Birthday boy Tom Coates didn?t need any candles yesterday ? he just blew away the competition instead.

For the second successive day, the American justified his billing as the one to beat in the J-105 Class at Bermuda International Race Week, winning all three races impressively just as he did in Sunday?s opening session in the Great Sound.

The 51-year-old?s clinical dismissal of his five rivals forced defending champion Adam Barboza ? skippering in Mark Cloutier?s absence yesterday ? to concede the title they won last year had all but slipped from their grasp.

?This is a great gift for a birthday. This is exactly what I woke up this morning hoping for. This type of weather and these types of results,? declared Coates, well ahead in the standings with a low score of six points.

?We came out here not wanting to make a major error. We tried to be conservative on the line and just be free so we could sail our game. When we got ahead we made sure we covered. That was our strategy.?

He insisted it?s still ?anyone?s race? and that the regatta is far from over. However, should he win every race again today, the ace skipper admitted he would feel ?more comfortable?.

Canada?s John McLeod is second on 13 points while Bermudian pair John Brewin and Allan Williams are third on 15 points. The Cloutier-Barboza team is fourth with 16 points.

?We had two thirds and a fourth today. I think first place is definitely gone. Those guys (Coates) are sailing brilliantly and they are pretty hard to beat,? acknowledged Barboza.

?They will probably wrap it up by tomorrow.?

In the International One Designs (IOD), relative unknown Jonathan Pope also savoured a triumphant streak yesterday, surprising more esteemed opposition with three victories to lead the standings with ten points.

Pre-race favourite and Pope?s American compatriot Charles VanVoorhuis has moved into second with 15 points after holding the runner-up spot throughout yesterday. British duo Milo Carver and Giles Peckham are third on 23 points while local contender Allan Powell is seventh on 29 points.

Bermudian veteran Jordy Walker?s torrid time persisted and he is way back in 11th spot out of 14 boats on 41 points. His sister and crew member Sasha Simmons fell overboard during one race and had to be hauled back aboard quickly.

Pope ? only in his second IOD regatta ? revelled in his underdog status, saying: ?We had a great day. We were fortunate to have a good draw on our boat which is very fast in heavy air.

?I have to give a lot of credit to my crew. On a windy day like today, a boat is only as fast as its crew and they did an outstanding job.?

The 48-year-old Massachusetts resident gave himself as good a chance as anyone of winning, noting ?there?s a deep, solid group of very good sailors from all over the world and we?ll see how it plays out?.

Meanwhile, Peter Bromby continued his quest for Etchells glory, crossing the finish first in the one race in that class. He remained atop the standings with five points while fellow Bermudian Tim Patton ? who was second yesterday ? and Tim Lynch of the USA are joint second on nine points. Another local skipper Christian Luthie is sixth with 17 points.

?We?re pretty pleased with the way it went. We led for most of the race. Clive (Thatcher) and Dennis (Correia) are doing a spectacular job. It was a day where the crew work showed. The (spinnaker) sets on our boat and the takedowns were a little better than the competition I think,? assessed Bromby.

?Tomorrow (today) will be a big day. It?s a double-race day. Today was only one race so not a lot changed. Tomorrow the breeze should drop a little and that will make it more challenging to get consistent results in the lighter air.?

Vowing not to let Bromby have things ?all his own way?, Patton revealed that while he wished to make the lone race a dogfight he had to consider the greater good.

?We were going very well today and coming at Peter...but the conditions were such that the shifts were so big on either side of the race track that we didn?t want to get too involved with Peter and lose our second place.

?So we did the responsible thing and protected our second place for the sake of the series. We can always fight Peter another day,? said the Bermuda Sailing Association president.

American Anthony Parker turned in another superb effort for a low score of nine points in the J-24s.

Two second places ? with a win sandwiched between them ? entrenched him as the leader with Bermudians Todd Olsen and Mike Lewis in his wake on 13 and 17 points respectively.

Smiling despite not faring as well as Sunday, Mike Lewis termed his fourth, sixth and ninth-place finishes as ?middle, worse and worse still?.

Lighter winds today would certainly help to resuscitate his chances of success.

?We?re 60 pounds under the maximum weight and that makes a big difference in heavier air. The other guys can keep the boats flat and drive them faster whereas in the lighter air we do better because we are a lighter crew,? explained the 39-year-old.

Defending champion Stuart Jardine of the UK acknowledged it will be hard to hang onto his title.

?It?s not so good. We haven?t really got fantastic speed. We?re still there with a small shout. If some of the others sail badly we?ve got a chance but not a very good chance,? said the 72-year-old, currently fifth on 21 points.

American Dave Allen is hoping for a reprieve from the race committee after his mast broke early in the fleet?s first race, thwarting his participation in any races.

?Once we crossed the start we tacked to the right-hand side of the course, hoping to pick up some wind shifts. When we tacked back, the starboard pin ? which connects to the shroud ? snapped and the mast collapsed instantly and broke in two,? recalled Allen, who is seeking to have yesterday?s races excluded from his results.

?We couldn?t race any further. We had to put the engine on and come back into port.?