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What is your experience of the Youth Sailing Initiative and its HPMs? I have first hand experienced the Youth Sailing Initiative from two angles. Firstly personally through my younger son Paul's experiences as a top youth sailor and secondly through my role as Optimist Class Coordinator. I find the whole project very exciting and am disappointed that you should be presenting such a negative view on the whole project.

My son Paul was the 420 representative at the ISAF Youth Worlds last year and has been a member of the youth squad for several years. The standard of squad training has improved considerably with the new regime with a whole variety of extra facilities/personnel available as a resource. The scheme has meant that top-level coaching has been available to smaller groups and the standard of GBR sailing has increased in depth. Our high performance manager and Steve Joel have been a huge support to us (especially through the difficult months when Paul broke his leg in the spring) and have encouraged us all at difficult times. There have been occasions when we have disagreed with certain situations but Steve Joel in particular listened and explained why things were being done in a particular way and if he felt we were right and he was wrong, he took it on board and changed things. He may not have championship and sailing experience but as I understand it he was not employed for that.

With my Optimist Class Coordinator hat on I am delighted to say that the scheme has been a huge success so far. Yes, there were teething problems getting the zone talent squads sorted but I am confident that this year it will be even better. The success was demonstrated by the fact that the Volvo Musto Inland Optimist Championship was one of the biggest ever (280 boats). It is also interesting to note that there was a much bigger increase in the numbers of younger sailors entering the competition, which must be healthy for the future. Another noticeable fact was that sailors who had come through the zone talent squads were at the front of the fleet. The involvement of Volvo and Musto is also an exciting development. Please don't damn this programme, it is working and I am confident we will see the increase at the bottom of the pyramid grow even more and also be reflected in the other youth classes as time goes on. We have to have a strong grass roots for sailing to develop and this initiative is helping that. The scheme has also meant that the RYA has provided extra funding to get more of our top Optimist sailors travelling abroad. This will inevitably help the standard rise. I have heard moans about the HPMs but I think many of the complaints arise from a misunderstanding of exactly what they are supposed to be doing.

The role has perhaps inevitably changed as it has developed and it is not unexpected that some are leaving. The RYA might be advised to explain the scheme again to the press and those on the fringes so it can be understood clearly by everyone. I think we should give Steve Joel and the HPMs the benefit of the doubt - those that are leaving do have good reasons for doing so - stop being so negative and support this hard working group of people who are doing a lot for GBR youth sailing and consequently sailing in the future for GBR. I hope you will publish my comments. Jenny Campbell-James IOCA(UK) Class Coordinator and Youth Squad mum

From Sten Mohr
Holmberg - best match racer in the world? Definitely "Team Magnus Holmberg" is one of the world's best match racing teams. The team has developed a lot with Stefan Rahm as the tactician, but Lars Linger is probably one of the world's leading up- and downwind trimmers. However, it is hard not to look at Russell Coutts when determining the World's best match race sailor.

From S.Ejnarsson
Holmberg - best match racer in the world? Even though I´m a Swede too I would have to say no, Holmberg is not the best match racer in the world. I would say he's one of the ten best match racers. But by winning the Swedish Match Tour he did prove that he is the most even match racer in the world, and that, if anything, is a winning factor in the America's Cup!! I think Victory Challenge has a very good chance at making it to the semis. Sweden is with no doubt one of the true top sailing nations with Fredrik Loof, Hans Wallen, Karl Sunesson, Holmberg, Magnus Liljedahl, Birgmark, Gurra Krantz, Magnus Ohlsson.