Patrick Cooper saved the best for last at the International One Design World Championship in Norway yesterday.

The experienced helmsman led the 20-strong fleet across the line in the last of the eight-race series to end his campaign with a bang.

“It was rewarding to finish on a high,” Cooper told The Royal Gazette.

“We enjoyed our sailing today. The conditions were more familiar and we were better at figuring out the course, boats and sails.”

The 2024 Bermuda Invitational International Race Week champion and crew Martin Siese, Andrew Butterworth, Bill McNiven and Craig Davis rallied on the final day of the regatta to jump from thirteenth to tenth in the overall standings.

Also finishing strongly was Cooper’s compatriot, Kelsey Durham, who achieved back to back third place finishes in the final two races to climb from tenth to seventh.

Things might have panned out even better for the 30-year-old helmsman had he not been penalised for being held accountable for a collision that ultimately put paid to any hopes of an overall podium finish.

Durham collided with eventual champion Jonathan Farrar, of the United States, while rounding the windward mark in the fifth race of the eight-race series and was hit with a “disqualification not excludable”, which he was prohibited from discarding.

“If we didn’t have to carry that DNE, we would have been top three overall for sure,” said Durham, who competed with crew Nico Stefani, Heath Foggo, Roger Beach and Michael Richold.

“We had to carry 22 extra points. Wish I was looking at the bigger picture when I was going into that top mark when I had the collision.

“But we live and learn and I am happy with our outcome today and results regarding that we have to carry that DNE.”

Tom Fremont-Smith finished runner-up behind the victorious Farrar and defending champion John Burnham in third to complete a sweep of the podium by American helmsmen.