A new Renaissance Re Junior Gold Cup champion will be crowned next week as last year's winner Jes Lyhne Bonde won't be back to defend his title in Hamilton Harbour.

Last year saw the Dane hold off a strong challenge from home town favourites James Anfossi and Brian Bulhoes who placed second and third respectively in the premier youth sailing event that runs concurrently with the prestigious King Edward VII Gold Cup, the penultimate stage of the annual World Match Race Tour.

While Anfossi finished runner-up to Bonde, he too won't be competing in this year's event, leaving the likes of Bulhoes, Dimitri Stevens, Kalin Hillier and Owen Siese to shoulder the Island's hopes.

In all, there are 12 local sailors taking part in the Junior Gold Cup this year in an overall fleet of 26 representing 13 countries.

The Optimist dinghy is a seven-foot, nine-inch square bowed, sprit rigged boat designed by Florida resident Clark Mills in 1947 for children under the age of 16.

Following several modifications, the Optimist became a one-design class in 1995, some 23 years after Bermudians first appeared at the Optimists Worlds in Sweden. Since then local sailors have continuedto thrive in the class and next week should prove no exception as the Island's most promising future prospects flex their muscles against some of the best the world has to offer in their own back yard.

"The Renaissance Re Junior Gold Cup will take place under the backdrop of the King Edward VII Gold Cup itself. This event has become a significant international event with top ranked junior sailors coming to participate", commented Royal Bermuda Yacht Club commodore Ralph Richardson. "Three-time Olympic gold medallist Ben Ainslie has agreed to meet with the junior sailors to talk about the sport and to encourage them to continue to develop their skills."

Richardson added: "This international exposure (from the King Edward VII Gold Cup) can do nothing but promote the sport amongst our young sailors. We can see an emergence of interest in the sport amongst a broad cross-section of young Bermudians, thanks to the WaterWise programme which is being run in the public Middle schools.

"Several of the graduates of the WaterWise programme will be competing in this year's Junior Gold Cup. Dimitri Stevens has become quite a celebrity and an ambassador for Bermuda, Raheim Steede is up and coming while Brian Bulhoes is the 2007 Bermuda national champion.

"I am encouraged that Bermuda is on the path to winning its first Olympic gold medal in sailing. It will likely be won by a member of this group of committed young sailors. The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club and its members are very proud to be a part of the development of the sport and would like to thank the Bermuda Government for its support of sailing, which I believe should be designated as Bermuda's true national sport."

King Edward VII Gold Cup press officer Talbot Wilson believes top youth sailing events such as the Junior Gold Cup are an essential part of development for Bermudian sailors at the grass roots level.

He said: "Bermuda's young sailors, who are the Island's best hope for a future Olympic medal, need to experience top level competition. Many of them travel to international events, but the Renaissance Re Junior Gold Cup brings the best Opti sailors in the world to them at home."

Like Richardson, Wilson is also a big subscriber to youth sailing initiatives such as the WaterWise Programme which has stimulated more interest in the sport at the grass roots level and so far proven a smashing success in local Middle schools.

The WaterWise Programme is a collaboration between Bermuda Sailing Association (BSA), the Ministry of Youth Development, Sport and Recreation and the overseas based WaterWise Educational Foundation.

"The WaterWise Programme in the public schools has been an important reason why Bermuda is turning its eyes back on sailing and watersports," Wilson added. "Youngsters like Dimitri Stevens have taken the opportunity to grow their sailing skills through the programme, and they will be among the future stars of sailing. Sailing in the Junior Gold Cup will certainly help them along the way."

The Junior Gold Cup runs from October 9-12 with fleet races to be held in the Great Sound and the final in Hamilton Harbour.