When Peter O'Leary (29) and David Burrows (34) came ashore in Miami last month having taken silver for the second time at the Bacardi Cup, the London Olympic pair showed the depth of their ambition when they left the venue disappointed at not having lifted the prestigious cup.
It moved the Cork-Dublin pairing on from Dublin bay where they won a bronze medal on home waters at the class European championships last September set them up for 12th overall and a ticket to London in Perth last December at the ISAF world championships. They are now ranked in the top five in the world.
Helmsman O'Leary's family continue to be a big influence including one Grandad who won a Bronze sailing medal for Britain at the 1968 Mexico Olympics.
The pair who count six Olympic appearances between them (It is Burrow's fourth Olympics since Atlanta) are banking on an extra turn of speed from a brand new P-Star keelboat they launched in Florida to bring home the medal they are tipped for. It's their only chance for success in the Star as the class is being ditched from the Olympic line up for 2016.
