Local skippers led two of the four keelboat classes after the first day of racing in the 2005 Bermuda International Race Week yesterday.

Peter Bromby holds a two-point advantage over American Tim Lynch in the Etchells while Mike Lewis was joint first with American Anthony Parker in the J-24 Class.

Bromby notched a third and first to head the Etchells - who sailed two races while the others sailed three - on four points while Lynch (a fourth and second) has six points. Two other Bermudians, Christian Luthie and Tim Patton, are tied on seven points in the nine-boat tussle.

“The first race was pretty good race but Christian (Luthie) got the jump on everybody and he gained a big lead. Then Timmy (Patton) got by us on the first run and though it was close we couldn't catch him,” recalled Bromby.

As for the second race, the 40-year-old led off the line but surrendered that on the second downwind leg. However, on the third upwind leg, he got on “the right side of a pretty big right-hand shift and regained the lead”.

Partnered by Dennis Correia and Clive Thatcher - “two guys you have not seen sailing Etchells for a while...I pulled them out of the closet” chuckled the Olympian - Bromby cautioned that there's “still a lot of sailing left”.

However, he is quite comfortable out in the Great Sound and is looking forward to the rest of the regatta.

Lewis was equally delighted with his J-24 progress, registering a first and two thirds for a low score of seven which Parker matched with a third and two seconds. Another local skipper Todd Olson is third on nine points (2-1-6) while defending champion Stuart Jardine of the UK is fifth on 14 points among the 12 boats.

“We did well today but we still have room for improvement. In the first race I think the overseas competitors were getting used to their boats and they picked up speed after that. It's going to be a tough week so it's great to get some good results early. I'm still shooting for top three so we will see how it goes later in the week,” said Lewis, lauding his crew's work and the excellent conditions.

“It's perfect. Really nice sailing conditions, about ten to 12 knots and brilliant sunshine.”

Meanwhile, Bermuda's best bet in the J-105s, Mark Cloutier, was left scratching his head about how to haul in American arch-rival Tom Coates.

The latter shot off to an impressive start with a hat-trick of bullets while Cloutier was in second place on nine points (4-2-3) and Canadian John McLeod a point back in third.

“It was a great day on the water. In the first race we started next to Coates, who we consider our main rival, but he managed to put his boat into some kind of configuration that enabled him to sail faster and higher than us and got away from us as we had to tack to clear (other boats) which put us at the back of the fleet and we had to work our way back up to fourth,” recounted Cloutier.

He termed the second race “the disappointment of the day” as he, Adam Barboza and their crew headed the six-boat fleet all the way only to be pipped on the line by Coates in Masquerade.

In the third, the Bermudians' boat Addiction again chased the Americans in vain.

Coates could not have picked a better way to usher in his 51st birthday today and will be aiming to capitalise on his peerless start.

“We feel great. We came here with the intention of trying to beat Addiction. We have been sailing against them for a year now in the major events and we're really looking forward to the challenge. We're thrilled to be in first position right now but there's a lot of racing left,” said Coates, seeking to avenge last year's defeat to the Cloutier-Barboza combination.

The experienced skipper has learnt the hard way not to celebrate prematurely and therefore downplayed what he has achieved so far.

“We have finished out of the top three when we have had three bullets in the first three races of a regatta before. We're not over-confident at all,” he said.

British duo and joint skippers, Giles Peckham and Milo Carver, also made a flawless entrance into Race Week in the International One Designs (IOD).

“It was a little bit beyond expectation, I'd have to say,” declared Peckham of their triple triumph yesterday. “When you get three bullets, it doesn't get any better than that.”

He doubted if they could continue that winning streak but said they will certainly try and keep pushing hard.

Saluting their crew and support staff, Carver noted they started well in the first race though having to get accustomed to the shifty conditions.

“We're very pleased. We couldn't ask for a better start. We'll be back in a new boat tomorrow and we'll see how we get on with that one,” stated Carver, alluding to the fact that IOD skippers have to swap boats daily.

Jonathan Pope is well back in second (12 points) and Jan Petter Roed, third (13 points) while Bermuda Allan Powell is sixth on 18 points. Veteran local skipper Jordy Walker is ninth out of 14.

“How could we be in ninth? We got sevens and eights,” quipped a chuckling Walker.

Then on a more serious note, he euphemistically explained that he and his crew had “distinguished ourselves with mediocrity”.

“We're going to have to go faster. We hope for more wind. This light air kills us. We don't like it. We like breeze.”

The 65-year-old consoled himself with the fact that it's a long series and that anything can happen.

Lynch - currently second to Bromby - is also taking heart from that theory in his quest for Etchells glory.

“I'm surprised we're in second. There were boats all over the place and we didn't have that spectacular a day. We were just kind of hanging in there.

“There are some tough guys but if we can stick close to Bromby then you never know what might happen.”