Bermuda has proven to be happy hunting ground for Peter Wickwire.

The Nova Scotia helmsman upstaged multiple World Match Race Tour champion Ian Williams in the 2012 Argo Group Gold Cup and won last year’s Bermuda International Invitational Regatta.

Wickwire is back to defend his title at the Bermuda International Invitational Regatta, which begins tomorrow, and is looking forward to the challenge.

“We are very excited to be invited back to try to defend the Vrengen Cup,” he said. “The fact I can still find a little snow in our yard in Nova Scotia certainly has me excited for Bermuda.

“It’s a long series after a long winter. We’ll take the same approach as last year which is to focus on being conservative, making the fewest mistakes we can and doing the little things well. If we can do that again I suspect we will be competitive. The key is to not take ourselves out of it early and to work hard to be in touch going into the last couple of days.”

The regatta will consist of ten races with teams allowed to discard their worst score for every five races contested.

This year’s event will feature 70 overseas and local sailors among 13 teams competing in the International One Design racing sloop.

Flying Bermuda’s banner are skippers Patrick Cooper and George Cubbon.

All racing will be held in the Great Sound, venue for the 35th America’s Cup.

“I hope to see some of the [America’s Cup] crews out training, but our heads will need to be on a swivel because they’ll be by us in a split second,” Wickwire said. “It’s really too early to tell who will be the team to beat. But I will be cheering for Ben Ainslie and team. I’ve watched his career in awe, he’s as good as it gets.

“I hope they get the foil package right and if they do, all else being equal, an Ainslie led and helmed team will be tough to knock off.”