Racing in the International One Design (IOD) class in this year's Bermuda International Invitational Race Week is shaping up to be a keenly contested affair with sailors from the United States, Great Britain, Norway, Canada and Bermuda all entered.

Race Week starts on April 18 with registration and continues until the prize-giving on the evening of April 24.

The IOD contest will consist of 13 races scheduled in the Great Sound.

This year 14 teams of top international competitors will race for multiple trophies in a two-part series – races one through seven for the 'A' Trophy, races eight through-13 for the 'B' Trophy and the full compliment of 13 races (with the potential for two drops) for the coveted Vrengen Gold Cup.

All but two of the skippers have Bermuda experience and are familiar with sailing in the Great Sound.

Certainly, the pre-race favourite is the co-skipper pair of Arthur Kuypers and Kevin Farrar of the Fishers Island fleet. Farrar is a past IOD world champion and runner-up in Bermuda Race Week.

Closely following him is David Rockefelle Jr. of the North East Harbour Maine fleet.

He is their current fleet champion and a frequent participant in the IOD World Championships.

Jan Petter Roed, a former Bermuda Race winner and perennial participant, returns from Norway.

He hopes to rekindle the magic that won him the title some years ago.

Bobby Constable and co-skipper Peter Gevalt of the Nantucket IOD fleet are looking forward to being competitive and in the running for overall honours. They are veterans of Bermuda Race Week and will be expected to be in contention.

Jeremy Preston, of the Daring fleet of Cowes England, is sailing here for the third time. As the Cowes Daring champion, he's also expected to be in the hunt with his veteran crew.

There will be three other experienced and quality veteran teams taking part.

From the San Francisco IOD fleet, Hank Hernandez returns after a long absence.

If the wind blows he could do well. From Canada and representing the Maritime Bluenose Fleet is Shawn Mulroony, their national champion.

He will have an experienced crew with him.

He recently bought the IOD Zephyr and has been campaigning with her in Chester, Nova Scotia.

Dan Faria comes to Bermuda from the Ida Lewis Yacht Club in Newport, Rhode Island and he too has sailed in Island waters on several occasions. And another veteran is Knut Tenvig from Norway.

Others in the international fleet are Matthew Emans, representing the strong Marblehead, Massachusetts IOD fleet who will make his debut here, Jim Dingle from Ottawa, Canada.

He is new to IOD sailing, but has had extensive experience sailing in Canada and overseas.

The local IOD fleet will have three representatives, headed by skipper Patrick Cooper, the overall 2008 winner who will sail with co-skipper Bill McNiven. This will mark his first Bermuda Race Week participation since 1989.

Somers Kempe, the Royal Bermuda Yacht skipper of their fitted dinghy Contest and former Bermuda IOD World's participant, is expected to contend as he has extensive knowledge of sailing in the Great Sound.

The third Bermuda entry consists of co-skippers Hubert Watlington and Kevin Horsefield who sail regularly in the local fleet and will now test themselves for the first time against championship level overseas competitors.

Race Week will also see competition among other keelboats – IODs, J105s, Etchells and J24s – on the Alpha course.

Lasers will sail on the Bravo course.

In addition to Bermudians, sailors will be representing Australia, Sweden, Norway, Canada, US and the UK.

Inaugurated by the RBYC in 1927, Race Week has become an established international yachting fixture each spring.