Journalist Matt Nixson, insinuated the GBR calendar - in which members of the Olympic squad are depicted scantily dressed - had been produced under sufferance and that the girls were either ashamed or embarrassed by it.

But according to Sasha Oswald, the RYA's Team GBR communications officer, Nixson's story was rather more than two boat's lengths wide of the mark.

The calendar features both the Olympic and Paralympic team members and features both the male and female athletes, said Oswald, countering the inference in Nixson's story that the calendar depicted only the girls in the Olympic squad.

All of the sailors were asked if they would like to feature in the calendar and naturally some were keener than others, said Oswald. But she insists none of the sailors was "forced" to take part.

Countering the newspaper's suggestion that the photograph sessions took the squad away from its valuable sailing work-up time, the RYA says the calendar was shot at various sailing venues at which the sailors were competing. Oswald says this meant the sailors did not need to take time out of their schedules in order to do it. The calendar was completed in April.

One quote in the story from Shirley Roberston says "I got off lightly compared to some of the others?. . like the one with them wearing only sailing gloves covering their various parts". As the story is written about girls being photographed, the reader could easily think Robertson was referring to girls being photographed, scarcely covered by sailing gloves. Star sailors Iain Percy and Steve Mitchell were the only sailors shot with sailing gloves strategically positioned.

And those who know Iain Percy and Steve Mitchell will testify that neither is a shrinking violet.

Finally, the RYA says all the sailors had the ultimate signoff on their pictures for the calendar and could decide whether they wanted their pictures used in the prepublicity for the calendar.

The calendar was shot by top marine photographer Kos.

It will be available from September, priced at £16.99, and can be ordered online at gbrsailing. org. uk