Bermuda?s Eleanor Gardner leapfrogged early pace setters Valerie Chia and Malcolm Smith to take sole possession of first place on day two of the 2006 Arch Byte CII World Championship in the Great Sound yesterday.

During a very tactical day of racing in shifty conditions which saw Singapore?s Wilber Chang disqualified after accumulating three yellow flags ? three of 14 for the day ? overnight leader Chia fall off the pace and local skippers win three of the day?s five races, nothing could prevent Gardner from stealing the limelight.

Yet like many of her rivals, Gardner also struggled yesterday at the starting line, but rebounded admirably down the stretch to clinch line honours in race six and runners up in race seven to finish the day strongly and remain thick in the hunt for top honours with three days of racing left to go.

?None of my starts were very good today,? Gardner told ?But towards the end they did get a bit better.?

Gardner started yesterday by placing tenth in the day?s opening race before reeling off successive seventh place finishes in the fourth and fifth races.

She then went six places better to win yesterday?s penultimate race ? her second bullet in as many days ? and a second in the fifth and final race of the day, despite being penalised for striking a rival while making the turn around the leeward marker.

?The last two races were hard races as well and in the last one I had to do a 720 (two penalty turns),? Gardner explained. ?I was rounding the mark and hit someone in the stern.

?Even up to the last leg which was the reach to the finish line, it was really close because I rounded the mark with another sailor and he went up because I had to give him room around the mark and I didn?t want him to get ahead of me.

?So I had to go really low but it was hard because he was taking my air and so I was moving slower and then a bunch of boats came up behind him and took his air. I then got a nice puff and managed to finish the race in second.

?So it was quite nerve-wracking, but also exciting too.?

Another Bermudian, William Hutchings, overcame a disappointing 13th place finish in yesterday?s sixth race by scoring a bullet in race seven and finishing day two four points adrift of Gardner in second place.

?The last race was light air and I won,? said Hutchings, who also encountered difficulties on the starting line. ?The race I won I had an amazing start while the other races I wasn?t starting too well, even though I still finished pretty well.

?The starts are very crucial and as soon as I start nailing them, then I think I will do really well.?

Despite slipping down one place to third, former World Sunfish champion Smith had a reasonably good day at the office.

Smith?s best finish yesterday arrived in the fifth race where he placed second to ensure Bermuda held onto the top three places on the leaderboard heading into today?s third day of racing.

Singapore?s Nicolas DeCruz and Elizabeth Yin won yesterday?s other two races, however compatriot Chia slipped to eighth overall in the standings ? 23 points off the pace.

Likewise, Bermuda?s Stevie Dickinson also continues to struggle in the light air conditions.

Dickinson began the day full of promise with a third place finish in the opening race. However, a 15th and a 20th place finish coupled by a ?did not finish? in race seven, saw the veteran skipper remain 52 points off the leaders.

Defending women?s champion, Hana Blore of England, failed to make up significant ground on the leaders, but remains confident her fortunes will eventually take a turn for the better as the championships progress.

Blore, currently in ninth place, also struggled in yesterday?s shifty conditions, particularly at the starting line.

?It was a quite difficult day today; shifty winds and lots of place changing and very hard to stay consistent throughout the races,? she said.