Tauranga sailor Peter Burling and crew Blair Tuke opened their 49er World Championship with a win in the opening race of the regatta in Clearwater, Florida.

Three Olympic class sailing World Championship regattas got underway today in what is being described as challenging conditions.

Challenging Florida conditions. Photo: Jen Edney.

The 49er fleet, featuring close to 70 boats, sailed just one heat in blustery, wavy conditions which increased as the day progressed.

The women's 49erFX skiff fleet, in the final build-up to their first ever Olympics, were scheduled to sail after the men today, but racing was abandoned. One race was possible to open the 2016 Nacra 17 World Champs.

Taking the win in their first fleet race, Burling and Tuke share the early lead in the Championship with Denmark's Jonas Warrer and Anders Thomsen who took the gun in their heat.

'Today was day one of the 49er World Champs and it was a pretty big forecast last night,” says Burling after reaching the shore.

'I think there was a fair bit of tension this morning as to whether we'd actually get out there for a race today because we've all seen how choppy and tricky it gets out there when the breeze gets up. We were really fortunate that it was light enough this morning to get out there for a race.

'We're really happy to take a win in that first race. We got off the line pretty well and managed to keep it upright. I think a fair few guys were swimming and doing a fair bit of damage to their gear and we're really happy to get a solid one under our belt to start with.”

It's the 49er World Champs in an Olympic year and the goal for the whole campaign is to try for gold in Rio.

'We've got a lot of little steps along the way, and we're trying a lot of things this week. It's good to check in and see how everyone is going,” says Burling.

Isaac McHardie and Trent Rippey, who are part of New Zealand's Aon Fast Track Squad, can be pleased with their first race; finishing 11th the young pair will be buoyed as they head into day two of racing against the world's best.

The women in the 49erFX skiff have to wait another day to get started.

'We were held on shore waiting for men to finish, and then as conditions got worse they were sent in,” says Alex Maloney. 'Hopefully we start tomorrow!”

The Nacra 17 mixed gender multihull fleet had just one race in the trying conditions.

New Zealand has two boats entered. Aon Fast Track Squad sailors Olivia Mackay and Micah Wilkinson started strongly with an 11th place in the opening race, while NZL Sailing Team's Gemma Jones and Jason Saunders finished 25th.

'When the race started [the conditions] built up a lot and it shifted left, and the sea state came up and by the end of it waves were pretty much breaking over the top of us,” says Gemma Jones.

'It was a really crazy race, it didn't go so well for us, we had two spills which were very frustrating, but we had good speed so a lot of positives as well.”

They are aiming to get in a few podium finishes before the games.

Sailing as one fleet throughout the regatta the Nacra crews' race results today are their overall standing as they head into day two of the regatta tomorrow.

Racing resumes tomorrow in Clearwater. Qualifying racing runs until tomorrow in Florida, before the regatta moves to finals racing. Medal races are planned for Sunday, February 14.

New Zealand's current standings:

49er World Championship

1st Peter Burling & Blair Tuke (1)

21st Isaac McHardie & Trent Rippey (11)

43rd Logan Dunning Beck & Jack Simpson (22)

54th Markus Somerville & Josh Porebski (35)

49erFX World Championship – no racing possible today

Alexandra Maloney & Molly Meech

Erica Dawson & Ellie Copeland

Nacra 17 Championship

11th Olivia Mackay & Micah Wilkinson (11)

25th Gemma Jones & Jason Saunders (25)