The pair finished the first race of the day in 11th place before suffering a broken mast under windy conditions in the second race which they did not finish.

At the end of the day the standings show the Bermudians, who are competing in the Star class in an Olympic ranking regatta, to be in 17th place amongst 37 boats.

Despite the setback Bromby is still confident of a top 10 finish with three races to go. "We get to discard a race but we can't have any more bad races as we're trying to get in the top 10,'' Bromby said last night.

"We had a temporary lapse in concentration, but that's what happens. Lee and I saw a big puff coming but before I could make the changes it hit us. We've got a spare mast and we hope to be back in action tomorrow. It looks like be little wind tomorrow.'' The regatta is still being led by Vince Bruno of San Diego with two firsts and a second while John Kostecki is second and Olympic gold medallist Mark Reynolds third.

Today's race starts at 1.30 with single races also scheduled for tomorrow and Friday when the event concludes.