The Great Sound will be bustling with activity tomorrow as the traditional pilgrimage to the Island?s waters brings in sailors from around the world for International Invitational Race Week.

Classes on the Alpha course for 2006 include 11 International Etchells teams from the USA, the UK, and Bermuda, 14 of the top International One Design (IOD) teams in the world, nine J24 teams from the US, Canada, the UK and Bermuda and five local J105 teams. These classes will sail on the Great Sound.

On the Bravo Course, the dinghy classes with 18 Lasers and seven Snipes will sail out of the Spanish Point Boat Club in waters nearby the club?s facility.

Racing begins at 11 a.m. tomorrow, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

The competition is likely to be at its most fierce in the IODs with 14 participants from the US, the UK, Norway and Bermuda battling it out with all but one of the skippers having participated in past Race Weeks here.

The pre-race favourite will be local sailor Penny Simmons, a six-time IOD world champion ? and eight-time runner up ? having most recently won the title last summer in Norway. He is also a past Bermuda Race Week winner.

Closely following him is boat-builder Bruce Dyson from Marblehead?s IOD fleet, a past World and Race Week winner, and Kevin Farrar, from Fishers Island, will also be challenging for the title. He may have a secret weapon in last year?s Race Week winner Charles Van Voorhis as his tactician.

Former Bermuda Race 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.

Tony Huston, a veteran who has the distinction of having sunk an E22 in the Great Sound during one of his visits for Race Week, will represent the Long Island Sound IOD fleet.

Steve Homer from North East Harbour, Maine, is participating for the first time in many years and is a keen competitor who is looking forward to returning to Bermuda. Giles Peckham, the Daring fleet champion of Cowes, England, is returning to see if he can win this regatta after finishing third last year.

The Bermuda fleet will have three representatives, with Simmons, Jordy Walker, a former Gold Cup and Bermuda Race winner, and veteran Larry Davis, flying the local flag.