Sailing is a technical sport and as such boats have evolved, changed and even disappeared since the first events were run around the turn of the century. Historians continue to differ as to which events at the 1900 Games in Paris actually were official Olympic events.

The winners then were awarded cash prizes, which would have sent Baron de Coubertin into apoplexy. Double and triple finals were held in various classes in tandem, which was highly irregular. The organisers also ran handicapped races, which have never been accepted in an organisation that has always aspired towards perfection and inequality. When was the last Olympic final draw?

By 1908 in London the sport took off, spawning a whole era of now discontinued events such as Dragon, 5.5 Metre, 6-Metre, Flying Dutchman, Tempest, Swallow, 7-Metre, 8-Metre and a host of others. As the century advanced some left the scene and others entered it, the most recent additions being sailboarding and the single-handed Europe Class which arrived in 1992 and the 470 which was first run in 1988 in Seoul. The Laser Class is the most recent and was first run in Savannah at the Atlanta Games of 1996.

Irish sailors did not make an impression until the 1948 Games in London, where the yachting events were held in Torbay. R H Allen and Dr Alf Delaney competed in the Swallow coming 13th and A J Mooney placed 16th in the Firefly class with a best place of fourth in one race of the series.

A number of other Irish yachtsmen and women arrived and left without medal success for the next 30 years, although Ireland did not send a team to Mexico in 1968.

That was until two young Dubliners, Howth's Jamie Wilkinson and Malahide's David Wilkins arrived on the scene in Moscow. Wilkins (right), educated at Wesley College, Trinity College and then Cambridge subsequently became the only Irishman to compete in five summer Olympic Games. In 1972 he travelled to Munich to compete in the Tempest Class with Sean Whittaker and finished eighth before coming 10th with Derek Jago in 1976 at Montreal. But by the next games the Tempest had been ejected as a category so he jumped into the faster and more difficult Flying Dutchman class for the 1980 games in Moscow, where he combined with Wilkinson. Wilkinson was no Olympic greenhorn having competed in 1976 with Barry O'Neill in the Flying Dutchman class. But this was his first major with Wilkins as they teamed up almost a year before Moscow, the late change intensifying their focus.

It was the summer of the boycott and Ireland were still considered as rank outsiders for a medal when they arrived with their 20ft boat to the city of Tallinn in the then Soviet state of Estonia.

An encouraging second place in the first race was followed by a near disastrous second outing. While holding third or fourth position at the line, a rudder fitting disconnected and bent forcing them into 11th place. On the third day there was no wind at all and Ireland's 11th place was scrapped along with the race before a series of high placings including two seconds swept the two into serious contention. "We were particularly fast in light winds," said Wilkins in 1992 as he was preparing for Barcelona. "We would have had to finish below ninth place in the last series to lose out on our medal position."

Another second place clinched the silver as the pair became the first Irish sailors to ever win medals at an Olympics. Wilkins attempted to better his second twice more coming 10th in 1988 and 14th in 1992, both in the Flying Dutchman classes.