10:16am Tuesday 19th August 2008
By Laura Kitching
A HEROES' homecoming awaits Weymouth's Olympic medal winning sailors when they return from the games in China.
Weymouth-based Paul Goodison's victory this morning in the Laser Fleet ranks him alongside Sarah Ayton who scooped gold in the Yngling fleet with crewmates Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson on Sunday.
Sunday was also a proud day for the borough when former Weymouth-based sailor Ben Ainslie became Britain's most decorated Olympic sailor of all time after winning Finn class gold. Ben, of Lymington, Hampshire, spent 18 months living in Coombe Valley Road in Preston while gearing up for the 1996 Olympics.
Britain's medal haul may also be boosted by Weymouth windsurfers Nick Dempsey and Bryony Shaw. They will be competing in the double points medal race of their men's and women's RS:X fleet tomorrow.
Nick, 28, is currently in second place, while Bryony, 25, is poised in fourth place going into her final event.
Saskia Clarke, 28, who lives in Wyke Regis, finished her first Olympic regatta yesterday in the 470 dinghy with Christina Bassadone with a creditable sixth-placed finish.
To mark the achievement of Weymouth's sailors Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy is launching a new flag.
The flag will also commemorate the life of the academy chairman, the late Bill Ludlow.
Weymouth and Portland Borough Council will also be marking the sailors' achievements although Olympic legacy spokesman Councillor Howard Legg said they were not sure how yet.
Coun Legg said: "It's fantastic the sailors are doing so well again, including those from Weymouth.
"Of course we're going to do something, we're not going to let an opportunity like this go. We're really proud of them."
Four years ago, after Athens 2004, Sarah Ayton and Nick Dempsey paraded on an open-top bus around the borough. Coun Legg said this year's celebration would be even better.
n Also in Weymouth and Portland, organisers are gearing up for The Olympic handover event this Sunday - when the Olympic flag is officially handed over to London from Beijing.
It will mark the start of the borough's four-year journey towards hosting the sailing events of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
There will be a giant Live Site screen on Weymouth beach showing live coverage of the handover and the celebrations in London with live links on BBC One to Weymouth.
There will also be live bands on the beach stage, circus performers, Dragon Boat racing, two minutes of noise at 4pm to mark the celebration and an official handover flag relay.
Organisers are now looking for clubs or individual volunteers to take part as runners in the flag relay or wheelchair users as flag carriers. People are also needed to act as marshals.
The flag relay will begin at 4pm when four handover flags in Weymouth and Portland will be raised and cannons will be fired from Portland Castle and the Nothe Fort to herald the start of two minutes of noise.
The flags will materialise from behind the Live Site screen when the Weymouth and Portland Borough handover flag is raised at 3pm.
They will be carried on to Weymouth Beach by young athletes and taken, by foot relay and by boats, to four flagpole locations at Nothe Fort, New Ground near the Portland Cenotaph, Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy and Furzy Cliffs.
Flag carriers must be able to complete a minimum of 400m at a slow to medium jogging speed and marshals need to be happy to help.
All participants will need to be available from 12.30pm until 4pm.
Children are encouraged to participate but need to be accompanied by a supervising adult.
To register interest call Caren Holmes on 01305 224216 or you can send an email to: c.holmes@ dorsetcc.gov.uk
© Copyright 2001-2012 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.thisisdorset.net