winners when the first of four races in the Bermuda Offshore Cruising Association's Summer Series was held on Sunday.

Many of the regular BOCA skippers and crew were on the high seas in the Newport-Bermuda Race but the three IMS boats racing with spinnakers and the three PHRF non-spinnaker boats enjoyed a good start to the season with a short course around the Great Sound.

A half hour delay was needed to allow enough wind to get the boats across the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club starting line. Monkeyshines , helmed by guest J24 skipper John Corless, led Fat Tuesday and Defiant out of the Great Sound.

But Fat Tuesday's skipper, Stevenson, played the wind shifts with skill and caught Monkeyshines halfway around the course. The two boats then indulged in slow-motion match racing until Fat Tuesday veered off to lead the way back to Hamilton Harbour.

In a last minute breeze Monkeyshines achieved a fast spinnaker hoist for the final run to the finish but Fat Tuesday crossed the line one minutes and 53 seconds (uncorrected) ahead of her rival.

The heavier Defiant , with J39 sailor Mike Brown of the UK as guest skipper, performed well in the light winds, coming very close to the two J boats at times.

After rounding buoy 102 close to the PHRF boat Cranberry , Defiant seemed to find a private breeze which brought her straight through Two Rock Passage for a strong finish.

Guay skippered Temptation with confidence, flying a full range of sails and finding enough wind to stay well ahead of the other two boats in his class.

Premier Cru and Cranberry remained close enough to influence each other's bit of air and finished only 47 seconds apart.