coming recently that they will host the 2001 International 14 World Championships.

A bid presented to the class officers by Bermudian international juror Robin Judah during the recent World Championships in Beer, England, was accepted, allowing Bermuda to organise the competition for the first time.

"It is quite a coup for us. We've had world championships in the past -- the last being the International One Design Worlds -- but this is a major worldwide class,'' said RBYC commodore Somers Cooper.

"You see the boats here during (International) Race Week and it's a very exciting boat to watch, a very high performance dinghy and it is a feather in our cap to be granted the opportunity to put this on.'' However, the commodore noted that acceptance was only the beginning, as now the real work begins -- such as landing the craft in Bermuda from the various points around the globe.

And with competitors expected from as far away as Australia and New Zealand, there are some logistical complications facing Cooper and his crew of volunteers.

"The added difficulty with the I-14s is that they put together groups of eight boats in 40-foot containers and Bermuda doesn't handle 40-foot containers on a regular basis, so there's some tricky logistics involved that we have to deal with and that is one of the main challenges,'' continued Cooper.

"The other major challenge was to try to keep the prices down as far as entry fees and so on, just to be competitive with other countries interested in hosting. Bermuda is difficult to get to and an expensive place to stay once you get here and the difficulty with the shipping adds to that expense.'' Organisers are expected to face a deficit of at least $50,000 even after competitors have submitted their entry fees, monies which are expected to be made up through corporate sponsorship and donations from the general public.

To this end Cooper noted that they have and will be sending out requests to potential sponsors and the general public.

Yet having hosted such prestigious competitions as the Gold Cup, International Race Weekend, Newport-Bermuda Race and several IOD Worlds, the club are confident of staging a successful event.

"We have the experience and background to do what needs to be done to make this a well run event,'' said Cooper. "Everything is in place, we just need the volunteers to get crackin'.'' Racing will take place towards the end of November, with the competition over two weeks in two events, with team racing in Hamilton Harbour dominating the first. Some 90 boats could see action in the Great Sound the week following.

Making the situation ironic is the fact that Bermuda does not even possess a fleet of its own.

Local architect Ted Wood first introduced the lightning fast two-man dinghy to the Island two years ago as part of International Race Week and the competitors took an immediate liking to conditions on the Island.

"Ted was the point person for them and sparked their interest and once they came to Bermuda they really liked it here and, particularly the Canadians, thought that this would be a great place for the World Championships. That planted the seed and between Ted Wood and Jordy Walker, they got the ball rolling and that's where we are today.''