Mattia Camboni and Marta Maggetti will lead the RS:X Boys and Girls fleet when racing kicks off, in the Portuguese holiday region of Algarve.

The Italians have won gold at the 2013 RS:X Youth Worlds on their home waters of Civitavecchia, and want to show off, once again.

"Perhaps with it being my fourth ISAF Youth Worlds experience, it will help me. In 2012 I lost first place on the final day by two points and this year I am hoping to bounce back," says Camboni.

Mattia will have seven strong opponents. Radowslaw Furmanski, Toni Bonet, Jiwon Son, Arthur Ulrichsen, Gabriel Verrier-Paquette, Jock Calvert, and Juan Fernando Bazo are eager to steal the top honors, but there will be new faces racing for gold, too.

In the RS:X Girls fleet, Maggetti, 18, is on winning form, but Sara Wennekes has put in many hours of preparation and competition time leading up to the 2014 ISAF Youth Worlds.

"For me it is important to surf my own races and not be busy with the other competitors. I want to finish a good regatta and whoever will be my rivals I will try to beat them," adds Wennekes.

Tavira will gather more than 370 sailors from 68 nations competing in eight classes.