The normally tranquil Great Sound is set to spring to life on Monday when more than 200 junior sailors from around the world descend on the waters.

Rated second only to the Olympics by the International Yacht Racing Union (IYRU), this year's Nautica World Youth Sailing Championships bring to the Island the globe's best sailors under the age of 18.

And with some 240 confirmed entrants from 44 countries this will be the largest competition of its sort held outside Europe.

An Olympic-style opening ceremony takes place tomorrow at Dockyard (6 p.m.) which has rolled out the red carpet for the 10-day event, this year celebrating its 25th anniversary and armed with a $250,000 budget, courtesy of title sponsors Nautica and several other local businesses and organisations.

David Chu, president of Nautica, said: "The championship is the beginning of many successful sailing careers -- we look at the success of Chris Dickson and Paul Cayard to see the important role that IYRU plays in the development of some of our top sailors.'' Paul Henderson, current IYRU president, added: "The championship is the focal point in a young sailor's career. However, it also provides an opportunity for this wide and varied mixture of small and large nations to come together to enjoy sailing and to make new friends.'' Favoured to take the team title -- awarded to the country that accumulates the highest overall points -- is New Zealand.

As the defending champions the Kiwis will be anxious to repeat, but face stiff competition from the likes of France, Australia, Great Britain and the United States.

Of the quintet, France have won the overall title twice, while Australia and New Zealand have captured honours once each.

Six individual world titles will also be on the line, including boys single-handed Lasers, double-handed Laser II and Mistral and girls single-handed Laser Radial, double-handed Laser II and Mistral.

Great Britain's Ben Ainslie enters as the favourite in the 38-strong Laser class, while the girls side appears wide open.

Two-time defending Laser II girls champ Sally Cuthbert will be trying for the three-peat with sister Jessie as crew. However, close rivals Melinda Henshaw and Linda Dickson of New Zealand, runners-up the past two years are hopeful of a placement reversal.

In boys Laser Two the Aussie duo of Justin Steel and Christian Stevens rank among those with a solid shot at the gold medal.

Among the board sailors, two-time world champion Amir Levinson stands alone atop the boys heap, while the female division appears wide open.

Bermuda will be represented in five of the six categories, with Megan Spurling (girls Lasers), Jessie DeCouto (boys Laser), Martin Mello (Sail Boards), Duncan Simons and Kevin Zuill (boys Laser II) and Nicki Crane and Charlotte Watlington (girls Laser II).

For the locals the regatta is expected to be a learning experience, offering them a rare chance to gain exposure against the best in the world.

Bermuda's Paula Lewin finished an impressive fifth out of 150 boats at the European Open in Malmo, Sweden yesterday, though two disappointing finishes denied her a top three placing.

In the first of two European Dinghy races yesterday, Lewin fell from fifth to 25th on the last leg.

In the next race she improved to finish 15th which was good enough to lift her from the sixth placing overnight to fifth overall.

Next week Lewin competes in the European Championships at the same venue before returning home on July 18.