"THESE kids are the future Peter Brombys of Bermuda."

So said sailing coach Paul Doughty of the youngsters who left this week to race in the South American Optimist Championships being staged in Ecuador.

"If you do well in the Optimist class and stay in sailing there is a chance you could be on the path to becoming a world-class Olympic sailor," added the sailing coach.

And Bermuda will be able to see first hand the island's finest Optimist sailors in action in a huge fleet when Bermuda hosts the North American Championships in July.

"It is going to be a big event - it will be twice the size of the North American Championships which we held in Bermuda in 1998. The International Olympic Committee has designated that the Optimist should be the developmental boat for Olympic sailors. And all the championships are getting bigger now. The World Championships now on average have over 220 competitors from 45-50 countries. In 2000 when Spain held the Worlds there were 57 countries and 204 competitors," said Doughty adding that previously sailing in a very large fleet was the one thing Bermuda sailors were not used to. "That is changing," he said. "Many of the kids have sailed in large fleets. When you are on the start line with 80 boats it can be a real learning curve. We have sent full teams to the Worlds since 1998 which is when the class was resurrected. These kids now have been in big fleets and are battlehardened."

And while for many years sailing was viewed as an elitist white sport, that is rapidly changing said Doughty.

"Sailing is a growth sport in Bermuda. We are reaching out. Sailing is available to any kid who wants to learn in Bermuda. We will find a way for them to afford to sail. It is beginning to show. We have kids who come from broken backgrounds or whose family is struggling financially. As a sport it is a great life-skills teacher. There is a very real intent to redress the wrongs of segregation and the history of sailing in Bermuda - everyone should be proud of their maritime heritage. You can take a kid from anywhere and if they have the will and want to learn they can be very good sailors.

"The class is growing a lot. We have 63 registered year-round sailors. The class itself, the Bermuda Optimist Dinghy Association, does the dog's work. The clubs facilitate us as does the Bermuda Sailing Association. Now we are looking forward to developing other youth classes for the older groups."

With regards to producing sailors of the calibre of Peter Bromby, Doughty said: "Peter's development was different - he started in Sunfishes. But hopefully these kids will have his character. And you need that to get to the top."

The North American Championships, which will be held from July 20-27, will encompass all of the Americas. "We expect to have 180 competitors maximum of which Bermuda can put in 30."

And the top country in the world is Argentina who are the current team and individual champions. Of Bermuda, Doughty said: "The top tier of our team is very good. Whether we can fill those 30 spots remains to be seen. We have the sailors but this is a developmental class. We do not want to destroy someone's confidence by putting them in a race which they may not be ready for."

So come July the local organisers will be having two classes at the North Americans. "In addition to the main fleet we will have an Open regatta for beginners."

Dought said that generally kids are accepted into Optimist programmes from eight-years-old - providing that they have good swimming and eye-hand coordination skills.

"There are kids who are eight and nine years old and who want to race - they are very competitive. They go from Beginner class to Intermediate and then Advanced.

"And an Advanced sailor in the Optimist class can sail a boat in 25 knots of wind. The technical skills of an Advanced sailor is quite amazing and when they come out of the Optimist class they really accelerate into the larger classes. We have seen that with people like Alex Kirkland (who is in Lasers) and Ben Wicks.

"My younger son James and Gareth Williams (both 15-years-old) are sailing now in the 29ers which are open-hull, high performance skiffs. They will be racing at the World Championships in Canada this summer. It is amazing how quickly they adjust and adapt from the Optimist - the tactical skills are already there.

"The top Optimist sailor in Bermuda is Jessie Kirkland (nicknamed the Iceman) who came 13th at World Championships last year. Then there is Jonathan Kempe who has been in three Worlds team. Rajae Woods is also a very good sailor although he will probably have to graduate out of the class because of his size - he is a big kid.

"Also there are the younger ones like Elijah Simmons who was champion at the US Nationals in the Under 11 Division last year and Sean Bouchard. They are very good sailors." Simmons mother Lauren said:"This a great programme for him. He is really energetic." The youngster will have plenty of time to put that energy to use as he and six other sailors set off to Ecuador for the South American Championships on Wednesday. Mother Lauren said:"The expences for this trip are not insignificant - about $3,000 with the coaching etc. But we were lucky to receive sponsorship from Caffee Latte, East End Florist, Pied Piper Pest Control, L.B. and Scott Tucker of Tucker Association as well as other people."

At the North American Championships there will be an Individual champion crowned as well as a Country champion (the top four sailors from each country) and then there will be team racing for one day on July 24. "While the championships will be held in the Great Sound, the one-day team racing will be held in Hamilton Harbour so it will be great for spectators - it will involve 16 teams from Brazil, Argentina, the US, Canada, Bermuda etc. The week's championship will involve 12 races and you can drop two races. We think our sailors are very much in running to do well and Jessie has a very good chance to be North American champion," said Doughty.

If there are 180 boats, they will be divided into four divisions. "So you will see 90 boats at the start line which is about as much as you could want at a start. That's a big fleet. Needless to say we are expected general recalls!"

The kids will be staying in hotels primarily the Hamilton Princess because this is a country event said Doughty. "We will bringing in 130 boats for charter. Many of our local kids have their own boats now and those that do not will be provided with boats through their club programmes."

And Doughty, who is also the event chairman, said they are planning a "great Opening Ceremony". He added: "We will be having a march down Front Street with each team carrying their flag. There will be bagpipes and everything."

To get ready for the North American, South American and World Championships, Bermuda's sailors have been training year-round. "We do a variety of things. It could be anything from a set of exercises in the boat, practising 720s or 360s, mark roundings or starts. We also do some straight line speed testing - all sorts of drills. We practise recovery drills from mistakes because in big fleets it is inevitable that you will make a mistake - there are a lot of traffic jams. And every two to three months we hold a major clinic. The next one will feature 15 local kids and 14 kids from the US ."

Helping to coach with Doughty are Carolla Cooper and Malcolm Kirkland while Bermuda's international coach is Pablo Weber from Argentina.

Helen Baralt is president of the BODA while the youth development officers are Doughty and Malcolm Kirkland. "Then there are the people on the committee and many others who are involved with getting ready for the North American Championships," said Doughty adding, "I really enjoy coaching these kids - it is an honour."