Sailing: Optimist nationals in Napier lure field from Australia, Pacific Islands

Former Napier mayor Barbara Arnott is the Optimist National Championship convenor. Photo / File

More than 150 sailors will gather for the 2017 Optimist National Championship to be staged in Napier from Friday.

The Napier Sailing Club-hosted regatta will beckon 177 aspiring young sailors from throughout New Zealand as well as those from New Caledonia, Australia and Tahiti.

Championship convenor Barbara Arnott said they were delighted with the number of entries in the Toyota-sponsored regatta.

"It is wonderful to host so many children and their families from all over New Zealand and the Pacific," said Arnott, a former mayor of Napier.

"The Napier Sailing Club has a great reputation for hosting regattas and we think that our site and facilities are a wonderful attraction in addition to the opportunity for families to spend a long weekend in Napier," she said.

Seventy-seven entries have been received in the Green Fleet championship, which is for the up-and-coming open fleet sailors.

The championship is held every year at a different sailing club throughout the country.

Toyota New Zealand's association with the event dates back to 2000 and has the backing of the "Believe" programme.

Kylie Cotton, sponsorship manager for Toyota NZ, said the company helped sailing clubs host such world-class events as the one in Napier so that aspiring sailors could receive valuable racing and coaching experience.

Several elite optimist sailors from the country are vying for a place in the national team for the Optimist World Championship, which will be held in Malaysia at the Royal Varuna Yacht Club, near Bangkok, in July.

The team has five places and the nationals here will be the deciding regatta to secure the berths.

The nationals finish on Tuesday next week.

A teams' racing day will be staged this Sunday.

The Napier Sailing Club hosted the Flying Fifteens World Championship last month.