FOURTEEN powerboats will be on the start-line on Sunday for the annual Round the Island Race ¿ providing the weather plays its part. And three jet skis will also be racing around Bermuda setting off before the powerboats who are divided up into five classes.

Patrick Stamper, the commodore of the Bermuda Powerboat Association, said there will be a drivers' meeting tonight (7.00 p.m.) at the Spanish Point Boat Club. "Many of the drivers this year are new which is great for the sport," said Stamper who, along with co-driver John Carreio, will be racing his red-hulled boat in C Class.

And while acknowledging that the hefty price for gas these days as well as the expense of buying a boat can be challenging for the association, Stamper said: "Thankfully we have managed to secure Shell as a sponsor for the boats as well as the crash boats which is great."

There will be 30 crash boats around the course as it is not unknown for a competitor to crash.

In fact last year a boat in D-Class struck a wave and nose-dived near Pompano Beach on the South Shore.

There will be one boat in B Class, one in FB Class, five in C Class, six in D Class and one in E Class.

The action on Sunday gets underway starting at Ferry Reach at noon when Dorann Simons takes off in his Stock jet ski. Two minutes later the two jet skiers in the Modified Class set off.

After that there will be two junior jet skiers ¿ both nine years old ¿ who will compete in three five-minute heats around a course at Ferry Reach.

At 2 p.m. the boats in B Class and FB Class set off and then four minutes later D Class begins along with with E Class.

The last class, C Class, starts at 2.06 p.m.

Asked what kind of weather would force the race to be cancelled, Stamper said: "If it is gusting over 20 knots that is a no go. Right now the wind is out of the south west at about 15-18 knots. Hopefully tomorrow we will have a better idea of how the weather will be. Another fact is the crash boats ¿ if they can't get out of Hungry Bay, if it is too rough for them, then that is an automatic cancellation. I suppose we will not know until 11 a.m. on Sunday."

Stamper said tonight's drivers' meeting was to make sure the drivers and co-drivers "know the course and know where all the crash boats will be and where all the turning points are".

He added: "We have a lot of new drivers this year so I am sure they will have some questions."