AIS and Australian sailors are preparing for the fifth round of the ISAF Sailing World Cup in Medemblik, Holland, with the regatta being the first time that the entire team has competed together this year.

Australian crews will be represented in nine of the classes competing.

The Australian Sailing Team had a successful Delta Lloyd Holland Regatta in 2010 with the team bringing home two Golds and a Silver medal, with Tom Slingsby and Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen standing on the top step of the Laser and 49er classes respectively while Mathew Belcher and Malcolm Page were second in the 470s.

Reigning Laser World Champion and ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Tom Slingsby heads into the event with an impressive run of seven straight medal finishes in ISAF Sailing World Cup events.

“I’ve been out of the boat for the last month sailing in other classes and am looking forward to getting back in to racing here,” Slingsby said.

“For me the next event in Weymouth is a peak event so this week is about continuing to improve and spend time in the boat.

“We’re missing a few of the top guys in our fleet and some people have been saying that it will be easier to win but that’s never the case in the Laser class, anybody can win on their day and the competition will still be tough no matter who is racing.”

49er sailors Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen will be aiming for their third straight victory in Holland, with this regatta being their first since Sail Melbourne last December.

“While we didn’t travel to the last three World Cup events, we’ve been doing a lot of training at home and are feeling pretty good heading into the regatta,” Outteridge said.

“We’ve done a lot of preparation over the last few months with a new boat, new mast and new sails and are keen to tune up against an international fleet before we head to Weymouth.”

In the 470 men’s class 2010 World Champions Mathew Belcher and Malcolm Page have had a mixed start to this year’s World Cup with a Gold and Silver medal in the first two rounds and then a seventh and a sixth in rounds three and four.

“After our first two regattas in Europe this year we found that we weren’t at the same level as the other top guys after taking time off in February and March,” Page said.

“After some more time in the boat we feel we’re getting back up there now.”

In the Women’s Match Racing competition Australia has two entries with Olivia Price making her World Cup debut as a skipper, alongside Nina Curtis and Rayshele Martin, while Katie Spithill, Jessica Eastwell and Lucinda Whitty will sail together.