A new men?s Byte world champion will be crowned later this week at Spanish Point Boat Club, hosts for the 2006 Byte CII World Championships.

Last year?s men?s winner, Jean Baptiste Bernaz of France, is not among a total of 18 international skippers who have registered for the nearly week-long regatta that will be contested in the Great Sound, starting from today (10 a.m.).

In all 33 sailors, heralding from North and South America, Europe, Asia and Bermuda, are set to compete for honours in both the men?s and women?s categories.

Defending women?s champion, Hana Blore of England, is back to defend her title, with competition coming from local sailors Eleanor and Madeline Gardner.

Bernaz?s vacated crown is expected to be hotly contested for by stalwarts Malcolm Smith and Stevie Dickinson with Ryan Saraiva and William Hutchings also among those who will be vying for the title.

The Byte CII is a fast, single-handed skiff type dinghy with a two-part carbon fibre mast and a fully battened Mylar sail.

The design of the self de-powering rig enables sailors ranging in weight from 110 to 160-lbs to compete on an even footing in all wind conditions.

?This class is not designed for age or gender or anything else but weight,? explained Byte designer Ian Bruce who designed the dinghy in Montreal, Canada in 1990. ?It is designed for a certain weight of sailor and that weight of sailor is what takes people from the Optimist ? probably the world?s most successful class ? and keeps them in sailing and feeds them on the rest of the world.?

?It is the most modern rig in the world on this size of boat. There is no other rig like it,? added Bruce.

Event organisers are hopeful of completing a maximum of 18 races over the next five days, with a minimum of four races required to constitute a series.

When 15 or more races have been completed, a skipper will be able to discard his or her three worst finishes.

Regatta public relations officer John Gardner said: ?What is interesting is that we have men and women competing with world champions like Malcolm Smith (former Sunfish champion) all in the same fleet which keeps things very competitive.?

At age 65, Canadian Alwyn Hughes is the oldest participant in the fleet, while Italy?s Lorenzo Franceschini and Bermuda?s own Jonathan Dill are the youngest at 14.

Organisers anticipate the current light air conditions to ?pick up? as the championships progress through the week.

?It?s going to build and that?s when you will see the Malcolms (Smith) and Stevie Dickinsons and some of the other boys probably coming from behind,? added Bruce, who has long been associated with sailing in Bermuda.

?This is a dinghy requiring good skills and a very sophisticated rig. And people still haven?t learned fully how to set the boat up. This is the way that sailing is going.

?And this is the type of rig you are now seeing on Americas Cup boats.?