the Marion to Bermuda yacht race will surpass the three-figure mark in the not too distant future.

However, the local skipper of Tsunami also believes that recent rule changes could have been made two years ago and that the fleet could have been boosted this year had the changes been better marketed.

"I think numbers will climb above 100 eventually,'' said Rego, who will be competing for the second time when the race gets underway later this month.

"Now that the sail limitations have been lifted, cruiser racing boats are more commonly sailed and raced and with the allowing of electronics in the race I think you will see an increase, without question.'' "There is a small increase (this year), not as large as perhaps one would have thought. The fact that these changes have been made is one thing because the percentage of repeating people is still quite high and the number of new people is not as high as it could be. I think that has something to do with the marketing.'' John Carey, a liaison between the local host Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club and the American boat clubs where the participants are members, earlier said that perhaps a little more time was needed before any results could be "interpreted'' into numbers.

Seemingly locals haven't been influenced by any of the changes in that the contingent from Bermuda has dropped from five boats to four from 1995. In 1993 Bermuda was represented by a high of eight boats in the race.

But, according to Rego, the drop is not an indication that Bermudians are finding the race any less appealing. The decline, he says, is because of "other unperceived circumstances''.

"Yes, we did have a record high of eight two races ago, but since then we have had one skipper buying a larger boat that is ineligible for this race, another sold his boat and one skipper is unavailable this year. So it's not because they find it less appealing,'' said Rego.

The Tsunami skipper, who has also sailed in two Newport to Bermuda races in the same boat, is looking forward to the trip from Marion to Bermuda on June 20 and reckons the two events have their similarities.

"There is no real difference once you cross the starting line. We go in the same direction, cross the same Gulf Stream and generally the conditions etc.

are identical. Other than the top 20 percent of the boats in Newport, all of the rest are basically the same as what we have (in Marion),'' he said.

While only four local boats are entered, Bermudians will be crewing on other entries.

Moon Dance , skippered by American Martin Loftus, will have five locals with him while another American boat, Columbine , which took line honours two years ago, will have four.