KEY POINTS:
Kiwi sailor Jo Aleh believes this weekend's Sail Auckland Regatta will form a vital part of her preparation for the Laser Radial World Championships off Takapuna next month.
The Sail Auckland regatta, which is hosted by the Kohimarama Yacht Club, gets under way today and wraps up on
Tuesday with the medal races.
The regatta, which has been upgraded to an ISAF grade one event, will this year boast world class fleet in the Tornado and women's Laser Radial with many internationals currently in New Zealand preparing for their respective world championships.
RS:X windsurfers, Lasers, 470s, 420s and 2.4 metres will also compete in the event.
Aleh, who was last week confirmed as the world number one in the Laser Radial based on points accumulated in regattas throughout the year, said having strong competition weeks out from the world champs will serve her well in her bid to win a world title.
The top-five ranked sailors in her class will be competing in Sail Auckland and Aleh said it is unique to have such a world class field in her own backyard.
"Usually I have to travel really far to get quality competition - so it's great they're all coming here for once," the 21-year-old West Aucklander said.
Her main rivals also competing in Sail Auckland are Tania Elias Calles of Mexico, USA's Anna Tunnicliffe, Evi Van Acker of Belgium and Australia's Sarah Blanck.
The Sail Auckland regatta is a chance for those sailors to warm-up and become familiar with conditions ahead of the world champs.
"Over the next 1 1/2-months I've got the best competition available and I don't have to travel."
With Aleh's place at this year's Olympics already confirmed her training has been targeted towards the light air conditions expected at the Qingdao regatta.
Aleh is already down to light-air sailing weight in preparation for the Olympics.
While her training hasn't been focussed on Sail Auckland and next month's World Championships, given both are home regattas, she doesn't believe it will disadvantage her in any way.
"The main thing is I've sailed in Auckland a lot I don't have to worry about that," she said.
Other top name Kiwis competing this week are Barbara Kendall and Jon Paul Tobin in the RS:X, while Aaron McIntosh and Mark Kennedy's will be looking for a strong performance in the tornado as bid for Olympic selection heats up.
The pair need a top five finish at the World Championships later this month to book their ticket to Beijing.
If conditions allow each of the fleets will sail a 12-race series over the course of the regatta, the last of which is the final deciding medal race in which only the top-10 placed sailors compete.
