Sailor Campbell Patton has completed the summer season in Australia by finishing eighth in the country’s national championships.

Patton, who competed for Bermuda at the Pan American Games in 2023, was in action in the Ilca 7 division against some of Australia’s top internationals and picked up a race win and six-top ten finishes in a 12-race series across six days of competition.

The string of fine performances pleased Patton, who has had a busy time in the past couple of months.

“I was really pleased with the start to 2025 and my overall finish at the National Championships,” Patton said.

“But I still think that I can do better as I was eighth despite inconsistent results. I’d have a good race then a bad race, then a good race, then a bad race. That was similar for everyone. including a lot of the top Australian racing team guys. Everyone struggled for consistency in challenging wind shifts, which meant you had to be really patient.

“I was really pleased to get a race win on the final day. I actually won the last day after finishing fourth in the other race, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to move up in the rankings and I ended up two points off seventh.

“It was good to finish off on a really positive note, In the past I have had some issues with the light air, so it was good for me mentally to have a good performance and prove to myself and my competitors that I can be right there at the top in all ranges.”

It has been a mixed Australian season for Patton, who became New South Wales state champion in November but a knee injury, sustained while racing at Sail Melbourne in November, has affected him for a couple of months.

“Last year was very up and down and I was plagued with a few injuries, which is a new frontier for me,” Patton said.

“I’ve previously been injury free but last year I had a couple of accidents and I’m suffering with a couple of injuries. At the moment they are on the mend and I’m looking forward to what 2025 will bring.”

It may be 2025 but Patton is thinking years ahead with the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 his focus.

“This is the beginning of preparations for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles,” Patton said.

“This year I really want to focus on training and getting a really good base level of technique, fitness and racing skills and not so much targeting the big events.

“In February, I’m going to a training camp in Tenerife with an expert coach and then I will do a smaller regatta, the Vilamoura Grand Prix in Portugal, but my big target for the first half of this year is the world Championships, which is in Qingdao, in China, in May.

“I’m looking to maybe doing some races in North America and possibly target the Island Games in Orkney in the summer. Another major event that I’m looking forward to is the European Championships in Sweden in August. Those are my plans and I’m really excited for this year and all the training and racing coming up.”