Rob Greenhalgh, the European Moth champion, has hailed Bermuda as the best place he has ever sailed.

The British sailor has been on the Island for the past week preparing for the inaugural Amlin International Moth Regatta which starts tomorrow.

Greenhalgh is one of 60 sailors from 14 countries who are descending on Bermuda for the event, which carries a $10,000 prize purse.

“You jump at the opportunity to sail in an awesome venue like this at this time of year,” Greenhalgh said, after a day of practising in 12 to 15 knot winds.

“Sailing in the UK now is similar to New England, cold. December, January and February are not productive months, so it’s great to be here and get some racing in.

“I’ve been out practising for two days and this is the best place I’ve ever sailed.”

Greenhalgh staged a fantastic comeback to win the Moth European Championship, taking the last of ten races to overcome rival and compatriot Chris Rashley by one point, after Rashley had led from the first race.

Rashley, who finished second at the world championships in 2014, and fourth this year, is also taking part over the next several days, as are Ben Paton and Tom Offer, from Britain, both of whom finished in the top ten of the world championships last year.

Other notable entries include Anthony Kotoun of the United States Virgin Islands, a former US Nationals winner, Adriano Petrino of Switzerland, who won the Silver Fleet at the world championships this year, and longtime class competitors Eelco Boers, of Denmark, and Giovanni Galeotti, of Belgium.

Added to that will be as many as 15 America’s Cup sailors, with the likes of Dean Barker and Chris Draper of SoftBank Team Japan, Tom Slingsby and Kyle Langford of Oracle Team USA, and Francesco Bruni and Paul Goodison of Artemis Racing all scheduled to take part.

“There are a lot of good guys,” Greenhalgh said. “And with the Cup guys, we’ll have to be on the money.”

The Moth is a high-tech dinghy that races on hydrofoils. It has become popular with America’s Cup sailors as they learn the nuances of hydrofoiling in advance of the 35th America’s Cup, in Bermuda in 2017.

The regatta proper begins on Monday, with tomorrow and Sunday slated for practice races. Andy Cox, the regatta chairman, said the second practice race could take place on Hamilton Harbour to give spectators a close-up view of the action.

The races themselves will be held on the Great Sound, with two to three races a day.