International Race Week.

Deputy Premier and Cabinet Minister Jerome Dill is the Appleby, Spurling & Kempe partner representing an American sunfish sailor, Mr. Harry League, who has filed a writ in the Supreme Court against the RBYC.

The AS&K lawyer said that Mr. League was a long-time participant in the RBYC event and had been denied an invitation to participate in this year's racing.

Mr. Dill said that Mr. League, who had competed in the yacht club event since 1988, "had a legitimate expectation that his application to participate in the 1995 International Race Week would be dealt with fairly. He's been denied the opportunity to participate in the sunfish class. That was the situation that arose in June and he has taken the matter seriously, as most of these sailors do.'' Mr. League, an Illinois resident, wants a declaration that he was unfairly dealt with, and any future applications to be dealt with fairly. He is also seeking unspecified damages.

The RBYC has another view. They say that participation in the International Race Week is by their invitation only. They are represented by Conyers, Dill & Pearman partner, lawyer Ms Robin Mayor.

Commodore Mr. Brian Billing said: "He had been in other events in the past and felt that he should have been invited this year, and he wasn't. It's one of those things. I don't know why he is pursuing it, but he is, and we have to defend ourselves.

"We open the event up to as many people as we can possibly accommodate within the classes and number of boats we have. We decide each year who we are going to invite. We send the invitations out and fill up the number of slots and if somebody else wants to get invited, then we're sorry.'' "It's an invitational thing. We are the host and have the option to invite, and if we decide not to invite, then that's our decision. The invitations are decided by the International Race Week committee.''