The preparations that made Sydney special

The medal winning GB sailing team

Three gold medals. Two silver medals. What was so special about our Sydney sailing athletes. BBC Sport's sailing commentator Richard Simmonds reflects on the success story from Sydney.

Woollahra Sailing Club was out in force to see the medal ceremony outside the Opera House on Saturday night. Members of this unassuming club on the banks of Sydney Harbour had a far better idea than the hoards of press searching for a reason why this sport has delivered five Olympic Medals for Great Britain, three of them gold.

British Team Manager John Derbyshire first visited Woollahra in 1997 as he knew that his players would need a base camp in the build up to the Games.

Since 1997 Derbyshire and the Olympic squad have spent many months based at the club and have established their own nest, a team house, just a short stroll down the road. He knew that, like in Formula One, each race track needs to be raced around relentlessly before it is understood.

He also knew that Sydney Harbour and the area of water just outside was difficult, more so than the race tracks for any previous Olympic sailing event.

Community

The three gold medallists: Ainslie, Robertson and Percy

He recognised the relevance to creating a community. At Woollahra the members have adopted this bunch with relish, and a belief that the passion they displayed could just deliver something a bit special.

The relationship was two way, Ben Ainslie said that the place felt like home from home and was "just perfect" for his Olympic build up

Of course the base camp philosophy was just one ingredient in the winning recipe but many of the others were formulaic. Competing in international events, doing well in them, formed a big slice of the programme.

After all, that is what top athletes do, race around the world to race each other. The lottery funding helped as well, enabling more coaches to be on board and taking pressure off the sailing athletes.

I have spent the Olympic Games in a commentary position and watched - I have seen a group of athletes on a mission that has not been clouded by ego, knocked off course by the odd bad race or smothered by politics.

In the last two weeks the game was raised and when they started winning they popped out of the back pages and landed on the front.

Eating breakfast with them a couple of days ago I asked how they were coming to terms with their new profile. " What new profile?" said Ben Ainslie.

Entertainment

Shirley Robertson: Confounded expectations

Ainslie's fight for gold in the Laser with Robert Scheidt was bare fist fighting. Gripping entertainment. Ainslie needed this medal and it showed. He has now proved his point and will graduate to something bigger, perhaps at the helm of a British America's Cup Challenge.

If he did do that Iain Percy could be on the boat with him. Winning the Finn gold Percy said he felt under real pressure as the Games progressed. He never looked like he was. This was the one gold that looked solid before the action started.

Retrospective medal form guides and predictions are now being banded around the Olympic sailing venue. It is amazing how many people you meet who knew how well Britain were going to do!

I did not think that Shirley Robertson would get gold in the Europe. She did and even when she had put herself under huge pressure for the final race she did not self destruct.

She says that she has matured a lot since Atlanta when she finished fourth. This week she was really looking forward to her boyfriend arriving on Friday, and the possibility of a medal. She seemed to have things in perspective.

Consistency

Great Britain's silver medals were surprising for different reasons. In the 49er Ian Barker and Simon Hiscocks sailed their best performance ever. In a fleet where at least 10 teams had the ability to get a medal, the British had consistency whatever the pressure.

In the apprenticeship period normally required to win a medal in the Star Keelboat you could qualify at law school. So Ian Walker and Mark Covell have broken the rules.

Starting serious campaigning a little over a year ago they have taken on this bizarre boat and won, leaving in their wake World Champions and Olympic medallists, including the reigning champions from Brazil.

In the Soling Class Andy Beadsworth, Barry Parkin and Richard Sydenham were knocked out in the early rounds. Our men's and women's sailboard entries both finished in the teens but neither Nick Dempsey nor Christine Johnstone were expected to deliver this time.

They did show flashes of brilliance and with four years of the proven RYA training have every potential of something special in 2004.

The other British sailing athletes who did not win medals came close. Nick Rogers and Joe Glanfield were just one point off a bronze in the 470. Hugh Stiles and Adam May had one bad day in the Tornado, otherwise they may have been on the podium.

But as an overview three gold medals and two silvers makes Britain the most successful of the 69 nations competing in the Olympic sailing.