`Penny' Simmons of Bermuda leads the way in the 2002 International Design World Championships which are being held off the Island this week.

Simmons, a former IOD world champion, is assisted by his crew of Sacha Simmons, Steven King, Peter Terceira and D'Arcey Betschart.

Race Four yesterday morning saw Bruce Dyson beat Simmons by no more than two or three feet.

In third place was Urban Ristorp of Sweden, fourth was the defending champion from Norway, Thor Christensen, and fifth was countryman Jon Petter Roed.

Sixth was Dick Sykes of Nantucket, seventh Peter Rugg of Fishers Island and eighth Tim Foulk of Long Island.

In ninth came Scott Redmon of North East Harbour, tenth Jeff Feehan of Fishers Island and 11th Danielle Ames of Marblehead, with Mark and Rich Pearce from San Francisco 12th. David Rockefeller of North East Harbour came in 13th.

The fifth race overall and second yesterday saw Simmons over the finish line first with a gap of roughly four minutes back to Dyson's boat. In third was Feehan, fourth Rugg and fifth was Ristorp.

The remaining places were not available.

There is no racing today with the final two races being held tomorrow.

Meanwhile, at the Laser World Championships, off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Bermuda's Zander Kirkland lies in 47th place in the Silver Fleet with a score of 363. The Silver Fleet leader is Israel's Eshed Meseritz with a score of 176.