Expectations will be high for skipper Mark Watson and the crew aboard Tiburon in this year’s Newport-Bermuda Race.And rightfully so after the Argo Group CEO won the Open Division on corrected time (54 hours, 43 minutes and 32 seconds) in the previous 635-mile ‘Thrash to the Onion Patch’ at the helm of the Dubois 90, Genuine Risk.This year Watson is competing in the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Division where he expects to find his work cut out for him.“We won the Royal Mail Trophy last time in the Open Division and this time we will be racing in the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Division, so we’re not the scratch boat and have a lot of stiff competition,” he said. “Whenever you show up for a regatta you always want to do well and sure there’s a little pressure.”Watson and crew are competing on a Reichel/Pugh74 chartered from the US Merchant Marine Academy.“It’s a new boat but we have a really good crew and we have been studying the weather in the Gulf Stream and I think we will do a very good job of navigating,” he said. “I’m looking forward to working with Chris (navigator Chris Branning).”Like many in Newport this week, the veteran sailor is predicting a fast race this year, particularly on the first day as teams make their way towards open seas in northeast winds expected to reach 20 knots.“It’s going to be really rough on Friday evening and it ought to be a fast race,” Watson said. “I think it will be pretty rough so we need to be safe on Friday evening.”It’s anticipated that the larger boats in the fleet could cross the St David’s finish line on Sunday.“We were joking earlier about finishing on Sunday but boy I sure hope so because the fan may shut off,” Watson said. “We want to get there before the wind stops.“We will have a good time whether we win or lose. But I would be a lot happier if we’re in the front.”Pyewacket currently holds the race record for conventional entries (53 hours, 39 minutes and 22 seconds) while Morning Glory holds the Open Division record that stands at 48 hours, 28 minutes and 31 seconds.Jonathan Brewin, commodore of race co-hosts Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, believes records could fall this year.“If the north easterlies hold for any length of time and then go to the east as they cross into the Gulf Stream, then after that we could see some big boats speed out there and possibility of a record falling,” he said. “I think it’s going to be pretty wet and bouncy going through the Gulf Stream, and I suspect that some of the bigger boats that can hit high speeds are going to have to slow it down a little a bit.“But it’s not looking too complex a stream; there isn’t a well-formed knuckle this year. They are going to hit some hot water a little bit earlier than they normally do. But I think it’s pretty much going to be a straight line course for all the navigators and crews out there.”There are five local entries (Icarus, Nasty Medicine, Spirit of Bermuda, Patriot and Tiburon) competing in this year’s race that gets underway tomorrow.