Nick Dempsey admitted to ending the ISAF Sailing World Championships on a relative high – and has vowed to be back among the globe's finest with a vengeance in March.

The 31-year-old from Norwich didn't hold back in expressing his feelings as the men's RS:X got under way on Monday – slamming almost everything he came across in Western Australia.

Finishes of 16th, 13th and 15th from the opening five races meant reaching the top ten medal race would be a hard task and, despite a fourth in his final outing, he ended 13th overall.

A late arrival in Fremantle didn't help Dempsey's cause but he is certain that won't be the case in March with the next World Championships scheduled for then in Spain.

And, with the London 2012 Olympics following four months later, Dempsey insists that is the time to be hitting your peak – a statement he is determined to follow through on.

'It is always the way – it all starts coming together at the end. It is a good sign though and I am sure if the worlds were starting now I would be in a different position,' said Dempsey.

'But that is the price you pay when you come out late to a World Championships but the result wasn't important. Lots of lessons have been learnt and we move forward from here.

'Your ego might take a battering sailing around in the middle of the fleet like I have done but it is not a problem. I know I can sail well in Weymouth and that is the main thing.

'I will focus heavily on the next worlds, I want to do well there, and that was one of the reasons for easing back in the build up to this one – so I can hit that one hard.

'By March time you want to be on the pace so you are just touching your way through the summer and then really working on the venue stuff.'

Up until his final two races, Dempsey was in the rarest of situations – overshadowed by fellow Skandia Team GBR sailor Elliot Carney, who finished no lower than eighth in the first five races.

Dempsey eventually finished one place and just one point higher than Carney and has warned him to fear a backlash after very nearly upsetting Britain's representative for London 2012.

'Elliot has done fantastic. He has taken an absolute hammering day in, day out off me and I don't know how he does it,' he added.

'I need training partners as fast as possible and I want Elliot to believe he can beat me, to want to beat me. He isn't going to though as I am going to smash him over the next few months.'

n Investment specialist Skandia is the principal sponsor of the British sailing team. For more information go to www.skandiateamgbr.com