Setting sail for Optimist championships

Nine Queen Charlotte Yacht Club sailors will take on New Zealand's best at the North Island Optimist Championships, starting tomorrow in Napier.

Callum Radford, Connor Hickey, Hamish Baxter, Taylor Burn, Grace Hawtin, Evie Baxter, Stephie Loncar, Hamish Clark and Alistair Gifford will take to the water in the three-day regatta, which will see 180 boats compete.

Burn is currently New Zealand's top-ranked Optimist sailor after winning the national championships at Worser Bay, Wellington in April, and will be looking to defend that position.

Others hoping to perform well are Gifford, who placed first in his age group at the nationals, and Hawtin, who placed second. Gifford recently returned from representing the New Zealand Development Team in Noumea at the New Caledonian Optimist nationals.