Craig Davis, the Bermuda sailor, will venture into the unknown at next week’s International One Design North American Championship in Chester, Nova Scotia.

The occasion will mark the first time that the 44-year-old skipper, who is a past IOD North American champion, and his crew have sailed in that region.

“It will be interesting because it’s a venue that none of us have sailed yet and we are all looking forward to going up there,” Davis said. “It’s a very beautiful location and hopefully we will get decent wind.”

The regatta will be somewhat of a family affair for Davis who will be joined on deck by his wife, Laura, who is serving as tactician, and his sister, Lisa Siese, who will work the foredeck.

Sarah Fletcher, jib, and Nicole Butterworth, main sail, make up the remainder of Davis’ crew.

“It’s a team effort and we sail a lot together and it’s a good bunch,” Davis added.

The local team will have their work cut out for them competing among a world-class field that includes John Burnham, who is a multiple past IOD world champion and Bermuda Race Week winner.

“It’s a strong competitive field that’s going to be racing and we are looking forward to some good competition,” Davis said. “The field is quite tight to be honest.”

The 2014 International One Design North American Championships are being hosted by the Chester IOD Fleet and the Chester Yacht Club and will be held August 29-31 on the waters of Mahone Bay. The racing format will see teams compete on a windward — leeward course with three races each day on the first two days outside the harbour of Chester and two races on the last day inside the harbour. Each skipper will sail a different boat each day that will be provided by the host fleet. Skippers will draw for boats prior to the start of the regatta.

The event will feature eights teams comprised of sailors from San Francisco, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Nova Scotia, Maine and Bermuda that will compete in the Chester IOD fleet, which is the most recent fleet of IOD sloops internationally.

“The fleet up there have done an awful lot of work in putting up a start up fleet,” Davis said. “Even a couple of the old Bermuda boats are up there.”

n Rockal Evans and girlfriend crew Christina Barnard won last weekend’s Lawrence “Stickers” Hendrickson comet race hosted by the Mid Atlantic Boat and Sports Club. Finishing second was Stevie Dickinson and crew Pat Young with Scott Fox and crew Wesley Tucker rounding off the podium.

n Italy’s Luna Rossa Challenge, Britain’s Ben Ainslie Racing and Team France were confirmed yesterday bringing the challenges up to five for the 2017 America’s Cup. They join Emirates Team New Zealand and Sweden’s Artemis Racing who have already paid the $1?million first installment of the $2?million entry fee.