Wandsworth windsurfer Bryony Shaw says winning silver at last week’s Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta helped to compensate for missing out on a place on the podium at last month’s World Championships.

The 26-year-old was disappointed with sixth place on home soil in Weymouth, having claimed bronze at the European Championships in Israel and at last year’s Olympics in Beijing.

However, her return to Weymouth for the Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta, proved more profitable as she finished second behind Bianca Manchon after five days of racing at the London 2012 Olympic venue.

“It has been a good week and good to build my confidence again after missing out on a medal at the World Championships,” said Shaw.

“I had some good speed over the week and was able to keep a clear head and keep things simple, which was a good confidence boost.

“Sixth at the worlds was my highest result there, but I had higher expectations for myself.

“The fact that I have been close to the podium I think I was gearing myself up for a good battle but there was quite a bit that went wrong and I just have to move on from it.

“I was hoping to end the season on a high at the Sail for Gold Regatta it was a great opportunity to race at a good standard.

“You can train and try and gauge your own speed but there is nothing better than racing, especially with the level there was.”

Shaw has been playing catch up this year after taking a six month break after the Olympics but will jet off to Miami in January to make sure that doesn’t happen in 2010.

“I will be heading to Miami in January for some warm weather training and I need to focus on my speed and on kit testing, as well as some longer-term goals,” added Shaw.

“The Olympics are less than three years away and I have learnt a lot this season – the fact that I can bounce back from disappointing results shows that I am quite a gritty competitor.”