The Yachting Journalists’ Association has paid its own tribute to Jim Saltonstall, who for more than 30 years has been responsible for training many of Britain’s elite sailors to racing success.

In a ceremony at a lunch at the Royal Lymington Yacht Club, YJA chairman Bob Fisher presented Jim with a silver salver to mark a lifetime devoted to training Britain’s youth sailors and putting Team GBR in the top flight of international sailing. Bob Fisher said the award by the Association was made on behalf of the many young people he had coached so well. Without his influence many of Britain’s sailing gold medals in successive Olympics and world sailing competition would not have been achieved.

In their very formative years in the sport, Saltonstall, from Warsash, has been responsible for the coaching of Britain’s youth, and the inspiration with which he instilled his charges, which he affectionately termed his ferrets, has been measured in their future progress.

Joining key figures among yachting journalists at the lunch were two of those he has coached that have gone on to win Olympic glory, Ben Ainslie and Sarah Webb. Following his retirement from international coaching, Jim has now embarked on advanced management training and speaking engagements, imparting his considerable knowledge on motivation and reaching the highest levels of performance to business schools and managers.