to their campaign at the Youth Worlds in Portugal this weekend, but recovered with a second place yesterday to pull them back into contention.

The pair finished 11th of the 15 boats in the Girls' 420 Class in rough conditions in the opening race, improving to 10th in the second race and eighth in the third.

But yesterday, Walker and Cooper found the weather much more to their liking, thriving in the light conditions to claim a well-deserved second. The pair led throughout only to be overhauled on the last beat by the French pairing of Pauline Lecadre and Laure Fernander.

Later in the day they finished 10th as the wind in Vilamoura began to pick up again.

But it is still early days in the International Yacht Racing Union's Nautica World Youth Sailing Championships.

The regatta sails to a finish on Saturday, so there is plenty of time for the duo to improve on their seventh place overall.

"In the light stuff they're as good as anybody,'' said national sailing coach Chuck Millican, who is with the youth team in Portugal. "And they are getting better every day.'' France and the other European nations are proving to be the dominant force in the regatta, which has attracted the world's top young sailors.

Janice Gutteridge, Bermuda's other representative in Portugal, is struggling at the bottom of the fleet in the Girls' Europe Dinghy Class at the halfway stage. Severine Blondet of France is the early pace-setter.

The Spanish Point Boat Club Snipe fleet commenced the 1992 season in style on Sunday in glorious conditions that saw several new faces out on the water.

Close racing was the norm as Derek Ratteray and crew Leatrice Roman finished the day in a dead heat for the lead with Guy Eldridge and crew Julia van Beelen after four races.

Eldridge took the first race, leading from start to finish with superior upwind speed. Ratteray could manage no better than third, being pipped by David Kuhn and crew Kevin Blee.

Ratteray recovered to win the second race comfortably, finding a strong lift on port tack near the first windward mark to take the lead and never looking back. Eldridge finished ahead of Kuhn to take second.

The third race saw Stevie Dickinson and crew Wesley Tucker join the fleet in a rebuilt 1960's vintage wooden snipe that is an amazing example of an almost forgotten art. And they proved that wood can be fast, winning in handsome fashion from Ratteray. John and Marianne Ridley finished a promising third on their debut in the class.

The final race of the day saw a close contest between Dickinson and Eldridge, with the lead changing several times. Dickinson came from behind to win on the run to the finish. The two were followed home by Ratteray.

Eldridge and Ratteray finished tied for the lead with 83 points. Dickinson's two late victories were good enough to give him third overall on 131 points.

ON THE REBOUND -- Elizabeth Walker, left, and Carola Cooper placed second in the 420 Class at the World Youth Championships yesterday after a tough weekend.