Prior to the start of the 2012 J80 World Championship Team Baltic Crew had been busy preparing.

This included crew weigh-in, sail measurement and boat scrutiny to ensure that we and the boat conformed to the class rules.

Day one: race one

Racing was due to start at 10am, but has been postponed until 2pm due to a lack of wind. The forecast was for between five and one knots of wind, which was due to decrease as the day went on.

Despite the lack of wind, there was some sunshine as we sat ashore waiting for the signal to go out to the racing area.

Once we got on to the water, the sun disappeared and the rain set in. Like all good sailors, we lashed the tiller and sought shelter from the rain down below until racing got under way – keeping an eye out for nearby boats of course!

Racing finally got under way in the afternoon. Conditions were very light, meaning that it took over an hour to reach the first windward mark.

Despite the difficult, light conditions, we worked hard and were pleased with our boat speed compared with the boats around us. However, with the likes of a 60 degree wind shift half way towards the first mark and an ever-decreasing wind speed, like many other competitors, we failed to finish within the race time limit and collected an unfortunate 59 points. In a regatta where the boat with minimum points wins, this was definitely not a good start to the championship.

With three races scheduled for the day, but without enough wind to sail them, racing had to be postponed until the next day.

Day two:

races two-five

The second day of racing got under way in approximately 8-10 knots of wind and difficult choppy sea, which is typical of Start Bay.

In the first race of the day, race two of the championship, we started towards the pin end of the start line, and headed left up the first beat to the first mark.

Rounding in fourth place, we headed downwind towards the second mark, in the company of fellow British team 'Spitfire'.

Working hard downwind under spinnaker, we overtook 'Spitfire' to take third place and rounded the mark and headed back upwind.

By the time we reached the final windward mark 'Spitfire', who had taken a slightly different route upwind, rounded just ahead of us.

However, with superior downwind speed we overtook 'Spitfire' to secure second place to race winners 'EJP 10', from France.

Immediately after the race, a member of the on-water jury boarded 'Team Baltic' to do a spot check of the boat and on-board equipment.

Despite knowing that we had already passed the scrutinising on shore, this was a nervous few minutes – thankfully, we passed.

With conditions strengthening slightly, but remaining fairly light and difficult throughout the day, races three, four and five were challenging.

Due to the large number of boats on the start line, the race officer put 'black flag' starts in place for the rest of the day.

This meant that any boat over the start line before the starting gun is fired would be disqualified from that race and would collect the maximum amount of 77 points.

To ensure we didn't receive any black flags, our tactician took a conservative approach to starting which meant that while perhaps we didn't get the very best starts, we minimised the risk of being black flagged, which could have potentially ruined our series.

In races three, four and five, we came 40th, 24th and 29th respectively. While not as consistent as perhaps Team Baltic has been in the past, considering the tough, light and choppy conditions and the high calibre of the teams competing in the event, these results were respectable.

Day 3: races six-nine

The very light conditions of the first two days' racing were behind us. The wind had been strengthening overnight and was expected to increase significantly throughout the day.

Race six got going in around 8-10 knots of wind. The sea state was very choppy, making it difficult to keep consistent speed, but luckily we dealt with the conditions well and stayed within the top quarter of the fleet for the whole race, finishing 23rd.

Races seven and eight got under way as the conditions became stronger, in around 15-20 knots of wind. The waves had increased too and, as with the previous day, the black flag was used for starting.

During one of the races around 13 boats were black flagged, and the entire fleet was recalled to start again.

Many of our closest competition, including Boats.com, who beat us to first place at Cowes Week last year, had by this point received a number of black flags which severely reduced their chances of a good overall position in the regatta.

However, Team Baltic avoided the black flag starts and finished 18th and 31st in races seven and eight.

For the start of race nine the conditions made it difficult for the committee boat to stay on station.

However, the team from the Royal Dart Yacht Club, including ex-J80 sailor Katy Round-Smith and local sailor Sarah Douglas, laid the course markers and race nine began in over 20 knots of wind with waves increasing.

Keen to put in a good final race of the day, and with the right hand side of the course paying more and more throughout the day, we took an ambitious starting strategy of sailing on port down the line behind the fleet towards the committee boat in an effort to get to the right hand side of the course early on.

This strategy paid off, and as we started to approach the first mark we crossed the majority of the fleet. We sailed well throughout the remainder of the race and came in eighth place.

After various protests from a number of teams were heard in the evening, we were sitting 20th overall.

The final day –

no races

There were two races scheduled for the final day. The sun was shining, unlike previous days, but unfortunately we weren't allowed to leave the marina until the race officer had inspected the blustery conditions.

Crews waited anxiously at the Coronation Park Race Village for news. The announcement finally came at around 9.30am that racing would be abandoned due to 12 foot waves and a steady 33 knots of wind.

This was a disappointing outcome, especially since we have traditionally been very good in strong conditions, including finishing fourth in the windy UK National Championships held in Dartmouth last year.

However, this meant that we would hold on to our 20th place overall, out of 77 competitors.

Considering that this year's World Championship fleet included five previous J80 world champions and Olympic-class sailors, as an under-25 youth team from Dartmouth we were incredibly pleased with this result.

That evening we attended the closing ceremony at the Britannia Royal Naval College which provided a spectacular setting for the prize giving dinner.

The highlight of the event has to be finishing in second place in race two. This is a good achievement and certainly my best individual result from all three J80 World Championships I have now sailed in.

This top-two position was only achieved by one other British Team, 'J2X' in the first race of the event.

Team Baltic would like to thank all of you that have supported us since our first race in 2009, including the Dartmouth Canvas Factory for providing us with a new spinnaker launching bag and guard wire cushions for the event, and of course all of the volunteers that made the championship in our hometown of Dartmouth a possibility.

Of course, none of this would have been possible without the support of Steve Mittler, director of Baltic Wharf Boatyard, Totnes, who we would like to thank for his encouragement and help over the last four years.

Team Baltic is an under-25 youth sailing team based on the river Dart and sponsored by Baltic Wharf Boatyard.

Team Baltic will be competing in a number of other events throughout the year, including the Port of Dartmouth Royal Regatta at the end of the summer.