The northern hemisphere is now beginning to warm up and the sailors in the UK have been enjoying the Easter Regatta in Cowes and the first few races of the Warsash Spring Series. In Valencia the America's Cup has kicked off with Alinghi showing her speed and excellent crew work giving her the edge that many expected but probably would have preferred to have not been quite so marked at this early stage. Sir Keith Mills has started the ball rolling for a challenge from the UK and seeing the huge pool of talented British sailors that are taking part in this the 32nd event we at the RORC share his belief in the ability of the UK to finally recover this most elusive of trophies and bring it back to these shores using both the technological and sailing skills of the people of this country.

Sailing like many other sports has changed very quickly over the last twenty-five years. With the huge growth in the number of talented professional sailors lifting the game for all of the amateur people who regularly take part in the sport there is sometimes little space for this type of sailor in many events that a few years ago would have had a good number of them in amongst the crew. The Volvo Ocean Race that started out as the Whitbread Round the World Race is a good indicator of how change is affecting sailing Take also the huge commitment of time and effort that is needed to take part in the modern America's Cup.

Apart from these professional events where the boats that are fully sponsored by a company or corporate body the vast majority of boats are there as the result of an individual or small group of individuals who are willing to invest time and money in a craft who will then take a few or in some cases a large number of friends as well as some professionals along sailing with them.

If we are to see this group of committed people continue to enjoy their sailing and who continue to provide the boats that so many people professionals and non professionals alike have the opportunity to sail and race on we need to have a raft of events that cater for all the different levels that these owners are able to and want to enter in to. The Rolex Commodore's Cup has certainly catered for a significant part of this market. I was talking the other day to a journalist who suggested that the Admiral's Cup should be an event that exclude owners and catered only for the sponsored teams. He may be right that there is room for an inshore offshore event of this type but I and a number of others wish to see the AC event come back in a format that has the boat owners and their preferences very much a part of shaping what comes next. This year is the 50th anniversary of the first running of the Admiral's Cup and we hope that many past and future competitors will be in Cowes in August to take part in a celebration of the past as well as looking to the future of this great event.