A pair of brand new racing 420s have been named after successful Tauranga sailors Peter Burling and Andrew Murdoch.

The boats were unveiled at the Tauranga Yacht and Power Boat Club on Sunday evening.

Bay of Plenty Sailing Academy Trust chairman Stuart Pedersen is happy with the additional racing craft.

'It's two more for our fleet, accompanying the four we received last year, and the nine we already had. We received a grant for one of them from TECT, and half of the other was paid for by the Lion Foundation.”

The Bay of Plenty Sailing Academy Trust owns the two-person vessels, which are used for racing by local high school students.

Teams train once a week from Tauranga Boys' College, Tauranga Girls' College, Otumoetai College, and Aquinas College.

Stuart says each team sails three boats in 10 minutes races, with each finishing place worth a certain number of points – one point for first, two for second, three for third, and so on.

The team with the lowest score – i.e. 10 or below – wins. It means a team could come first, second, and sixth, and still win overall.

'The idea is, if you have a fast boat, they shoot up ahead and try to stop the other team getting around the mark. It's very tactical, and fast-moving. It's like sevens rugby on the water, really.”

Peter Burling has won gold and silver medals in the 49er class at the Rio and London Olympics, respectively, as well as serving as the helmsman for Emirates Team New Zealand in their recent successful America's Cup campaign.

Andrew Murdoch has also sailed at the Olympics, finishing fifth in the Laser class in both 2008 and 2012.