Crews are lining up this morning for the start of the Mumm 30 world championship in Canada. Hosted by the Royal Canadian Yacht Club, this four-day event, which concludes on Friday, promises hot competition with the Italians Carlo Alberini and crew carrying high hopes of stretching the string of four consecutive class titles won by Italians.

Things are not going to be easy for the Italians though with a total of 15 Americans, three Canadians and one Australian planning to break their domination of the event.

Besides Alberini, the other overseas entry is Richard Perini, sailing Foreign Affair from Sydney. Perini won the class event in similarly difficult competition at Key West in 2002 and 2003 and has sailed in four previous Mumm 30 worlds, but he was worried about sailing in uncharted waters here.

Commenting just before the start this morning Perini said: “I’ve never been to Canada. All the locals we’ve spoken to say conditions could be anything at all, so we’re ready for nothing. We’re hoping for wind. We seem go have a bit of an edge when the wind comes up.”

Alberini added: “A lot of the teams are very, very strong. The racing will not be easy because of little breeze. But I’m here to play the game with what I have in my hand.”

The weather forecast for this morning is sun and a south-westerly breeze of up to 10kts.

List of entries

Calvi, Carlo Alberini, Pesaro, Italy

Champosa, Jonathan McDonagh, Minneapolis, Minn.

Cygnet, Richard Swann, Fairfield, Conn.

Dark’n Stormy, Kevin Young, Novelty, Ohio

Foreign Affair, Richard Perini, Sydney, Australia

Groovederci, Deneen Demourkas, Santa Barbara, Calif.

Hammer, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, New London, Conn.

it, Jim Sminchak, Euclid, Ohio

Notorious, Kevin Brown, Toronto

Pegasus 20, Samuel Kahn, Honolulu

Pegasus 591, Philippe Kahn, Honolulu

Steadfast, Fred Sheratt, Toronto

Surprise, David Irish, Harbour Springs, Mich.

TeamBOLD, Nelson Stephenson, Southport, Conn.

Team Intermac, Dan Cheresh, Holland, Mich.

Three Niner, David Gonzalez, Lambertville, Mich.

Tramp, Thomas C. Ritter, Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

USA 65, David Pyles, Easton, Md.

War Pony, Art Guerrera, Atlantic Highlands, N.J.

Wildthing, Jeff Fogarty, Fonthill, Ontario