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ENP Coaches Arthur BRETT and Belinda STOWELL were keen to see how the sailors would perform on the water in the afternoon while fatigued, so the day commenced with a rigorous two hour session in the gym. Initial gym sessions earlier in the camp schedule were designed to give the athletes a general workout by encompassing cardio and weights, but today's session honed in on specific muscle groups relevant to the Laser, Laser Radial and RS:X sailors.

"The athletes are starting to get a more thorough understanding of what is required and which muscles they need to develop to help give them an edge over their competition in their respective classes," BRETT said.

"Most of the athletes did not include gym work in their day to day fitness programmes in their home countries. Most of them focused solely on sailing, so in a way they still have a lot of work to do to improve their strength.

"The gym sessions have been arduous so for a few of them it has been a baptism of fire, but they are adapting well and improving their techniques."

The on water session commenced at 13:00 and saw the Laser and Laser Radial sailors towed south into open water to give them ample room to cater for the afternoon's boat handling sessions under the guidance of BRETT.

Starting the session circling around the coaching boat, the athletes were given a lecture on the importance of vision in tight situations. Athletes were progressively instructed to reduce the circumference of their laps around the coaching boat to further highlight the need for awareness as the distance between the dinghies got reduced.

Downwind sailing followed, with BRETT instructing the athletes on the fundamental aspects of attaining optimal speed while sailing with the conditions. Focusing on sail trim, body movement, steering, coordination and timing, the Laser and Laser Radial athletes soon saw the benefits of BRETT's advice.

"The main things you have to take into consideration when sailing a Laser downwind is to reduce drag as much as possible and improve power," BRETT said.

"One of the most simple ways to reduce drag when sailing downwind is by using the rudder less and your body more when you want to move and angle the boat.

"We saw some significant improvement in the way the athletes were handling the boats. It was something new that we implemented into their training today and I would think we will have similar sessions in the coming days to consolidate the work they did today.

"What we want to see by the end of the camp is a marked improvement in the athletes' technical and tactical thinking and practical execution of their strategies on the water. Sailing downwind is just one area we are addressing, but across the board we are seeing significant improvements in the areas required to be an internationally competitive sailor.

"Considering how hard the athletes worked in the gym this morning, Belinda and I are pretty happy with how well the group remained focused until late in the day after three hours on the water."

The inaugural ENP camp, which is being held at Fremantle Sailing Club, is the first of seven ENP intensive training camps to be held in WA between July 2009 and the Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships in December 2011.

The ENP is designed to encourage and assist developing and emerging sailing nations to participate in the Olympic Sailing Competition, increase the number of participating ISAF Member National Authorities (MNAs) and subsequently the number of competitors at the Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships. From this World Championship, it is hoped 'emerging' talent identified during the ENP will qualify to represent their country in sailing at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Acclaimed Australian Olympic sailing coach Arthur BRETT and 2000 Sydney Olympic Games gold medallist in the Women's 470 class Belinda STOWELL are guiding the Laser, Laser Radial and RS:X athletes, sharing the knowledge and skill that has seen the pair help spearhead modern Australian Olympic sailing success.

The athletes taking part in the inaugural ENP intensive training camp are:

Event	Event	Country	Class	Gender
Hao CHANG	Men's Windsurfer	Chinese Taipei	RS:X	Male
Petr KUCERA	Men's Windsurfer	Czech Republic	RS:X	Male
Joshua CHOO	Men's Windsurfer	Singapore	RS:X	Male
Gabriel MORAN	Men's One Person Dinghy	Ecuador	Laser	Male
Alexandr DENISIUC	Men's One Person Dinghy	Moldova	Laser	Male
Peter HENRY	Men's One Person Dinghy	Cook Islands	Laser	Male
Anna AILE	Women's One Person Dinghy	Latvia	Laser Radial	Female
Natalia MONTEMAYOR	Women's One Person Dinghy	Mexico	Laser Radial	Female
Christiana OKWARA	Women's One Person Dinghy	Nigeria	Laser Radial	Female
Helema WILLIAMS	Women's One Person Dinghy	Cook Islands	Laser Radial	Female

Over the course of the seven ENP intensive training camps, up to 40 athletes from as many nations (not represented in any sailing discipline at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games), will be invited to Perth to improve their chances of earning a place in the Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships through their involvement with the ENP.

The Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships Emerging Nations Programme is proudly supported by the Australian Federal Government and the Western Australian State Government.

Click here for further information on the Emerging Nations Programme.

Find out more about the ISAF Sailing World Championships at www.sailing.org/isafworlds.