The J24 fleet in the this year's Bermuda International Invitational Race Week which gets underway tomorrow, is promising to provide plenty of excitement with entrants from Canada, the United States, Great Britain and the host country.

And all eyes will be on the Island's own Trevor Boyce who will be defending his title from 2008 – the first time a Bermuda skipper and crew had won the Race Week J24 title in over a decade.

Bruce Stone returns from St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco, having finished third last year, and will be looking forward to again competing right at the front of the fleet.

Hosts Royal Bermuda Yacht Club (RBYC), Race Week organisers since 1927, will also welcome newcomer Eric Jakimier who was Commodore of the Fort Worth Boat Club in 2006 and 2007.

Jakimier and his 'Conga Line' crew hail from the Dallas area of Texas and have been waiting for their moment to come down and compete in the event.

Doug Inglis will be making his third visit and along with his crew, he is also bringing Peter Cripton as skipper.

Besides Boyce, another local skipper, Tim Lynch, will be hoping to be in the mix. Sailing Erin, Lynch has been picking up podium places in the local J24 fleet during the past season and has been especially fast in lighter weather.

Jezebel is again competing, this year with a new man on the helm. Will Thomas-Ferrand, a winchman for three past Race Weeks, will be taking over with Gavin Collery (owner and usual skipper) switching to winches for the days that he can compete.

Meanwhile, for the first time, the RBYC, Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club (RHADC) and the J24 Class are sponsoring an all-Bermuda junior team.

Sixteen-year old Lance Fraser, who will skipper the boat, has a depth of experience for a young sailor. His racing includes the Junior Snipe Worlds in South America, the North American Snipe Championships, and other international regattas

The entire crew consists of 16-year-olds. All hail from the RHADC and are graduates from the RHADC junior sailing programme.

"'We are regulars in J24 racing,' Fraser commented, "and this year won the Wednesday Night Racing in the J24 Class as well as the J24 Match Racing Championships. We all sailed Optimists internationally for Bermuda before graduating out of the class."

Fraser is head boy at Warwick Academy and will be joined by Jason Saints (Warwick Academy), James Anfossi (Saltus) and Catalina Sposato (Saltus).

Racing throughout the week will be held on two courses – the keelboats ( IODs, J105s, International Etchells and J24s on the Alpha course while Lasers will sail the Bravo course.

Competitors will be representing Australia, Sweden, Norway, Canada, US and the UK as well as the usual strong contingent from Bermuda.

Details, entry lists, results and photos will be posted on the RBYC web site: http://www.rbyc.bm/Default.aspx?alias=www.rbyc.bm/biirw2009.

Racing starts each day at 11.00 a.m. with the prize-giving scheduled for the RBYC on Friday.