There will be a significant increase in traffic at the Ferry Reach starting line for Sunday?s Annual Round the Island Powerboat Race with more than double last year?s entry confirmed.

And with weekend weather forecasts calling for settled conditions, it remains anybody?s guess which powerboat among the multiple classes will eventually take the chequered flag ? along with bragging rights for the next 12 months ? given that the playing field has been levelled via individual class time trials.

Last year saw a total of 11 boats from five classes set out on the 46-mile circumnavigation. But out of that total only six crossed the finish line in the East End as many boats fell victim to either mechanical breakdown or imposing ten-foot swells heading down the course?s notorious South Shore.

There were no finishers among either the A or C Classes.

Despite severing an engine cable and damaging the propeller blade on his D Class entry, former Bermuda Powerboat Association (BPBA) Commodore Robert DeCosta took the chequered flag in a winning time of 49 minutes and seven seconds.

?That was the nastiest I have seen in all my years. They said three to five foot swells, but they didn?t mention the tens,? DeCosta told .

?It was pretty messy out there and I think we nosedived six or seven times.?

It was the first time in 14 attempts DeCosta had crossed the finish line first at Ferry Reach.

Andy Stoneham won the S Class in a time of 39 minutes and 53 seconds while current BPBA Commodore Chris Roque and co-pilot Mark Richardson captured the B Class in a time of one hour, 11 minutes and 50 seconds.

While Roque is back to defend his title, co-pilot Richardson has since moved on and will race against his former team-mate this time around. Roque is joined by new co-pilot Matthew Smith.

?We will be ready,? declared the BPBA chief. ?And I know we have a good chance.?

Twenty-six boats are now set to compete in the A, B, C, D and S Classes on Sunday while added to the list are the Factory and Pro Classes, extending the overall number of classes to seven.

Numbers in the Jet Ski race are also up considerably from ten last year to 18. Scott Barnes won the Jet Ski modified Class and Dorann Simons the Stock Class.

?We are extremely pleased with the numbers and hopefully it continues to grow in years to come,? commented Round the Island race director Kareem Johnson.

Johnson attributes this year?s increase in overall numbers to two key factors ? time trials and staggered starts for each class.

?In past years the sky has been the limit in each class,? he said. ?Basically whoever spent the most money pretty much won. Now you can buy an 80 mph boat but with the time staggered everyone roughly finishes close together. So an actual B Class boat can very well win the race . . . everyone is ready and raring to race.?

As for safety measures, Johnson added: ?We are extremely happy with the safety procedures that are in place. We have 40 crash boats and Marine Police and the Bermuda Regiment involved. The forecast actually looks really good for the weekend.?

One to two foot seas are expected inside the reefs and two to three outside in ten to 15 knot breezes.

?That?s not bad at all,? Johnson noted.