MORE than 20 organisations have joined forces in Dorset to orchestrate the smooth running of the Sailing competition and associated events for the London 2012 Games.

The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games has been described in organisation and resource terms as ‘the largest single project undertaken in the UK for over 70 years’.

A series of working groups in the county, collectively known as the Weymouth and Portland 2012 Operations Group, have the responsibilities of transport, visitors, culture, health and safety, communications, safety and security and volunteering.

Key contacts for each of the groups are bringing insight to their activities through a weekly column in the Dorset Echo and online at dorsetforyou.com /london2012 Here John Tweed, chief executive of the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy looks ahead to ‘a summer like no other for 2012’.

AS THE year draws to a close, it is a good time just to reflect on an extraordinary year at the Sailing Academy and to look forward to 2012.

2011 has be-en our busiest year ever in terms of events, with our largest ever event – the Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta – taking place in June. 66 different countries were represented and 1065 competitors took part in 765 boats. All of the Olympic and Paralympic classes were represented.

In July we had the Internation-al Federation for Disabled Sailing World Championship and had double the number of disabled sailors that will be competing in the Paralympic sailing event.

These two events were a very good ‘stress test’ of the venue and the race teams and a further test took place with the official LOCOG ‘London Prepares’ Weymouth and Portland International Regatta in August.

The venue came through these events with flying colours generating the comment from Goran Petersson, the President of the International Sailing Federation (ISAF): “This is an excellent venue, it is big enough; it has the access to the water.

“It has very good shore facilities. I know from personal experience that the sailing conditions are absolutely marvellous.”

2012 is going to be a very exciting year – we start the year with Olympic Camps for Team GBR in both January and February before the events season starts towards the end of February.

We have an enormous selection of events taking us up to June and the Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta.

June is a particularly busy month with the ‘Small Ships Race’ – small tall ships – finishing their race from London here on June 15 and having a race in Weymouth Bay on June 16.

This will be a fantastic opportunity for local people to see these magnificent vessels competing.

A few days later the ‘RB12’ race starts here. This is a race for powerboats, supercars and aircraft all around Britain – they will finish here on the June 30– coinciding with the start of ‘Spirit of the Sea’.

Our final event before the start of the ‘lockdown period’ for the Games is the National Schools Sailing Regatta during which the Olympic Torch will be visiting Weymouth and Portland.

What more can I add to what has already been written about the Olympic and Paralympic sailing events – this will truly be ‘A Summer like no other’.