compete in the Gosling's Black Seal Cup this weekend.

And the absence of top local skippers Paula Lewin and Peter Bromby opens up great opportunities for others in the quest to qualify for the biggest international sailing event on the Island calendar.

Two days of match-racing in International One Design yachts starts at 11.00 a.m. tomorrow in Hamilton Harbour and continues on Sunday.

During this weekend's round-robin elimination competition, five local skippers -- Tim Viney, Glenn Astwood, Christian Luthi, Adam Barboza and Pete Ramsdale -- will vie for the title of Bermuda national match race champion.

The two finalists in the grade three event will gain entry to the Gold Cup held on September 12-19.

Lewin and Bromby do not have to worry about qualifying for the Gold Cup and will be taking part in regattas elsewhere this weekend.

Lewin, the world's number-two ranked female match-race sailor, will be competing in the Knickerbocker Cup in Port Washington, New York, while Bromby will be at the Star World Championships in Italy.

Astwood has competed in the Gold Cup for the last two years and was a member of Chris Dixon's crew which won the event in 1989. With a strong crew of Eddie Bardgett, Bob McCutcheon and Scott Simmons, he will be among the favourites.

But he will face stiff competition from Pan-Am Games sailor Christian Luthi, who boasts an equally experienced crew of Kees Van Beelan, Robert Burkhart and Andreas Lewin.

Cable and Wireless will sponsor Bromby in the Gold Cup, a year after he failed to advance from the tournament's qualifying round, as Lewin and Astwood advanced. And he's determined to improve on last year's disappointing performance.

"Last year we fell a little short as a result of the weather and some other factors. This year, with C&W support and my excellent team, we are looking for considerable improvement and I honestly believe we have an excellent chance to go all the way.''