Despite having to use a borrowed boat and have an unfamiliar face as a crew member, West Mersea sailor Hannah Stodel put her Paralympic Games disappointment behind her at her first competitive outings of the year.

Stodel was part of the three-person Sonar crew that sailed to victory in the Miami Olympic Classes Regatta and the 23-year-old said it was nice to be able to move on from a disappointing experience in China last year.

Having headed into the Games as one of the hot favourites for a gold medal, Stodel, together with skipper John Robertson and Stephen Thomas, finished sixth.

However, as her 2009 season got under way, Stodel was able to bounce back in style with a double success in America.

After winning a warm-up event in Key Biscayne, Florida, by winning every race, Stodel followed that up with an outstanding series of top three results to win gold in the Miami Olympic Classes Regatta by nine points, beating the reigning world champions from the USA in their home waters in the process.

And to make the win more impressive, it was achieved in a borrowed boat and with Norwegian Aleksander Wang-Hansen coming in to replace Thomas in the crew, because the Welshman was recovering from an operation on his back.

Stodel said: “From start to finish nothing went right in China, but it was certainly nice to get back on form and to win so early in the year, especially after what happened in Beijing.

“It was nice to be back in the boat as we hadn’t been in a Sonar since the Paralympics.

“I think everyone just wanted a break from it after the Games, but it was good to get going again and get the win, especially in a borrowed boat.”