Bermuda are on course to have a good Youth Olympics this summer following their performance at the World Byte Championships in France which concluded on Sunday.

And Bermuda Sailing Association boss Somers Cooper said yesterday that even though Bermuda's top sailor, Owen Siese, was disappointed with his final day's sailing, he showed that he could stay with the best in the world.

Going into Sunday's racing Siese was sitting in second place but ended up in ninth place overall out of a fleet of 44 boats after carding a 30th and a 22nd place in the final two races.

Cooper said: "I was very happy with the way the team performed. And Owen in particular. He did a great job.

"I know he was disappointed with Sunday's races but the fact was that he was right there. These kids can sail with the best and Bermuda has the opportunity to do really well at the Youth Olympics.

"These boys know they have the ability and they know that they will need to work really hard between now and August (when the Youth Olympics will be staged in Singapore).

"They also know they will have to work hard to be the selected sailor to go to the Youth Olympics. It was an encouraging regatta overall despite the last day."

Bermuda qualified for a spot at the Youth Olympics at a regatta in the Cayman Islands earlier this year.

It is still to be decided who will represented the Island in Singapore and Cooper said: "

There will be a selection regatta. The particulars have yet to be worked out but the Byte organisation will make a recommendation to the BSA and I imagine that we will have that regatta over a couple of weekends in late June and early July."

Cooper said the sailors will also be fundraising in order to pay for training and their coach. "That can be expensive," he added.

While the Worlds were hit by no wind for a couple of days preventing any sailing, Sunday's final day was in just the opposite conditions – blowing up to 30 knots.

There were supposed to be four races sailed on Sunday but the final two races were cancelled because of the heavy going.

While Siese was Bermuda's top sailor, Kalin Hillier finished the regatta with a 25th and 27th on Sunday ending up in 22nd place overall. Rahiem Steede finished in 32nd place with a 34 and 31 on Sunday and Dimitri Stevens finished 29th and 30th in the last two races to end up in 34th place overall.

Alex Davis scored a 38th and 39th to end the regatta in 42nd place.

Darren Choy of Singapore won what turned out to be the final race of the regatta clinching the World title.

This was his second consecutive World crown and no one else was close as he finished 36 points clear of the second place finisher, Ian Barrows of the US Virgin Islands who was coming off a win in the North American and Caribbean Qualifier in Cayman three weeks prior.

Third place went to Kaarle Tapper of Finland who had previously qualified his country for the Youth Olympics with a second place finish in the European Championships in Imperia, Italy.

The final six male singlehanded dinghy spots for the Youth Olympic Games were awarded to Ukraine, Slovenia, Portugal, Turkey, France and Switzerland.