He's not exactly Maradona, but 29-year-old Argentine Olympic Laser sailor Diego Romero is no less revered in his native South America.

The Athens-bound skipper recently took some time out of his Olympic preparations to pass on a few pointers to the Island's budding sailing talent at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club (RBYC).

And judging by what he has seen over the past few days, Romero, who is also the coach of promising Laser Radial skipper Jesse Kirkland, reckons the Island has a very bright future on the surf.

"I think there are many sailors with a good talent here. They need to keep training with somebody that can show them the road to success," noted Romero, who enjoyed a highly successful campaign last year.

Romero, who also competed at the 2000 Sydney Games, captured a sixth Argentine National championship among a host of other highly creditable showings in 2003.

The Argentine, who has been sailing since the age of 12 and coaching youngsters now for the past seven years, met Kirkland last year at the Laser World Championship in Cadiz, Spain.

Romero said Bermuda's close proximity to the water was ideal for nurturing sailors.

"Bermuda has a good combination of flat water, shifty winds, medium water and little shifty winds, and steady wind with waves so you don't really need anything else," he pointed out.

"The Island is very beautiful. . . the sea, beaches, environment and also the people."

During a career which has seen him compete in 23 countries around the globe, Romero has captured a bronze medal at the 1999 Pan-American Games and is also a past Southern Hemisphere and South American champion.

So how does he stay on top of his game?

As he simply put it, "with lots of training".

"I learned over the years how to work methodically and analyse and cope with problems," explained Romero, who operates his own sailing clinic on the lakes of Villa Carlos Paz, Argentina.

"But training and competing at big regattas also helps. Growing up as a young boy I learned how to make my own decisions and how to work in a group in cooperation with others ? which to me is the secret to being successful in life."