Then again, in the year of the London Olympics, the Star (men's keelboat) celebrates its 101st birthday; again hardly an attractive thought for youngsters wanting to join a fast, furious and, like, really cool class.

OK, it may well be a very technical boat to sail well. But it's very old in a world that worships the young.

Even Ben Aislie's class, the Finn, was designed in 1949, so this single handed dinghy that weighs in at more than 300lbs will be 63 years old at the London Olympics.

Another anomaly in the ISAF selection is the insistence on introducing women's match racing as an event. Women's match racing is hardly a globally accepted and practised form of sailing and this selection is unlikely to expand the sailing world.

The 10 sailing events at the 2012 London Olympic Games will be held at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy. The selection of the sailing events and equipment is subject to final confirmation by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

How many more Olympic cycles before the IOC dismisses sailing as an outdated irrelevance with no youth or sex appeal, asked one internet sailing newsletter over the weekend?