Bermuda’s bid to host the 35 America’s Cup has received a ringing endorsement from one of the world’s top match racing skippers.

Taylor Canfield, the reigning Alpari World Match Racing Tour champion, says that the Great Sound will provide the perfect arena to showcase the foiling wing-sail catamarans that are capable of reaching speeds of up to 55 miles per hour.

“I think Bermuda would be a great venue to host the next America’s Cup,” Mr Canfield said. “Bermuda has great weather, it’s a beautiful place and I think it would be incredible racing in the Great Sound, which is like basically a natural stadium for the style of racing they are looking to do. I think it would be pretty cool to see it there.”

Bermuda is in a two-horse race with San Diego to host the next America’s Cup in 2017 and, at the very least, is guaranteed to stage a World Series race if the bid committee fail in their attempt.

Although the deadline for the venue announcement is not until the end of the year, there is growing speculation that an announcement could be made this month.

Mr Canfield, who is a past Argo Group Gold Cup winner, believes hosting a prestigious event such as the America’s Cup would serve Bermuda well in many ways.

“I think it would be all good things for the Island from an economical stand point to raising awareness and putting Bermuda on the map,” said Mr Canfield, who hails from the US Virgin Islands. “It will definitely be a big hit for the tourism aspect and as a fellow Islander I know how important that is to a small Island like Bermuda. I think it would just be great to see it in a new venue.”

According to the Bay Area Council Economic Institute, the previous event held in San Francisco last year generated $550 million in economic activity, created more than 3,800 jobs and contributed almost $6.6 million in tax revenue to the City of San Francisco.

There are six teams lined up to compete for the Auld Mug in 2017 — cup holders Oracle Team USA, Artemis Racing, Ben Ainslie Racing, Emirates Team New Zealand, Luna Rossa Challenge and Team France.

However, James Spithill, the skipper of Oracle Team USA, recently revealed that the number of challengers for the 2017 America’s Cup may be increased — even though the entry deadline has expired.

“There’s an allowance for late entries and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a couple of other teams come in before the end of the year,” the former Gold Cup winner said.