THREE sailors from the Helensburgh and Lomond area have been chosen to represent Team GB at the Olympic Games in Tokyo - and they're all making final preparations before the first of their heats this week.
Charlotte Dobson, from Rhu, and her sailing partner Saskia Tidey are doing battle in the women's 49erFX category.
Luke Patience, also from Rhu, will partner Chris Grube in the men's 470 class.
And Shandon's Anna Burnet and her sailing partner John Gimson are going for glory in the Nacra 17 class - the only mixed-sex category on the Olympic sailing schedule.
READ MORE: Waiting until 2021 'no problem' for Rhu sailor Charlotte Dobson
The trio are all in action this week at the Enoshima Yacht Harbor as the heats in the 10 different categories begin ahead of the medal races next week.
The sailing venue in Fujisawa City is slightly more than 50 kilometres south-east of Tokyo.
It was built for the Tokyo 1964 Olympic Games and was Japan’s first ever harbour capable of hosting watersport competitions.
It has a capacity of 3,600 spectators.
READ MORE: Helensburgh area's sailors retain their places for Tokyo Olympics despite 12-month delay
The 10 sailing classes being contested at the Tokyo Olympics are:
Men’s and women’s RS:X – solo windsurfer
Men’s and women’s 470 – two-person dinghy
Men’s Laser – lightweight solo dinghy
Women’s Laser Radial – solo dinghy (smaller craft than the Laser)
Men’s Finn – heavyweight solo dinghy
Men’s 49er – high-performance two-person skiff boat
Women’s 49erFX – high-performance two-person skiff boat
Mixed Nacra 17 – two-person foiling catamaran
READ MORE: Patience eage to get among the medals as World Cup Series begins in Genoa
The heats in the women’s 49erFX category, with Dobson and Tidey competing, take place on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday of this week – July 27, 28, 30 and 31 – with the medal race on Monday, August 2.
In the men's 470 class, Patience is back for his third Olympics, after winning silver alongside Stu Bithell at London 2012 before teaming up with Grube to come fifth in Rio five years ago.
That was a remarkable result for the pair, who were thrown together late in the day for the Games after Patience's crewmate Elliot Willis was diagnosed with cancer, from which he has since recovered.
READ MORE: Burnet and Gimson win gold at Nacra 17 world championships
The 470 class heats will begin on Wednesday, July 28 and will continue on July 29 and 30 and August 1 and 2, with the medal race on August 4.
Anna Burnet and John Gimson won gold at the 2020 Nacra 17 world championships and begin their first Olympics together when the multi-hull class heats begin on Wednesady, July 28.
Further heats will be held on July 29 and 31 and on August 1 before the medal race on August 3.
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