Fitted Dinghy Race series got under way in St George's Harbour yesterday.

Smith steered his boat to two victories, for the Anniversary Cup and Master's Cup, while grabbing a second place in the Heritage Trophy to notch up a points total of 141 from the three races.

That put him two and a quarter points ahead of Port Royal , with Willie White at the helm.

White's boat, one of five aiming to take the 21-race Coronation Cup, clinched the Heritage Trophy as shifting breezes of 8-12 knots had to be negotiated by the crews.

Contest , winner of five consecutive Coronation Cups under previous skipper Andreas Lewin, struggled initially in the hands of its new crew. The boat, now skippered by Martin Mello, was forced to retire from the first race after striking another craft.

But Mello took the boat to third and second in the subsequent races, to stand in third place overall on eight points.

It was not an especially auspicious start for Paula Lewin, skipper of Challenger , however. She had to be content with two fourth places after being forced out of the fight for the Anniversary Cup when her boat struck the windward mark.

That left her looking up from the bottom of the pile with just five points, as new skipper David Hillier steered Victory into overall fourth, one point ahead.

Garry Roman, the race committe chairman, said: "We were altering the course all day because of the shifting winds. But I think Malcolm Smith sailed very smartly, capitalising on those shifts the most effectively.'' The series continues with two races in Granaway Deep on Sunday June 6.