Olympic sailing gold medallist Mathew Belcher and new crewmate Will Ryan are riding the crest of a wave as they kickstart their 2013 season by training in storm-force conditions off the Gold Coast.

Belcher and Ryan have enjoyed a dream run since teaming up in November, recording victory in their first two regattas and setting a new 470 dinghy class record by winning all 10 races at December's Sail Melbourne world cup.

Those victories also helped Belcher finish 2012 undefeated - including at the London Olympics regatta where he won the 470 gold medal with former crewmate Malcolm Page.

Belcher and Ryan hope to extend the run further with victory in next week's 470 national championships at Port Stephens, on NSW's mid-north coast.

And they've been training for the event by pushing themselves and their boat to the absolute limit in 30 knot winds whipped up by the remnants of ex-tropical cyclone Oswald.

"We're probably pushing the limits in terms of equipment - but we haven't broken anything yet," Belcher told AAP.

"It's been phenomenal, it's really testing us."

Thirty knot winds would normally be too fast to race the 470 dinghy.

But the rough seas have been useful for Belcher and Ryan as they stress-test their fledgling partnership under the watchful eye of Australian sailing team head coach, Victor Kovalenko.

"Once the waves pick up, if you make a mistake you can put yourself or your equipment at risk," Belcher added.

"We did extremely well over the summer but we've got a lot of areas to improve.

"We're still getting used to each other - you know when you're grumpy the other guy understands - just building that trust between us."