Robi,

I dont agree on all points. It helps to have a support team around you, but you still need to have the skills to pick the right side, trims sails and change gears. Put a top sailor on a boat back in the fleet, and he will still do well (of course, sails and boat need to be reasonably well maintained). I belive it is time on the water and skills that make a team succesful. A coach helps you along making you learn faster, better and smarter, but it's still the sailors who must develop their skills.
The olympians make a choice, where they sacrifice a secure job, regular income etc. to qualify for the games. Unless you can somehow get a major sponsor to pay you for sailing. Usually you need to do well and 'get a name' before that is possible. F-16 class should be perfect for that, sail for an hour every day before work, get really good and go to Zandvoort 2007 and kick butt <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Could you elaborate on exactly what this "talent of the top sailors" is? Is it the ability to trim for superior boatspeed, superior VMG, tactical decisions, strategic decisions, great starting or??As far as I know, all those skills can be taught and learnt, even if somebody have a talent for hitting all the shifts(which is not that important in cat racing, as we dont tack unless it is a significant shift) or keeping the boat in the groove all the time.