Sailing hero Rodney Pattisson will be carrying the Olympic flame through the borough’s 2012 venue tomorrow.

The double Olympic gold and silver medallist sailor is set to share an Olympic torch kiss with Portland’s up-and-coming sailor Katrina Hughes, who narrowly missed out on Team GB selection in the 470 dinghy class.

Day 55 of the Olympic Torch Relay will see the flame travel 107.8 miles. US Olympic track and field star Michael Johnson will be the first torchbearer of the day, carrying the flame from Salisbury Cathedral.

The relay will enter the county at Shaftesbury and through Dorchester and West Dorset before reaching Weymouth and Portland for an official evening celebration.

Iconic shots from the day, announced at a press conference at Weymouth Pavilion yesterday, will include 59-year-old cyclist Alan Surtees running the flame up Gold Hill, Shaftesbury, at 9.51am and Clive Allison, 37, of Poole, carrying the Olympic torch along Cobb Harbour at 3.50pm.

At 6.51pm, Skandia Team GBR’s Katrina Hughes, 22, of the Grove area will carry the flame into the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy at Osprey Quay, where she will pass it on to Mr Pattisson, who was Britain’s most successful sailing Olympian for 32 years after winning gold in the Flying Dutchman class at Mexico 1968 and Munich 1972, then silver at Montreal 1976.

Gary Fooks, Weymouth and Portland 2012 Operations Team deputy head, said: “Rodney Pattisson, one of our absolute heroes of sailing, will run the torch into the sailing academy, where 700 young people will be for the National School’s regatta.

“The flame will then travel across Portland Harbour into Weymouth Bay where Weymouth Rowing Club will undertake a fantastic procession along the seafront so everyone can see it.”

The flame will be carried into the beach Live Site by the borough’s youngest Councillor Ryan Hope. The 12,500 people with free tickets will then see torchbearer Di Ludlow light a cauldron on stage at 7.20pm.

Prior to tomorrow night’s performance featuring rapper Wretch 32, dance act Twist and Pulse and acrobatics, the Moving Tides children’s procession will herald the flame’s arrival into Weymouth.

Mr Fooks said: “More than 800 children from 20 schools across Weymouth and Portland are taking part, having developed their carnival skills – making costumes, learning dances and drumming techniques.

“When you see this vibrant, dancing, jumping carnival of young people think about the hours that have gone into making it happen.”

The torch will resume its journey on Friday from Portland Bill at 7.05am and travel around the island.

Celebrations will continue in Weymouth from 8.29am to 9.38am before progressing through Preston and Osmington to Purbeck and east Dorset.

View the full route at dorsetecho.co.uk/torchrelay