Martin Siese kept his bow pointed firmly on course for honours in the International One Design fleet on day three of the Bermuda International Race Week on the Great Sound yesterday.

The Bermudian helmsman started the day at the top of the pecking order tied on points with Mark Wincer, of the Haven Ports Yacht Club, but ahead on a tiebreak and extended his lead to two points after posting a 3-2-2 record in the light and patchy conditions.

“So far so good, but it’s still pretty close,” Siese said.

“We’re not running away with it. There’s four boats that are all really close, so we’re just sticking our noses ahead at the moment, which is good.

“We’ve been pretty steady so if we can keep that consistency we’ll be in good shape.”

Siese is competing with his son Owen who is on the main trim, multiple national IOD champion Patrick Cooper on jib trim and cockpit and former island resident Melinda Bessey on the bow.

“We have a good team situation going,” Siese said. “I don’t have to look around so I can keep concentrating on trying to drive the boat fast.

“Owen is calling the breeze and telling me where I need to go and what I need to do, Patrick is pulling the strings and tweaking this and that and making the boat go fast and Melinda does a great job up on the bow.

“A couple of times we were down seven or eight but because it was that patchy we were able to find a bit of pressure and sail around the fleet.

“When it’s that tricky you just got to be patient and look for the pressure and make sure you get there before the other guys. We did a lot of digging from deep to come back.”

With one race remaining in the ‘A’ Series it is still anybody’s game with four points separating the top four teams.

John Burnham and Peter Rugg, of the Fishers Island Yacht Club, are in second followed by multiple IOD race week champion Peter Wickwire, of the Chester IOD Fleet, in third.

Honours in the Etchells Class and J-105 Class have already been decided.

Royal Bermuda Yacht Club helmsman Keith Chiappa pipped Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club rival Trevor Boyce by a single point to clinch the J-105 title. Canadian Jay Cross, of the Lunenburg Yacht Club, also won the Etchells crown by a one-point margin over American Scott Snyder.