Dennis Conner interrupted a whirlwind visit to the Virgin Islands to spend a few minutes addressing young sailors in St. Thomas on Saturday.
Conner said he felt an obligation to give time to the sailing kids, "like Michael Jordan and the famous players in other sports."
After shaking hands and posing for parents' pictures, Conner waved adults away and spoke solely to the group of junior high school sailors. He held their attention with his 10-minute talk and then the enthusiastic group broke up.
Many of the male and female youngsters paused only for a group photo with Conner before rigging up dinghies and going sailing.
Emily Newbold, skipper of the Youth Regatta-winning St. Thomas girls team, quoted Conner as saying to follow your natural abilities and strengths to get the best from your sailing.