to capture a third International One Design World Championship in San Francisco.

Simmons, who won in San Francisco in 1984 and Marblehead ten years later, picked up two wins in the fourth and fifth races to move up from fourth place overall after some bad luck in the initial three flights.

Californian Evan Dailey was leading by 2.3 points allowing for throwaways with two races to be completed by the fleet of 11 boats.

American Bill Widnall, also a former world champion and a regular at Bermuda's International Race Week, was in fourth with 11 points.

Simmons started out well enough, challenging Dailey and Widnall and finally finishing third in the first race but he got caught uptide before the start of the second and did well to come in eighth.

In the third, his headstay pulled out and he had to settle for average points -- 4.3 -- in that race.

But he overcame his problems to win both races on the third day -- the first by a comfortable margin in a breeze of 10-15 knots. In the second, Simmons was out in front at the top of the first beat, but the fleet was compressed within about five boatlengths as the run began.

Most of the fleet took port jibe to sail a more direct tack to the leeward mark, while John Bunham, of Fishers Island and Jan Petter Roed, a Norwegian who has also competed in Bermuda, split outboard by about 75 yards, found some extra wind and sailed past the entire fleet.

Those two remained in front until Simmons found some more air on the second run and overtook them after they had jibed.

Four of Bermuda's Advanced Optimist fleet will compete this weekend in the New England Fall Championship, the last major regatta of the year in the north east.

Travelling to the 125-boat competition will be 13-year-old James Doughty, 12-year-olds Jonathan Kempe and Hamish Burns and 11-year-old Jesse Kirkland.

Penny Simmons: in second place with two races remaining.