Top talent for Melbourne

A number of Australia's best sailors, including world champions and Olympic medal hopefuls, have confirmed their appearance at the first leg of the ISAF Sailing World Cup, Sail Melbourne.

The event, which will see Olympic medal hopefuls from around the world competing to confirm their places in their national teams for the London Olympics next year, starts at the Sandringham Yacht Club on November 6 and runs until November 12.

World champion and 2010 Rolex Sailor of the Year, Tom Slingsby, will be battling to hold his title in the Laser one-man dinghy, while Malcolm Page and Mathew Belcher, who currently hold every major title in the Men's 470 class, will also compete.

Slingsby says he is really looking forward to the regatta: "With the Olympics fast approaching, everyone is gearing up for a challenging series," Slingsby said.

Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen, who recently won the Olympic test event is Britain, will also be trying to stretch their run of wins in major events. Outteridge has just been named as a finalist for the 2011 Rolex Sailor of the Year award.

Olympic windsurfer Jessica Crisp will be using the regatta to prepare for what will be her fourth straight Olympic Games appearance for Australia, while Melbourne-born Krystal Weir is hoping to make a strong comeback after her strong performance at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

America's Cup winning skipper John Bertrand, who is the chairman of the selection committee for the Australian Sailing Team, says the high standard of the talent promises fierce competition. Bertrand expects more than 450 sailors from around the world to compete.

While most of the competitive action of Sail Melbourne will be on Port Phillip Bay, landlubbers will not be left out. While almost every race can be watched from the shoreline, Victorian Sport and Recreation Minister Hugh Delahunty has promised that Melbourne will more than live up to its sporting reputation and also stage a variety of other events to keep the public entertained.

"Melbourne has long been regarded as an international sporting capital and we are proud to support Sail Melbourne as it reaffirms the city's position at the top of the world stage," Delahunty says.