Bermuda's well-travelled national Optimist dinghy team are heading overseas again ? this time to the most prestigious of all junior regattas, the World Championships in St. Moritz, Switzerland.

Following their success at the IODA North American Championships in Trinidad and Tobago and the European Championships in Poland, five of Bermuda's top young sailors are now set for the ultimate challenge.

Sean Bouchard, Cameron Pimentel, Oliver Riihiluoma, Jason Saints and Elijah Simmons will be accompanied on the trip to Switzerland by national Optimist coach Pablo Weber, team leader Mary Bouchard and country representative Leslie Pimentel.

Sponsored by XL Capital, the team face six days of fleet racing and one day of team racing as they compete against 234 of the worlds' leading young sailors from 52 countries.

Racing begins this Saturday.

The Bermuda team was selected through qualifying trials which began at the XL Bermuda International Optimist Regatta last December, which pitted 33 of the Island's young sailors against 41 others from around the globe. All 19 of the qualifying races were held in the Great Sound and on courses set to IODA's international standards.

Bermuda Optimist Dinghy Association president Eddie Saints said: "We are extremely proud of our young sailors who have worked very hard over the past year in preparation for this most prestigious event in Optimist sailing.

"We wish our sailors the very best of success and know that they will proudly represent Bermuda among the many competing nations of the world.

"BODA is very grateful to XL Capital for their endorsement of Optimist sailing in Bermuda and their generous sponsorship of Bermuda's World Championship team."

Seventeen year-old skipper Jesse Kirkland found himself standing proudly on the podium at the Laser Canadian Championships held over the weekend.

Kirkland finished runner-up to American rival Kyle Rogachenko during the five-race series which saw the Bermudian score bullets in the first and fourth races in extremely light conditions and strong water currents.

However, a disappointing 12th place finish in the second race put a dent in his championship hopes.

"That was an unfortunate race where the boats way on the left got ahead," lamented Kirkland. "I was leading and covering the majority of the fleet . . . except for 11 boats way left and I got stuck in a hole."

Kirkland and Rogachenko are no strangers to each other having begun their rivalry in Optimist racing six years ago and are presently training mates in the US.

Canada's McLean Hayley finished third over the weekend.