Sebastian Kempe grasped early bragging rights among the local fleet after the opening races of the RenaissanceRe Junior Gold Cup yesterday.

The 12-year-old Saltus Grammar School student and son of former Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Commodore Somers Kempe posted a 9-7-8 record in the three races contested in the Great Sound to finish top of the local leaderboard and sixth in the overall fleet of 38 entries.

“I think I sailed better throughout the day as the breeze picked up,” Kempe said.

“It was a good test against some tough competition and I’m looking forward to the rest of the regatta.”

Kempe has enjoyed a stellar summer competing overseas at international regattas, including a third place at the Canadian Optimist Championships in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Not far off the pace in second and third among the local entries are Magnus Ringsted and Christian Ebbin.

Ringsted is ninth and Ebbin twelfth.

Nicole Stovell finished day one top of the local female fleet. She is fourth in the female division and fifteenth overall.

Jose Rother, of Argentina, leads the overall fleet by one point over nearest rival Calle Lagerberg of Sweden. Uruguay’s Santiago Pacheco is third, level on points with Lagerberg.

“I was so happy when I won the Nationals Championship at home and really hoped that Uruguay would receive the invitation so that I could come back to Bermuda,” Pacheco said. “I love it here so much.”

Natascha Rast, the Swiss national champion, leads the female fleet and is eighth overall.

Germany’s Anna Barth is second and Malta’s Antonia Schultheis third.

The Jr Gold Cup, contested in the Optimist dinghy, features 13 female sailors hailing from Bermuda.

The regatta continues tomorrow with the first Renaissance Re Junior Gold Cup Team Race Championships to be held in Hamilton Harbour on Saturday.