HE may have decided to bow out of competing for Bermuda at the Olympic Games, but Peter Bromby will be in the thick of it again on the water next week when he defends his Etchells title at the Bermuda International Invitational Race Week.

Bromby, who has competed in four Olympics in the Star class, saw his 2008 Olympic hopes dashed a week ago when he had a bad World Championships off the waters of Miami. He decided to call it a day for Olympic competition but that doesn't mean his intense competitive fire has been put out. He and his Olympic Star crewman Lee White will be joined by Clive Thatcher in the Etchells class when the racing gets underway on Sunday.

Also competing for Bermuda will be two-time Sunfish Pan Am silver medallist Malcolm Smith who will defend his title in the Laser class. He will be up against a number of overseas sailors as well as Bermuda's Brett Wright and Somers Kempe.

The racing will continue from Sunday until next Friday ¿ the prizegiving will be held at the host club the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club on Friday (May 2) night.

Racing will consist of 13 races in the Great Sound. This year there are 14 participants in the IOD class ¿ all but five of the skippers have competed in Race Week before therefore will be quite familiar with the Great Sound winds and currents. The IOD sailors are from United States, Great Britain, Norway, Canada and Bermuda.

The pre-race favorite has to be Bruce Dyson from Marblehead, Massachusetts. He is a past world champion and is also a past Race Week winner. Closely following him is Wes Maxwell of New York from the Fishers Island IOD fleet. He is their current fleet champion. A former Race Week winner and perennial participant is Jan Petter Roed from Norway, who is hoping to rekindle the magic that won him the title some years ago.

The Bermuda IOD fleet will have two representatives, headed by Jordy Walker, a former Race Week and Gold Cup champion. In 2004 he won the second series in the event. Bermuda's other representative is Jeff Arnst, who sails regularly in the local fleet and now tests himself for the first time against overseas competitors in the Great Sound.

Keelboats classes will sail on the longer Alpha course and those classes will be the Etchells, IODs and J105s. On the smaller Bravo course which will be off Spanish Point Boat Club will be the Laser and J24 classes will compete.

Sean McDermott from Canada who won the J24 class in 2007 is moving to the J/105 class in this year's regatta.

Racing starts at 11.00 a.m. on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday for all classes. The Bacardi Gras Celebration on Race Week's 'Bat Tuesday' leads into a 'No Race' day on Wednesday, just right for international guests to enjoy the sights and non-sailing activities of Bermuda.