Windsurfer Shaw aiming for Miami World Cup hat-trick

Bryony Shaw sailing to Miami World Cup victory in 2015 © Richard Langdon / British Sailing Team

Miami's Biscayne Bay will play host to the first World Cup regatta of the Olympic and Paralympic year next week (25-30 January), with Rio-bound windsurfer Bryony Shaw aiming for a third consecutive victory at the Floridian venue.

The world number one dominated the RS:X women's fleet at the last year's edition of the event to win with a day to spare and reclaim her 2014 crown.

And with recent victories at the Sailing World Cup Final in Abu Dhabi and on Rio's 2016 waters at the Copa Brasil last month, Shaw's confidence will be high as she attempts to tame the 39-sailor women's RS:X fleet over six days of competition.

Shaw is one of 41 British Sailing Team athletes who'll be in action in seven Olympic and two Paralympic classes in Miami.

She's joined in the RS:X women's fleet by Izzy Hamilton, Launceston's Sills twins Imogen and Saskia, and recent Youth World Sailing Championship silver medallist Emma Wilson, while double Olympic medallist Nick Dempsey will feature in the men's windsurfing fleet along with Kieran Martin and Tom Squires.

With a mid-February World Championship looming in Clearwater on Florida's west coast, Britain's 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 crews will be hoping for a strong World Cup showing amid their final preparations.

Ben Saxton-Nicola Groves secured a silver medal in the Nacra 17 at last year's Miami World Cup and will be hoping for a repeat podium finish, with fellow Podium squad sailors John Gimson-Hannah Diamond also looking to impress. Podium Potential Nacra teams Tom Phipps-Nikki Boniface and Rupert White-Kirstie Urwin will also be in action.

49er duo John Pink-Stuart Bithell head in to the Miami World Cup off the back of their first regatta victory together at Rio's Copa Brasil last month, while they and Dylan Fletcher-Alain Sign will be hoping to upgrade into podium positions from their respective fifth and fourth place finishes on the same waters in 2015.

49er Podium Potential teams James Peters-Fynn Sterritt, the Hunter brothers Rory and Neil, Chris Taylor-Sam Batten and Jack Hawkins-Chris Thomas are also set to compete.

Charlotte Dobson-Sophie Ainsworth and Sophie Weguelin-Anna Burnet will fly the flag in the 49erFX, with Rio-bound Ali Young ready to race in the Laser Radial event and Lorenzo Chiavarini and Elliot Hanson contesting the men's Laser.

British sailors will aim to impress in both the featured Paralympic classes, with London 2012 gold medallist Helena Lucas looking for a first Miami gold, and Sonar trio John Robertson-Hannah Stodel-Steve Thomas hoping to continue the run of form which saw them crowned World Champions in Melbourne last month.

Racing at the Sailing World Cup Miami will get underway on Monday 25 January with the Paralympic classes concluding on Friday 29 January and the medal races for the Olympic classes scheduled for Saturday 30 January.

We'll bring you updates on Twitter @BritishSailing and on the British Sailing Team's Facebook page, and you can watch the World Sailing medal race feed live via www.britishsaiingteam.com from 1600hrs GMT on Saturday 30 January.