Campbell Patton continued his fine form at the Laser Youth Easter Regatta in Italy yesterday.

The teenager posted a fifth and a third competing in 15-17 knot breezes and choppy seas to climb from sixth to fifth among the 107-entries in the Laser 4.7 fleet.

Patton also leads the under-16 age group by a four-point margin over nearest rival Aleksandr Moliakov of the Netherlands heading into today’s final two races of the regatta, being contested on Lake Garda.

“The conditions have been really good and I am having a great time,” the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club youth sailor said.

Patton has managed to punch well above his weight, out sailing older rivals to comfortably qualify for the Gold Fleet.

“Tomorrow [today] is the last day and I will be in the Gold Fleet, and so I will be mixing it up with the best guys in the world,” he said.

Patton’s boat handling has been spot on, especially sailing upwind on the trapezoid racecourse.

“Normally I sail in the Laser Radial in Bermuda, so I’m finding it easier upwind,” he said. “The sail and the mast is a bit smaller on the Laser 4.7, which makes it easier to keep the boat flat in heavy wind.

“I am really quick upwind, especially when the breeze comes up, and today [yesterday] it was much more breeze.”

The conditions at Lake Garda have been very much to Patton’s liking.

“The conditions here are a bit like Bermuda, and that’s also where I think I have a bit of an advantage through training off the North Shore, steering through the chop that helps upwind in the choppy waves,” said Patton.