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"We had some panic on board," said Ebler who went on to explain his winning strategy. "Each time the boats came together Ian was faster. It was obvious we needed a perfect start in the last match to have any chance of winning the final. We managed to cool down, make a tactical plan and stick to it till the end."

Ebler is determined to come back next year and make it two in a row, but in the mean time, he and his team are planning a series or 'practice' regattas culminating at the European Championships in Finland, where they will defend their title.

In the Petit Final, home runners Vesna Dekleva Paoli and Jure Orel faced off with Orel coming on top, but Dekleva, who was the only female participant, was still pleased, "After getting soaked by the morning showers, we were determined to put in the final effort. Maybe we were a bit down on weight for this wind-strength, but we gave our best and are very satisfied finishing fourth overall.

"For me this event was a great experience, much needed since I compete mostly in the women's match race circuit. Having such an event at home is priceless,"

There was a grin on the face of Jure Orel as well, "I'm completely satisfied as competitor and organizer as well. We enjoyed the sailing and our result exceeded expectations for this issue of SMRC. The fight for third in petit final against Vesna was a real treat. Her match racing skills have vastly improved since last year and I wish her all the best in Perth (Australia).

"I really hope she succeeds in qualifying for the upcoming Olympic Games. As an organizer, I can only say we were lucky to have great wind conditions, umpires, race committee and wonderful competitors, so getting the whole program through was easy."

Overall Standings
1. Mads Ebler (DEN)
2. Ian Ainslie (RSA)
3. Jure Orel (SLO)
4. Vesna Dekleva (SLO)
5. Dejan Presen (SLO)
6. Nicolai Sehested (DEN)
7. Szymon Szymik (POL)
8. Peter Nicholas (AUS)