Bermuda's most prestigious sailing regatta, the Colorcraft Gold Cup due to start this weekend, has been added to a growing casualty list of world sporting events affected by the September 11 terrorist attacks on the US.

The regatta will go ahead as planned - but without two of its star attractions, seeded skippers Peter Gilmour of Australia and Frenchman Bertrand Pace? who have pulled out as a direct result of the recent hijackings.

Pace?, now resident in New Zealand where he is leading that country's America's Cup defence was, along with his crew, instructed by Team New Zealand earlier this week not to fly.

Gilmour, a three-time World Match Racing champion who won the Gold Cup in Bermuda in 1995 and 1997, was forced to take a similar decision on Thursday. Gilmour is skipper of America's Cup challenger, OneWorld Challenge, based in Seattle, Washington.

Another late withdrawal has been unseeded Australian James Spithill, who skippered Australia's Young Australia 2000 entry in the last America's Cup.

The remaining six seeded skippers, Americans Dennis Conner and Ed Baird, Britain's Andy Green, Dane Jes Gram-Hansen, Swede Magnus Holmberg and Peter Holmberg of the US Virgin Islands, are confirmed and will be joined by New Zealander Gavin Brady and Morten Henriksen who have now been promoted from the ranks of the unseeded.

The eight seeds aren't scheduled to race until the first round proper next Wednesday following completion of the qualifying rounds, although they will compete in a warm-up event, the Ren Re Challenge Cup on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, with qualifying due to start tomorrow, Royal Bermuda Yacht Club commodore Somers Cooper admitted that the storm which hit Bermuda on Thursday night had caused some additional problems.

"The event will go on as planned but we'll have to be a little bit more flexible," said Cooper yesterday.

"For instance, the registration was supposed to close at noon on Saturday (today) and then everyone was supposed to practice after that. But it (registration) will be open all day now because so many people have been affected by cancelled flights.

"We've heard from a number of skippers who weren't able to get here - and also umpires and staff who help us out. It's pretty much across the board. But it looks like we'll have everybody here by Sunday afternoon at the latest."

As for the withdrawals, Cooper explained: "Bertram Pace? received a team directive not to fly in the aftermath of the tragedy of September 11, especially since they started fighting back on Monday.

"Team One World, which involves Peter Gilmour, is also out along with James Spithill who was not seeded.

"But the unseeded group is so deep, we're able to pull up Gavin Brady, who is ranked 19 in the world, and Morten Henriksen, who is in the top 15 in the world. Luckily we have that kind of depth.

"We'll have to work the unseeded rounds around the absence of a full slate of skippers, which is not difficult to do."

Cooper also reported that the fleet of 10 boats had been reduced to nine after one of the race craft was damaged when it washed up on the shoreline of Saltus Island during the storm.

"It must have broken from its mooring," said Cooper. "We did have two spare boats, so now we have only one.

"But the club (RBYC) made it through the storm very well.

"There was no damage as far as I know and it's all systems go."

Qualifying is scheduled to begin tomorrow at 9.00 a.m. with seven races planned in a round robin format.

Among those vying for a place in the Gold Cup will be top Bermuda skipper Peter Bromby along with veteran Nicky Lewin and Dave Juleff who both earned their spots during the recent Bermuda match racing championships.

Adam Barboza had originally qualified but ruled himself out as he will be attending the wedding of fellow sailor, Nick Jones, in Vermont this weekend.