Young sailors deserve more support after GSSE success

What a happy sailing week it was... a week never to be forgotten by all sea sports lovers.

I, for one, shall cherish every single moment of those heart-breaking GSSE races in which our lads made us all proud.

Mario Aquilina, a fine sailor with a great heart, won gold in a most forceful way. He had four wins out of eight races but in the end of it he had to fight tooth and nail to clinch a title that no other sailor deserved.

No wonder we all wept with joy... it was so emotional.

Right after crossing the finishing line, all aboard the accompanying boats, which had offered tremendous support throughout the whole GSSE week, exploded with joy especially when Aquilina gave that loving hug to his Spanish coach Gerome Mainemare. I have never seen a foreign coach so much appreciated.

I, for one, shall never forget that last reach in which Aquilina excelled by making the last formidable effort to position himself third - the winning place. He showed terrific promise with that last killer jibe to round the last mark good enough to grab the winning title. Gold for a golden lad.

Silver for Peter Valentino. He is definitely shaping to be a big star of the future.

Few know, particularly among the non-sailing public, that had that cruel grigale wave not toppled Valentino when he was leading in the early races, he would have also been a golden boy.

Valentino is being raised in a keen sailing family and his talents are more than moderate. He has style, is level-headed and, above all, is assiduous in what he has to learn.

Optimists Class... well well well. Here, we have the cream of our future.

Just point to me any coach who can guide all his entire team, all six of them, to top the whole fleet in this class in which six countries fought it out like men even though these sailors were of tender age - one of them fearless Sean Borg, at 10 the youngest athlete in the whole GSSE 2003.

How proud coach Jean Paul Fleri Soler was when, at the end of it all, he led Benji Borg to gold, Matthew Fleri Soler to bronze, and youngsters Karl Cremona, Sean Borg, Simon Psaila and Christof Podesta to fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh placings respectively out of 15 competitors.

Isn't this an exceptional feat which few, if ever, can claim. Our two professional coaches, together with our young sailors, possess exceptional qualities and look at only one thing, their one and only goal....the top.

This GSSE experience would make them formidable again, if only our sport authorities would take note to sustain this success and be part of a plan to ensure that these lads deserve to be given full support.

Yes, financially... that's all they need - the rest leave it in the safe hands of our professionals.