Francis Carter gave two "thumbs up'' before leaving for a practice run aboard Longobarda yesterday, feeling vindicated after winning his protest concerning a controversial rule change made just two weeks before the Newport to Bermuda race.

The decision will have no bearing on Longobarda 's final position in the overall standings, nor will it affect any of the trophy winners.

Carter had described the change in rules as an unfair "move of the goalposts'' before the 635-mile ocean race.

Sailboats in the Racing Division had been barred from winning the St. David's Lighthouse Trophy, considered one of the most prestigious trophies in the sport.

The change in trophy eligibility rules was designed ostensibly to give the Newport to Bermuda race "back to amateurs'', according to Race Committee chairman Dan Dyer.

"What they (jury) did was correctly put the goalposts back in play and correct a horrible error the Race Committee had made,'' said Carter last night.

In a short statement, Robin Judah, vice chairman of an International Jury, said that the Race Committee had erred by not giving owners and skippers in the Racing Division an opportunity to win the trophy.

The only way Racing Division skippers could have been eligible for the the prize was if they had made considerable alterations to their boats prior to the race. That would have been impossible in two weeks.

Said Judah: "The Race Committee did not publish an amalgamated finishing order of Racing Division and Cruiser/Racer Division yachts to comprise the Lighthouse Division.

"This omission was improper and caused Longobarda 's finishing position in the Lighthouse Division to be materially prejudiced.'' Several hours following the decision, results of the race were re-published with Racing Division and Cruiser/Racing Division boats put together in one fleet or a new Lighthouse Division. The boats were still in separate classes.

Conspiracy , a Mumm 36 owned by Donald Elliman and George Hinman, will still be awarded the Grand Prix Trophy as winner of the Racing Division.

Gaylark , skippered by Kaighn Smith, also the commodore of the Cruising Club of America (CCA) and one of the race's sponsors, is still the recipient of the Lighthouse Trophy.

Two sailboats, Pigs in Space and High Noon , pulled out of the race last week because of the trophy-eligibility imbroglio.

Carter lodged the protest shortly after Longobarda arrived in Bermuda on Monday.

"We think it's absolutely wrong to encourage people to enter the race two months ahead of time and suddenly say you're no longer eligible for that particular trophy,'' he said following his arrival at the RBYC after an elapsed time of 75 hours, 38 minutes and 29 seconds. The corrected time was 68 hours, 26 minutes and 18 seconds, putting Longobarda in 10th place of the 12 Racing Division entries.

"We think it's very unequitable and something has to be done about it. It's not something you can just say `Okay, if we win it we'll protest.' Well, we haven't won so we feel we have to protest on principles because we think that is not a way to run a boat race.'' Gaylark skipper Smith, as chairman of the CCA, apologised to Racing Division skippers on Wednesday, while celebrating his Lighthouse Trophy win.

"We recognise the expectations that so many people had in the Racing Division, that they were not going to have a chance to get the Lighthouse Trophy, which, of course, is the premier trophy certainly on the East Coast and I'm sure in the world.'' The final two races of the five-race Onion Patch series will take place in the Great Sound beginning at 10.30 a.m. today.

Two Bermuda entries are among seven teams participating with Alphida , Longobarda and Wonder comprising the RBYC I team and Jalalpenos Dos , Gold Digger and Brigadoon VI part of the RBYC II team.

Currently leading the series is the New York Yacht Club I team, made up of Infinity , Idler and Conspiracy .