Officials may be forced to move the course of the upcoming Tornado World Championships after the huge number of entries raised safety concerns among some senior competitors.

The possible change, which would mean entrants competing in Murray's Anchorage rather than Grassy Bay in at least some of the races, will be discussed today by the executive of the Bermuda organising committee.

They are then expected to seek input from the International Tornado Association before coming to a final decision.

The action is being considered because a number of sailors are worried that the Grassy Bay area does not allow sufficient width for the 70-plus boats at the starting line.

Former Olympian Alan Burland, chairman of the organising committee, told The Royal Gazette last night: "We thought there would be a low turnout after the Olympics last year, so racing in Grassy Bay made sense in light of the International Sailing Council's proposal that we make it more spectator-friendly.

"But now we've got the biggest turnout in the class's history and we've got to consider whether it's appropriate for the world championships.'' He explained it was essentially an issue of safety. "When you are trying to sail upwind you are tacking at angles to the wind and that means the distance to the lay line would be very short,'' he said. "You could get tremendous congestion, which would cause infringements and protests from other boats.'' If the change is given the go-ahead, competitors will have to sail from Dockyard to Murray's Anchorage, a journey of around 30 to 40 minutes, before taking part in the day's races.

But sailors would still return to Dockyard at the end of the main event to take part in the Bacardi Blasts, which are expected to draw the biggest crowds.

These spectacular races are short time trials across the face of the cruise ship berth which the fast Tornados are expected to be able to complete in 12 to 15 seconds.

The championships start on November 7.