³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

It's not the Olympics yet, of course, so there's not the same level of intensity from any of the competitors. Beijing Laser gold medallist , for instance, admits he is still in party mode after winning the recent world championships.

Britain's Olympic sailing manager Stephen Park is certainly not getting too carried away with the results.

"We've had a very good year in terms of results at world championship level so it's not that crucial for us this week," he told me. "But it is nice to be there or thereabouts because the sailors want to get a bit of a psychological advantage over their opponents by not letting them beat them on Olympic waters."

, who won the Star class with crew Andrew Simpson in Weymouth, reckons building up a reputation as a winner is the way forward.

"Ben Ainslie has done that very well over the last few Olympic cycles," Percy told me.

"He hasn't come to events when he's not ready, so that he keeps that aura. That is important.

"So we're going to be focused about the events we do. We can't just go for a bit of a leg stretch and give the others any confidence."

Britain did not have it all her own way, however. Australia and the Netherlands also scored two golds each to lay down markers of their own. Team GB dominated sailing with four medals in , and you can bet the Aussies, among others, would love nothing more than to knock us off our perch in our own backyard in 2012.

"Mate, I love it here," said Australian Laser gold medallist . "In skiing you need snow, in surfing you need waves and in sailing you need wind and this place has got plenty of it, so I think it's perfect and I think the Olympics will be great here.

"It's one of those venues we're really lucky to have, with plenty of breeze to showcase our event. I can't wait for 2012."

It doesn't always blow of course, as Slingsby found out about 10 minutes after talking to me when the first medal race at Sail for Gold was postponed because of a complete lack of puff. But the fresh north easterlies that blew for most of the week aren't typical either.

The facilities at the and the organisation of the first event at a 2012 site also received the green light, though things will be learnt, tweaks will be made and the site will receive full "Olympification" in time for the Games.

"It has been a real success," said Percy. "There were certainly some nervous people on the organising front as much on the sailing front but that will all iron out. That's why we're doing it now with three years to go, so no complaints at all and I think that goes for all the people who travelled here."

Percy is nailed on for a spot in the British team for 2012, but for plenty of other home sailors the Games are still a distant dream.

In several classes, such as the 49er, Finn and men's 470, the strength in depth is impressive with a host of new crews.

For example, four British boats made the top 11 in the Finn world championships (again, without Ainslie, who is on America's Cup duty), while there were five British 49ers in the top 11 at their worlds.

Competition is usually a spur but having so much talent can have its downsides.

"I suppose the only issue is making sure we don't have too many sailors in the programme and spreading resources too thinly, and that we have talent in all events across the programme not just in one or two," said Park.

Despite the strength in depth, Olympic rules mean one boat per country per class, and Park has set a target of four medals in 2012.

It sounds cautious when set against the six from Beijing (four gold, one silver, one bronze), five from Athens (two gold, one silver, two bronze) and five from Sydney (three gold, two silver).

Maybe it's a tempering of growing home expectation on Park's part.

"All the teams are getting increasingly competitive and with the level of professionalism across all the nations it gets harder and harder," he said.

"To deliver four medals we think we need a realistic chance in nine or 10 events. If they're in the medal zone, hopefully can deliver gold and silver rather than bronze, although we'll take them, too. But I'd be disappointed if there wasn't a gold in there somewhere."

But all that's three years away and much can change, though watching the scrap unfold for places will be fascinating.

In the meantime, the hype machine will crank into gear, though in Weymouth the sight of kids running up to ask for autographs from the likes of Ainslie, Percy and Goodison suggests it's already warming up.

"Sailing is usually a quiet sport," said Weymouth 470 gold medallist Elliott Willis. "We go out and do our thing and come back, but it has surprised us. There does seem to be a sense of growing support out there."

Just you wait.