Aspiring talent and proven winners

Paul Brotherton reports from the first day of racing at the Rolex Miami OCR

2006 will be a pivitol year in the Olympic cycle. New teams will need to make impressions in the established order if they are to make a bid for selection and then medals in China in 2008. Looking across the classes here in Miami there are some interesting scenarios that will make tasty viewing over the coming year.

The Skandia Team GBR have arrived in strength and depth, and as has been typical of this well funded and successful team they have started with a flourish.

Hardly an aspiring talent, more a very proven one Sara Ayton has slid back a couple of spots in the boat and is now steering a Yngling. She is joined by fellow Gold medallist from Athens Sarah Webb and the highly talented and well respected Victoria Rawlinson. Having won a Gold medal, steering the 420 with sister Emma, in 2000 at the ISAF Youth Worlds, Victoria, quit sailing, and has all but completed a medical degree since then. She is currently a part time member of the team until her finals in the early summer. This is their first regatta as a team and with a 2,4,4 under their belt on a difficult day they show signs of emulating the success the two Sarahs shared with Shirley Robertson.

Although not competing here in Miami, Robertson is now back in the straps. Sailing with Annie Lush and ex RYA development 470 sailor Lucy Mcgregor, Shirley will no doubt apply herself and will bring vast experience to this project. The prospect of the two GBR Teams fighting tooth and nail for major honours is well within reason.

Nick Asher and Elliott Willis lead the 470 men and have delivered in the past. Living in the shadow of Nick Rogers and Joe Glanfield, Asher and Willis have somewhat slipped under the radar. A sixth place at last years Worlds was a great result and topped a good year having won the Princess Sophia regatta early in 2005. This year is vital for the quiet, hard working lads, they have to beat Rogers and Glanfield at a major regatta this year if the Beijing berth is going to be theirs.

Nick Dempsey, the Athens Bronze medallist, leads the coolly branded new Olympic Windsurfing Class, the RS: X Men as GBR team mate, Bryony Shaw, lead the RS: X Women. Long time coach and ex Lechner (the then Olympic board) World Champion, Barrie Edgington, has guided these two sailors to a point where in the early days of the new class they appear to be the form teams.

The rest of Miami OCR will make fascinating watching and should give an indication of where the power will lie in 2006 in Olympic Class Racing.