Pan Am Games silver medallist Sara Lane Wright has put out an SOS appeal to try to save her international sailing career.

A lack of financial support has left her on the brink of quitting the sport in which she competed for the Island at last year's Olympics in Sydney.

Wright had planned to leave for Europe this Saturday to prepare for the Europe Dinghy World Championships in Portugal and the Laser Radial Worlds in Spain.

But lack of funds has forced her to abandon that plan and only if she finds around $15,000 very soon will she be able to compete in the Worlds.

Wright is ranked third in Laser Radial sailors, men and women, in North America and her rigorous schedule of training and competing over the past two years has helped her improve drastically in the Europe Dinghys.

Her best finish came at the Princess Sophia regatta in Spain this year where she placed in the top quarter - 24th in a fleet of 106.

An emotional Wright, whose ambition is to vie for a medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, said yesterday: "Right now, I don't see a future - I think my sailing's over.

"If you want to succeed in life at anything, you have to be able to give 100 percent and that's the same in sport.

"If I can only take myself half way in training for the next Olympics, then that is not enough."

Wright was hailed as a hero when she brought home a silver medal from the Laser Radials event at the last Pan Am Games in Winnipeg, Canada, in 1999, just three years after she sailed her first regatta.

Since then she has received some financial support. Her air fares to regattas are paid for by Bermuda Olympic Association, plus some expenses.

And the likes of Colonial Insurance and Conyers, Dill and Pearman have also contributed.

Having put her career on hold to pursue her dream of Olympic success, cash of her own has been in short supply.

And it was only the amazing generosity of her then-coach Alejandro Terrones from Mexico, which allowed her to compete in the first five events of this season.

"He spent $33,000 of his own money on my campaign, in the hope that someone would come through with support," said Wright. "Since no-one did, he is now working with another country.

"What really confuses me is that someone from another country who knew the difficulties I faced wanted to help because he saw potential. But it's more difficult to find help in my country.

"In a short period of time I have improved. In my first Worlds I was third from last, in my second Worlds I was 50th out of 106 and my third Worlds? I do not know because I cannot go."

Wright has contacted many local companies in the search for sponsorship and has made presentations, sometimes with her coach, to those who have agreed to meet with her, but usually to no avail.

"The main argument I hear when I meet with companies is that I am an individual and that they are unable to support individuals," said Wright.

"What does this do for Olympic sports? The Olympics is about one athlete per sport representing their country, so is the Pan Am Games. Here in Bermuda we do not have many athletes trying to reach this goal, so why not support the few that are trying."

Wright had budgeted for a total of $35,000 in basic sailing expenses for this year. A coach costs an additional $100-200 per day and a coach boat $1,000 per event plus gas.

One source of frustration to Wright is the argument that sailing is an elitist sport.

"Some people say to me that what I am doing is glamorous," said Wright. "They think I just go off to these regattas and sit on a boat in the sun.

"I work hard. At regattas, I'm often on the water for six or seven hours and I train for four or five hours a day, two or three hours a day when I come home.

"What is happening is that these companies make it elitist by not supporting people like me. "

There are five events remaining in Wright's season, which begin in two weeks.