Bermuda 2012 Olympic sailing hopefuls, Zander and Jesse Kirkland, left the Island on Boxing Day for the Bahamas where the 2010 World 49er Championships will begin this Saturday.

And after the Worlds the brothers will make the short flight to Miami where the North American 49er Championships will be held after which they will continue training out of the US Sailing Center in Coconut Grove before competing in the Miami Olympic Classes Regatta at the end of January.

Jesse, 21, an All American and a standout on St. Mary's College sailing team in Maryland, said that next month would be the first major push for qualifying for the Olympics.

Brother Zander, 26, had been in Bermuda for a while but Jesse arrived back from college just before Christmas.

"We have been trying to get some training in but the weather has been pretty bad – we have been out a few times," said Jesse before leaving on Saturday.

The brothers have a 49er in Bermuda for training purposes. "We got it last winter and we will keep it here. We got a new boat from way down south and it should be in the Bahamas when we get there," said Jesse.

That boat came from the factory in New Zealand and they managed to get some training in it near St. Mary's College this past fall.

Right now the brothers will be using the regattas in January to get used to the 49er – a racing machine if there ever was one.

The 49er is a double-handed twin trapeze boat, meaning that it is sailed by a helm and a crew – the helm making many tactical decisions as well as steering, and the crew doing most of the sail control. The design was considered revolutionary and the class has been experiencing an increase in popularity due to its selection as an Olympic class starting with the Sydney Olympics of 2000.

Of their sailing in Maryland in the fall, Zander said recently: "The boat held up great in the training and we are excited about getting her up to full speed. As far as the sailing went, it was perfect for learning the boat as the majority of the breeze was light to moderate.

"We had a couple days with some solid breeze and what a blast to feel the boat get up and go. Hopefully with time our consistency will improve. We spent hours working on our light air tacks and gybes and were stoked to feel some improvement over the course of the training".

Jesse said before travelling to the Bahamas: "This will be our first Worlds in the 49er. We have not competed in any events in this boat so we are going to be relatively new to it. Right now it is all about getting some time in the boat and seeing how it sails and also the tactics which are involved."

There are about 60 teams from all over the globe entered in the World Championships.

"I know some of them as I sailed against them in the Optimist way back in the day," added Jesse.

But right now the brothers' main concern is to get used to the boat and competing against the best.

"This is are starting point for the 2012 Olympics for us," said Jesse. "But I still have to finish one more semester at school."

After that the training and racing for the Olympics goes up a notch.

At St. Mary's, Jesse competes in the 420 class. "But the 49er is a completely different animal," he said.

"After the Worlds we will go to Miami and train for a bit and do the North Americans and following that the Miami Olympic Classes Regatta. It is very convenient that we have three championships within 50 square miles and we are very excited about the prospects of having three regattas within a very short time period."

The World Championships will be staged from January 2-9 while the North American Championships will be held from January 15-18 with the Miami Olympic Classes Regatta being held from Janaury 24-31.

While Jesse finishes up his school in the early summer, brother Zander will return to California where he works for an alternative energy company and also teaches sailing in Newport.

"He will do that while I finish school and then when I get out we will go to Europe in the summer – that is our plan. In Europe we will compete in some championships and then come back to Bermuda for a little bit in July and August and then back over to Europe at the end of August for more racing," said Jesse.

They are also being helped by Zack Maxam, a two-time runner up at the US Olympic trials in the 49er class. Maxam will be coaching the brothers before the Worlds for several days.

Zander said: "He is a good buddy of mine and he has worked with us before. He knows many of secrets of the class and has finished in the top 10 at the Worlds before."

While both Zander and Jesse have excelled in the numerous classes in which they have sailed, two years ago they became the first brothers to win the annual Long Distance Comet Race for coveted Edward Cross Cup.