The Junior Gold Cup is a great way to accelerate the learning process for Bermuda's Optimist sailors.

In fact, Youth Development Coach at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club (RBYC) Paul Doughty says the multiple benefits of such exposure can redound to the Island's good well into the future.

Reflecting in the aftermath of the ten-race junior regatta over the weekend which included nine international participants, he noted that competing against their foreign peers in such an event can give local youngsters more confidence in bigger championships.

"Maybe next year at the Worlds some of our Bermudians will be competing against some of the foreign kids who were here. Maybe Oliver (Riihiluoma) will be on the starting line with the Finnish boy who stayed at his house this time," said Doughty.

"What used to happen to Bermuda (in sailing) - and it still happens in other sports - is that our kids did not have confidence and they were overawed by countries like the USA and so on. Now they will know some of the kids with whom they will have built friendships.

"Our goal was to make Bermuda one of the best, small, sailing countries in the world at youth level and we're beginning to achieve that."

The initiative of a Junior Gold Cup will also give young sailors an opportunity to compare notes, so to speak.

"It gives them a chance to observe other juniors and see what they are doing. They begin to copy it if it's better than what they are doing.

"Sometimes you learn from your peers better than you learn from your teachers," acknowledged the sailing coach.

A third positive was that the junior programme ran alongside the showpiece of the week - the King Edward VII Gold Cup - which featured some of the world's best sailors.

"Putting them around professionals and also around very dedicated amateur sailors, they got to see sailing situations and things at a level that they would not normally see," noted Doughty, adding that he hopes the Junior Gold Cup becomes a permanent fixture on the Gold Cup calendar.

"It's great when you can bring high-quality foreign kids to sail with your own. The Optimist class is a development class and having kids - some of whom are in the top ten in the world - come and race against our sailors is fantastic. It's been a great week for these kids."

Lauding 12-year-old Riihiluoma's victory, Doughty said the performance of the Bermudians among experienced internationals was testament to the progress the Island was making in junior sailing.

RBYC Commodore Les Crane agreed the idea to invite nine juniors from the countries of skippers in the Gold Cup was a "unique thing". The incentive will be continued next year when top finishers from certain countries at the Optimist World Championships will get a similar chance to compete in the Junior Gold Cup.