Government's decision to axe the traditional Queen's Birthday holiday next year has come under heavy fire from veteran sailor Rudy Bailey who believes the change could have a negative effect on the Annual Long Distance Comet Race.

Since its inauguration in 1945, the race, which is traditionally staged on the same day as the Queen's Birthday holiday, has evolved into arguably the biggest sailing spectacle on the calendar, attracting thousands of observers and large flotillas of spectator boats that follow the fleet off the Island's northern coast.

But, in the aftermath of Government's recent announcement to eventually do away with the holiday and replace it with a National Heroes Day on October 13, Bailey, who has won the prestigious regatta on multiple occasions, believes the decision could result in fewer spectators coming out to watch the race.

He says the regatta risks losing some of the appeal it has enjoyed over the past six decades.

"Most of us (sailors) are very upset over this," Bailey said yesterday.

"We don't like it and if we had any say in the matter we would still have the Queen's Birthday holiday as it's always been.

"As far as we (comet class) are concerned, locally, this is by far the biggest regatta annually whereby the whole Island is looking at you.

"Personally, I put this regatta right up there with Cup Match. It's a major regatta that everybody looks forward to and we are very upset at the moment with the change.

"But I'm not surprised. I figured something like this would eventually happen. But what can we do . . . it's Ewart's (Premier Ewart Brown) world. We are just here to serve Ewart who is going to do whatever he wants."

Last week Minister of Culture and Social Rehabilitation, Dale Butler, announced that starting next year the Queen's Birthday would no longer be set aside as a public holiday, with amendments scheduled to be made to the Public Holiday Act of 1947 as early as next month.

Butler's announcement now forced Long Distance Race organisers to explore possible alternative dates to stage the proverbial 'crown jewel' in the annual comet schedule.

One alternative date Bailey has already suggested would see the 62-year old race held on the same weekend when the Queen's Birthday is to be observed after the axe officially falls on the mid-summer holiday in June, 2009.

"I think what we will probably end up doing is having the regattta take place closer to the original Queen's birthday like perhaps on a Sunday so that at least the spectators who like to follow the race in their pleasure boats can still do so when most are likely to be off from work," he said.

"But I think the changes will reduce the spectator fleet considerably . . . it just won't be the same feeling and I'm not impressed at all."

Earlier this week a petition was launched in favour of retaining the Queen's Birthday holiday which has already attracted nearly 2,000 signatures.