Youth America's Cup skipper Peter Burling and team mate Blair Tuke headline a strong and confident Kiwi contingent ahead of next week's 49er and 49erFX World Championships in Marseille, France.

Running from Tuesday to Sunday, the world championships features five New Zealand entries including Olympic silver medallists Burling and Tuke, who are looking to go one better after consecutive silver medals in 2011 and 2012.

Peter Burling and Blair Tuke will race together in next week's 49er and 49erFX World Championships in Marseille, France.

Fresh from victory at the inaugural Red Bull Youth America's Cup in San Francisco earlier this month the pair also won the 49er European Championship title in June at Denmark.

With more than 150 entries across the Men's 49er fleet and Women's 49erFX fleet more than 300 sailors, including ten New Zealanders, are converging on the French venue.

Tuke says the pair have been very careful in making sure they are recharged after the super busy month in San Francisco and are brimming with confidence leading up to the championships.

'This is the largest 49er event since 2001 and the fleet is of a really high standard,” says Tuke.

'The British have some really strong teams as usual, the French will be good on their home waters and Nath and Goobs [Olympic champions, Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen from Australia] are here for their first 49er event since the Olympic Games.”

Organisers have named an experimental format including theatre style racing on the final day meaning the course will be bounded on both sides using a lane rope so teams cannot sail to the corner of the race course.

This is similar to the boundaries seen in the 34th America's Cup except they are physical boundaries, not virtual. Something which will have little impact on their game plan, says Tuke.

'The format is what it is; it doesn't really change what we do. We showed at the European Champs that we perform well under pressure so we get quite excited by the medal races. But we need to make it there first though.

'We don't go into these things aiming for 2nd place, but we will just give next week our best shot and see what happens. If we sail well we will be towards the front of the fleet.”

Alexandra Maloney and Molly Meech is the Kiwi crew to watch in the 52-strong Women's 49erFX fleet. Currently ranked world number one the pair have medalled at all three major internationals they have attended so far in 2013 with their major rivals including Nielsen and Olsen of Denmark and Grael and Kunze of Brazil.

Men's 49er -98 boats

Peter Burling and Blair Tuke (NZL Sailing Team)
Marcus Hansen and Josh Porebski (NZL Sailing Team)
Ben Goodwin and Sam Bullock

Women's 49erFX – 52 boats

Alex Maloney and Molly Meech
Erica Dawson and Ellie Copeland