Lenny DeSilva has taken advantage of a late opportunity to showcase his talents at the European Championships in Lake Garda, Italy.

The Bermudian sailor accepted an invitation to compete in the 18ft skiff class at the regatta alongside German pair Sebastian Pruter and Eike Dietrich.

“This opportunity just fell into my lap, so it was hard to say no,” DeSilva told The Royal Gazette. “I was asked about ten days ago and jumped at the opportunity.”

The 34-year-old is no stranger to the championships after previously taking part in the 49er class, but is making his first appearance in this discipline.

“This is the first time sailing this boat for me,” DeSilva said. “This is a completely different boat than the 49er.”

DeSilva, whose role on the boat is trimming the mainsail and launching and recovering the spinnaker, is forming a team with fellow crew Dietrich and helmsman Pruter for the first time.

“I know these two from sailing in the International 14 in Germany,” DeSilva said.

The trio have found the going tough in Italy thus far as they sit in sixteenth in the 23-boat fleet, with a best showing of thirteenth in the four races to date.

“We are not in it to win it as unfortunately we've only sailed for this event the first time together as a crew,” DeSilva said.

“We've been finishing in fifteenth, seventeenth, these sorts of positions out of a 23-boat fleet, so it's more like a beginning experience in this class.

“The fleet is very difficult, very skilled, and most of the guys that are at the top are coming from Australia, which is where the boats are predominantly sailed.”

German Heinrich Bayern presently tops the leaderboard by three points over second place Keegan Leslie York of Australia. In third is York’s compatriot, Fang Warren, a farther point off the lead. The championships run until Friday.