ANCIENT ORIGINS

PIRACY PUT WIND IN THE SAILS OF A SPECTACULAR SPORT

Mention yachting and Australia in the same breath and thoughts of Britain's criminal fraternity sailing in shackles to a better life come to mind. That imagery, the source of much humour between old and new nations, will be decidedly put aside when sailing - as it will be known in Sydney instead of yachting - shares with the triathlon one of the most spectacular backdrops in Olympic history; Sydney Harbour. The estuary, the bridge, the Opera House and marina at Rushcutters bay will not only be good for the cameras, but the sailors too, who will, for once, compete very much as part of the Games and not hundreds of miles away from the main action as have often been the case.

Sail ships date back thousands of years, boats used for trade, discoveries and conquests as far back as the ancient Egyptians. The modern sport of sailing, however, owes much to piracy in the 17th century, when Dutch traders fed up with losing goods and boats, developed "jaghtschips", the word jacht meaning "to hunt". The fast and flexible vessels were used to catch pirates but spread beyond traders when they were discovered by King Charles II to be jolly good fun during a spell in The Netherlands to avoid the same fate as befell his father, Charles I, and his father's head, during Oliver Cromwell's Protectorate. When he returned to the English throne, he brought the jaght, later yacht, with him.

The first recorded yachting race was in 1851, an event called the 100 Guineas Cup race involving a 60-mile circuit around the Isle of Wight. The first victor was the good ship America, and the cup became known as the America's Cup, which remains to this day one of the most prestigious events in the world of sailing.