The Kiel Olympic Classes Regatta, the third and final round of the three Grade One multi class events that take place in Europe each year, commences on Wednesday 23rd June.

Team GBR will be competing in ten of the eleven Olympic disciplines, with the WCP 49er squad absent due to training for the third round of the 49er European the Star Europeans in Finland the following week. The Tornado World Championships will be one of the few chances remaining to qualify the nation for the Sydney Olympic regatta in that discipline.

It will also be a valuable tuning opportunity for the remaining eight disciplines who still have to sail at least one world or European championship before the end of the season as well as Septembers Pre Olympic Regatta for the selected few.

For Winchesters Iain Percy, Grand Prix Series in Germany, the week following Kiel.

The five day event will be the final tune up opportunity for the Tornado’s and Star’s as they move straight onto the Tornado Worlds in Denmark and an Elite performer on the World Class Performance Programme, it will a chance to hopefully continue his winning ways having beaten the very best of the worlds Finn sailors in Oostende ten days ago to claim the Finn European championship title at his second attempt.

Ben Ainslie will also be aiming to take the top step on the Podium as he did last year. Following Kiel, Ainslie’s next challenge will be to defend his European title in Finland, having won the Gold medal twice in three years and taken Bronze on the third occasion.

Top Star crew Mark Covell will not be competing at Kiel due to a knee injury sustained during the Danish Springs earlier this month.

For a number of youth sailors, who are still new to Olympic class boats and racing, Kiel week once again represents an excellent opportunity to familiarise themselves with Olympic standard competition.

“It will interesting to see how British sailors fair against Australia, who as the current top sailing nation in Olympic classes, having been aiming to peak at Kiel as it forms the first part of their Olympic selection process” said RYA Olympic Manager John Derbyshire.

In addition to the Olympic classes competition, some 14 international disciplines will also be competing in Kiel as well as a large contingent of offshore yachts, including the Mumm 36 class who will contest their World championship. With over 5000 competitors, Kiel’s reputation in the maritime world as the ‘Yachtsman’s Wimbledon’ continues to grow. Further information on the international classes and keelboats can be found at http://www.kyc.de/regatta/kieler-woche/ .