OIympian Peter Bromby took an early lead in the Etchells yesterday as International Invitational Race Week got off to a windy start in the Great Sound.

Bromby, the defending champion, won two of the three races on opening day in winds ranging between seven and 22 knots as occasional squalls swept through the course, causing one change of route between the second and third races.

His bullets in the opening two races, and a fourth in the third of the 11 races this week, put him on six points, five clear of fellow local Tim Patton, who claimed victory in the final race to add to two fifth-place finishes.

Brit Jason Owen, whose best finish was second in the middle race on opening day, lies in third on 14 points ahead of Paula Lewin who finished seventh, sixth and third.

In the International One Designs (IODs), pre-race favourite and former world champion Penny Simmons sped into an early lead, claiming victory in the first and third races of the day.

The middle race was won by boat-builder Bruce Dyson from Marblehead, also a former world champion and Race Week winner but second overall after day one was Richard Pearce, who picked up a third and two fourth-place finishes.

The other Bermuda representatives Jordy Walker and Larry Davis failed to break into the top nine and both find themselves in penultimate place with 35 points. The IODs have six more races this week.

Bermudian Mike Lewis had a slim lead after day one of racing in the J-24s after he picked up one win as well as a second and a sixth to find himself on nine points after three of 13 races.

Canadian Sean McDermott had a second and a third, as well as a fifth, and is on ten points while wins for American Scott Milnes ? in the final race ? and local John Nichols in the opener, leave them third and fourth overall.

In the J-105s, John Corless picked up four bullets to take an early seven-point lead over nearest rival James MacDonald, who was runner-up twice and also finished third and fourth. The sailors raced four times and will complete their competition today with another four attempts.

On the Bravo course off Spanish Point Boat Club, the lead in the Lasers went to Ted Wood who claimed victory in the second of the two races along with a fourth in the opener.

Top local sailors Brett Wright and Sara Lane Adderley were in second and third respectively, after Wright claimed the first of the ten races this week while defending champion Malcolm Smith is in fourth after second and seventh-place finishes.