In a first for Dunedin, the five girls, Isobel Sanderson (14), Fern Stoddart (14), Sarah Willers (13), Renee Mullins (15), Keala Hancock (13), have been invited to the exclusive regatta in Rarotonga, which is limited to about 20 sailors.
The regatta is organised by Auckland yachting identity Ross Sutherland, who every year invites novice sailors from New Zealand and Tonga to Rarotonga, to take part in a regatta, which involves teams racing.
Otago Girls' High School teacher Hilary Sutherland - no relation of Ross - said she was an umpire at a national teams racing event in Auckland earlier this year and the topic came up as to why no school from Dunedin had ever been to the regatta.
Ross Sutherland, who has been running the regatta since 2004, usually only invited one or two sailors from each region but decided to get interest up in Dunedin, he would invite all the girls.
Ned Hudson from Mount Aspiring College, in Wanaka, is also attending the regatta.
Teams racing will also be sailing of a different kind for the girls, after the individual racing which is offered in Dunedin.
Teams racing requires a minimum of six - another pupil from New Zealand will be added to the Otago Girls' High School team - and requires plenty of skill and speed of thought.
There are two sailors in each of the three Sunburst boats to make up a team.
With teams racing the girls must help each other to advance up the course and finish in a better position than the opposing three boats.
It is not just straight round the markers and first across the line.
There are many rules which allow blocking and placing opposing boats in unfavorable positions.
It is also over very quickly. A normal fleet race can take more than 90 minutes but teams racing is over in a matter of minutes.
It takes between seven and 12 minutes for each race.
Tactics are the key and calls must be made quickly.
Points are allocated after each race and every placing gets points.
Hilary Sutherland said a lot of experienced sailors were brought up in teams yachting and it was very competitive in the North Island.
America's Cup skipper Peter Burling's sailing experience was in teams racing.
She said it was hoped other schools would get interested in teams racing in Dunedin and there would be some form of school competition at the end of the year.
Each pupil has to raise $1500 for the trip and they were busy getting the money together before the event in the July school holidays.
