SAILING: IT'S ALMOST a rite of passage for the world's top sailors. Olympic Games or America's Cup, many of the best known veteran champions have started with the ISAF Youth World Championships, which this year will be held on Dublin Bay.

Britain’s Ben Ainslie, poised to become the most successful sailing Olympian this year, is a former winner, as is Brazil’s multiple gold medallist Robert Scheidt. Other names such as Christina Roug and Tessa Parkinson all earned their Olympic medals along a pathway that included the youth worlds, as did New Zealand’s America’s Cup heroes Russell Coutts and Dean Barker.

Ireland’s London 2012 hopefuls are no exception. The Star keelboat class duo of Peter O’Leary and David Burrows have separately competed, with the former sailing in three events and counting a sixth as his best place.

The 49er skiff sailor Matt McGovern graduated, as did Annalise Murphy, though she had more success later on when she won the Under-21 Laser Radial world title, in Weymouth where the London 2012 Olympic regatta takes place in August this year.

The ISAF Youth Worlds, with title sponsorship from Four Star Pizza, will be sailed in Dún Laoghaire, which has an added advantage for the home contingent in that less than two months time the annual Mitsubishi Motors Youth National Championships are held on Dublin Bay.

Given the high-profile event looming this summer, it’s hardly surprising the Irish championship will have an international flavour, with as many as six overseas squads expected, including Britain and New Zealand.

The Easter Week championship serves as part of the national selection process for the world championships; just one boat per class is allowed. The normal qualification criteria has been relaxed – slightly – this year by the Olympic Steering Group, who require a top-two placing in the Irish championships plus a top 50-per-cent result at designated international events prior to the worlds for selection.

Competition is likely to be closest in the single-handed Laser Radial Boys, where Robbie Gilmore (Strangford Lough YC), Finn Lynch (Blessington SC) and Fionn Lyden (Baltimore SC) are well-matched.

Amongst the Laser Radial girls, Sophie Murphy (Quoile YC) and Sian Kneafsey (National YC) will square off for the single place.

In the double-handed classes, Patrick Crosbie and Grattan Roberts (Royal Cork YC), Aodh Kennedy and Peter Stokes (Royal Cork YC) will be contenders for the 420 class, though the many new young partnerships still being finalised in the girls makes predictions harder prior to the nationals.

Ireland does not yet have sufficient numbers for two other world’s classes, though this hasn’t stopped Seán and Tadgh Donnelly from the National Yacht Club from competing for the SL16 catamaran class, while Alex Rumball and Rory McStay (Royal St George YC/Royal Irish YC) will compete in the 29er skiff, with a potential entry from Schull also awaiting confirmation.

Also in the youth nationals, the younger Optimist sailors will be using the event as their first leg of the trials for both world and European championships, in addition to a development squad for continental events this summer.

This year will also be the first time in three years the national class is sending a squad to the Optimist worlds, while Sophie Browne from Tralee Bay Sailing Club was the sole Irish sailor in Napier at the end of last year.

Meanwhile, the Topper Laser 4.7 single-handed classes will be deciding places on the ISA national squads.