Invitational race week

Bacardi-sponsored event to be held in Bermuda this April

Invitations for the 2005 Bermuda International Invitational Race Week sponsored by Bacardi have been sent to international competitors and fleets by each Bermuda one-design keelboat and dinghy fleet for the 2005 race week scheduled for 23 April to 29 April. Festivities start with The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Welcoming Cocktail Party on the Saturday 23 April and conclude with the prizegiving on 29 April.

Keelboats classes invited for 2005 include International Etchells, International One Design (IOD), J24, and J105, which will sail on Bermuda’s Great Sound. The dinghy classes invited are Laser, 505, Snipe and Comets. They will sail out of the Spanish Point Boat Club in waters nearby.

Racing starts at 1100 on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. The Bacardi Gras Celebration on Race Week’s ‘Bat Tuesday’ leads into a ‘spare’ day on Wednesday, just right for international guests to enjoy the sights and non-sailing activities of Bermuda.

The Prizegiving Party at RBYC concludes Race Week on Friday 29 April. In addition to the fantastic sailing competition, the week is sprinkled with fleet parties; and Bacardi presents The Bacardi Sailing Spirit Prize for the significant sailing achievement on each day.

Inaugurated by the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club in 1952, Bermuda International Invitational Race Week, sponsored by Bacardi for the past seven years, has become an established international yachting fixture each spring - attracting the top skippers from many countries. All classes with an active local racing program in Bermuda may invite international sailors to participate in The 2005 Bermuda International Invitational Race Week sponsored by BACARDI. International participation is required for a fleet to compete.

The 2005 Notice of Race, Entry invitation and class contacts in Bermuda are posted at http://www.rbyc.bm/regattas/IRW2005/documents.asp