughout a regatta and that he’s able to keep a high level of intensity right to the end to improve his result. It’s a great way to finish the season.”
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