Campbell Patton marked his return from minor injury suffered in a bike crash with a solid display at the Laser North American Championships that concluded in San Francisco yesterday.

The promising sailor rallied on the final two days of the regatta to finish ninth among the 24-strong Laser Standard class.

Patton trailed Benn Smith, the only other Bermudian competing in the class, midway through the ten-race series.

However, he managed to leapfrog his compatriot for good after posting a 7-8-8 record during Saturday’s penultimate day of the regatta.

Smith endured mixed fortunes yesterday as he was penalised with a 25th place result for crossing the start line early in the penultimate race of the series before bouncing back with a 13th place showing in the final race to finish three spots behind Patton in 12th respectively.

There was much at stake for Patton and Smith who are competing against each other in a three-event qualifier for the right to represent Bermuda in the Laser class at the inaugural Junior Pan American Games to be held in Cali, Colombia, from September 9 to 19.

Leo Boucher, of the United States, won the Laser Standard title with compatriots Ford McCann and Conner Nelson rounding off the podium in second and third.

Meanwhile, also representing Bermuda in San Francisco was Nicole Stovell who impressed on her debut at the championships competing in the Laser Radial class.

The 16-year-old qualified for the Gold fleet en route to finishing 33rd in a fleet of 75, which exceeded her expectations.

“This being my first big regatta, I had quite low expectations,” Stovell said. “I just tried my best each day, and that was more than enough.”

Charlotte Rose, of the United States, topped the Laser Radial fleet with compatriots Robbie Meek and Guthrie Braun taking second and third.

The Laser North American Championships featured 125 sailors from eight countries and was hosted by the St Francis Yacht Club.

The event, which was also comprised of the Laser 4.7 class won by Cayman Island’s Matheo Capasso, was delayed a year because of the global Covid-19 pandemic.