damaged to qualify for the Gold Fleet at a prestigious regatta in Canada yesterday.

In the Laser Radial qualification mini-series at the Canadian Training Regatta in Kingston, the young sailor produced finishes of eighth, sixth and seventh in a fleet of 92.

His efforts were all the more remarkable as Kirkland had earlier been in a state of shock when his new Laser, bought with a Government grant from the Ministry of Youth and Sports, was run over by a boat trailer and rendered useless for racing.

American Tim Corbett saved the day by lending Kirkland his 1978 training hull.

Kirkland's compatriot Ben Wicks also performed outstandingly and qualified seventh in the Byte fleet with finishes of 10-3-3 out of 79 competitors.

The CORK regatta, as it has become known, attracts around 2,000 competitors annually and much of the racing takes place in Portsmouth Olympic Harbour, which hosted the sailing events in the Montreal Games of 1976.