Mission accomplished.That’s the way star 49er sailor Jesse Kirkland summed up last month’s training exercise at the 2012 Olympic sailing venue in Weymouth, England in a nutshell.Jesse and elder sibling Zander travelled to the UK primarily to get reacquainted to sailing in the heavier breezes associated with the region that Mother Nature could potentially toss out at the Games later this month.Past All-American college sailor Jesse described the conditions in Weymouth as challenging.“Going there was a wake-up call to a Northern Atlantic venue and we were blessed with your typical rain,” he said. “It was actually the wettest June on record and on top of that it was windy and that was what we needed above all.”Jesse said the training exercise, that included taking part in the Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta in Weymouth, was nothing shy of successful.“Our goal by the end of the month (June) was to try and be at a point where we are comfortable racing against these top guys in 15-plus knots around the racetrack and on that note I think we succeeded,” the top sailor added.“At that practice regatta (Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta) everybody gave it their all and we were right there with everyone and had a couple of really nice moments, so we are optimistic heading to the Games to be able to pull off some quality finishes if it ever gets that windy.“It was a tough month of training but we are feeling good. We feel that we can get some scores that will help us to get to where we want to go at the Olympics. The competition is going to be tough at the Olympics but we are feeling strong.”During their stay in England the brothers also had the opportunity to get reacquainted to sailing in their new 49er Skiff, Cahow.Cahow is the boat in which the pair qualified for the 2012 Olympics at May’s 49er World Championships in Croatia where they placed a remarkable ninth.“It was great to get back in a boat that is ours and we are comfortable with,” Jesse said. “For the half of our training we chartered a boat to use to keep our boat nice and fresh but towards the end we hopped in our boat just to get comfortable sailing ours, get the numbers right on the rig and get the body and mind in tune with the boat.”Jesse said he and his brother have been able to channel all their focus and energy solely towards sailing thanks to the support of team manager Paul Hiles.“Paul is helping with all the behind-the-scenes meetings and logistics for the Olympics and that has been very helpful as it keeps our minds on the sailing and not anything else,” he added.The Kirklands had originally chosen to skip the July 27 Olympic opening ceremony at the Olympic Stadium in East London but have since had a change of heart.“We actually measure our boat and all the equipment on the morning of the opening ceremony and then take a train up to London and meet the rest of the team and proudly walk through the stadium,” Jesse said.The brothers, who are currently ranked 35 in the ISAF 49er Skiff Fleet World Cup Rankings, depart for England on July 16.Olympic 49er sailing commences in Weymouth on July 30.n Stevie Dickinson and crew Pat Young won Sunday’s Lawrence (Stickers) Hendrickson Jr Memorial Regatta in the Comet fleet.The pair pipped nearest rivals Gladwin Lambert and crew Greg Proctor for top honours by a point.Rockal Evans and crew Christina Bernard finished third a further three points adrift of the winners.