Some of Bermuda?s top sailors, both senior and junior, will be flying the Island?s flag in the Great Sound next week as Bermuda play host for the first time to the Byte World Championships.

Malcolm Smith, a former Sunfish world champion and Pan-Am silver medallist, along with comet king Stevie Dickinson, winner of the recent Long Distance Race, will be among the international fleet which will feature sailors from Singapore, Turkey, Brazil, Denmark, UK, USA, Canada and Italy.

Some of Bermuda?s younger sailors expected to compete in what will be the sixth annual Byte Worlds include Ryan Saraiva, Campbell Duffy, Cameron Pimentel and Madeline Gardner.

With boats racing out the Spanish Point Boat Club, the regatta starts on July 3 and continues until July 8.

Last year?s championships were held in Riva del Garda, Italy, where five Bermuda sailors competed. Victory went to Jean Baptiste Bernaz of France while the top female was Britain?s Hannah Blore.

Many of those in the fleet will be graduates of the Optimist class.

The Byte CII, which will be used by all sailors, is a fast single-handed skiff type dinghy with a two-part carbon fibre mast with the design of the self de-powering rig enabling competitors ranging in weight from 110-160 lbs to compete on an even footing in all wind conditions.

The CII rig was first formulated in 2003 with the goal of providing a reasonably priced, one-design class which encompassed a wider range of sailor.

Locally the Byte fleet numbers 22 with racing taking part on an almost weekly basis off Spanish Point.