TOP Canadian sailing instructor Krzysztof Machnowski arrived in Bermuda last weekend to conduct clinics to some of the island's best sailors in the Olympic Laser class and the Byte class.

Machnowski, originally from Poland, is the executive director of Alberta Sailing. And while he is a competitive Laser sailor, he has also been credited with establishing Canada's largest Byte fleet in the early days of the dinghy's history.

Mike Wicks, fleet captain of the Byte class in Bermuda and who brought in Machnowski, said: "We try to bring in coaches for three clinics a year - one around Memorial Day, one in February and one in Easter. The three-day clinic we just finished up was very successful and thankfully we had some good weather and wind for the sailing."

Wicks also said the sailors don't stop learning from the overseas coach after he has left the island. Machnowski and another coach staged clincs last Easter and subsequently sent back videos of the sailing. Wicks said: "The video is a very good tool. It helps you see through the coach's eyes. The video shows what you are doing wrong and what you are doing right. When you go back to shore and play back the video the coach can point various things out. Or he may show what someone else did which was the correct way - that really helps you."

Wicks said the next clinic will be in February. "We hope to bring in Tine Moberg-Parker who coached the Canadian team for the ISAF Worlds last summer."

Machnowski graduated with a Bachelor's in Education and a Masters in Physical Education from the University of Physical Education in Gdansk, Poland and has since coached many top Canadian sailors to medal-winning performances. He has also served as head coach for numerous national and world championship teams in boats as different as Lasers and Tornados.

Last weekend he put 11 youth and adult single-handed dinghy sailors through their paces in the Great Sound.

Wicks said that of the six Byte sailors, half were recent Optimist grads: Geoffrey Smith, Kristina Williams and Rajae Woods. Joining them were three women Byte sailors - founding class members Pat Humphrey, Lisa Spurling and Marion Watlington.

Also this year's ISAF Youth Worlds contestants Ben Wicks (Laser) and Gareth Williams (29er) were joined by three other adult Laser skippers, Ian Feathers, Jay Riihiluoma and Martin Vezina.

The 14-foot, 130-pound Olympic Laser class is one of the largest fleets in the world while the Byte is two feet shorter and 30 pounds lighter. Wicks said: "It is a perfect boat for youth transitioning out of the entry level Optimist or for male and female adults who will not attain the 180-pound, six-foot frame that is typical of the top competitors in the Laser."

During the drills last weekend the sailors found training partners of similar ability with whom they could spar and whom they could be pushed. "The intensity the coach put into these sessions, together with the natural competitiveness of these athletes, meant that everyone was fully expended at the end of each drill. These sailors were on the water for at least four hours each of the three days, pushed to their limits in an unrelenting 15-20 knot breeze ... awesome conditions for single-handed training," said Wicks.

Repetitive starting practices, punishing mile-long windward beats with scores of forced tacks, long downwind surfing runs and adrenalin-pumping reaches were all capped off with a high-energy team racing session on Monday afternoon.

Throughout the clinic, the coach asked all sailors to try and set just one small goal for each day and to discuss this with him and the others in the debriefing sessions. He also emphasised his philosophy of focusing on all those factors that will keep a "boat in balance" so that the skippers can spend more time on the tactical side of the sport.