New Zealand Optimist coach Hamish Willcox has high hopes for the five sailors selected to compete at the world championships in Ecuador in July.
Daniel Willcox, Carl Evans, Paul Snow-Hansen, Suzannah Pyatt and Francisco Lardies, all 14 years old and all from Auckland, will line up against around 200other competitors.
"It is definitely going to be the strongest team on paper that we have ever sent," said Willcox, a three-times world 470 champion.
"Four of them have been at either the worlds before or have competed in the North Americans which is almost as big an event as the worlds."
Willcox, Hamish's son, and Snow-Hansen competed in the world championships last year, finishing 37th and 24th respectively.
Snow-Hansen's placing was the best result by a New Zealander in the competition.
Evans and Pyatt, believed to be the first girl selected into the New Zealand team, competed in the North Americans, where Pyatt finished 11th overall but was the first girl home.
"Optis are a new thing for New Zealand in terms of racing," said Willcox, who is helping coach Britain's Olympic sailing team.
"They were introduced in the 1970s as a club learn-to-sail boat before kids sort of went on to the P Class. But in recent years the junior part of the sport has grown so significantly it almost demanded a team representing them at the worlds."
The Optimist nationals started in 1997 and before that P class sailors were chosen to represent New Zealand in the class at the world championships.
The cost to get the New Zealanders to Ecuador is around $40,000 so the team are looking for sponsors.
"The team leave in early July," Willcox said.
They wanted them to train with the local Ecuadorean team.
