day also marks the beginning of the fitted dinghy racing season, which has three races scheduled for St. George's Harbour.

Competition promises to be keen and most eyes will be focused on defending champion boat Contest , which has Andreas Lewin taking over the skippering duties from Hughie Watlington, who stepped down after winning the Coronation Cup last year.

Lewin, a noted Lasers' sailor, though skippering for the first time in the dinghy class, has full confidence that he and his crew will be able to put up a credible performance this year.

All will have to be at their absolute best if they are to retain the title, with Peter Bromby taking over the helm of Echo from Martin Siese, new boat Port Royal II looking fast in practice and last year's runner-up Challenger again being guided by Paul Fisher -- other boats include Bloodhound , Elizabeth and Victory .

"The boat been proven to be fast and we have a good crew,'' said Lewin, a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "So there's no reason why we can't go for it (championship).

"The crew's good. The boat's good...and hopefully I'm good as well.'' Still the 25-year-old admitted that the change from the one man controlled Lasers to the dinghies, where there are six persons, is quite a challenge and has taken some time to get used to.

He has readily sought the advice of Watlington, particularly with regards to the rigging of the boat. Lewin also has the experienced crew of Roger Mello, Robert Burkhart, Kevin Horsefield, Ken Lamb and John Campbell-Black to call on for suggestions.

"It takes much longer to get coordinated with six men and make sure we all get along with one another,'' said Lewin, the brother of Olympian Paula and son of International One Design sailor Nigel. "But it's also good as you have six minds operating and giving advice as opposed to one, but I still make the ultimate decision.'' Consistency proved the key to last year's triumph as Contest invariably placed high in the fleet from week to week and kept errors in judgment and execution to a minimum.

A similar effort would probably allow the trophy to remain at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club -- where Contest is based -- and a fast start on Monday would be desirable, but is not critical over the long haul.

Said Lewin: "What we want to be is consistent. Every point counts and we want to be there to pick up points in every race.

"It's a long season and even if we're slow to start with, there's no reason why we can't come through at the end.

"What we need to do is maintain our composure and keep at it. Also, while we're serious about racing, we also want to enjoy ourselves and have fun.'' `Fun' is the operative word with the party atmosphere and general camaraderie associated with the sport. Though there may be some incidents of misadventure and arguments between the various crews, these are often forgotten with the completion of a day's racing.