Week J-24 champion after two victories yesterday stretched his lead at the head of the fleet.

Eastman, with three race wins to his credit already, coped magnificently with the rough conditions in the Great Sound to put himself way out in front of his rivals.

While the American was clocking up his fourth and fifth victories -- his worst result this week is third -- his closest challengers were drifting off the pace.

The six skippers closest to Eastman all returned similar performances yesterday, all of them accumulating 10 points from the two races.

Bermuda's Trevor Boyce still fills second spot, more than 14 points behind Eastman, with Britt Hughes of the US breathing down his neck in third.

A further 10 points separates the leading trio from the rest of the fleet.

Boyce had a second and an eighth yesterday, while Hughes was third and seventh.

High winds prompted the race committee to abandon the afternoon race moments after the start, but it was restarted shortly afterwards when the wind died down.

But while the J-24s coped well with the difficult conditions, the Etchells had a tougher time of it in the fourth race of their six-race series.

Bermuda's Chuck Millican and Larry Sliker of the US failed to finish the race, while the 1990 Race Week Etchells champion David Jones failed to start.

The race witnessed a surprise winner in the shape of Hugh McGugan of Canada, whose best previous performance was a sixth place on Tuesday.

Fleet leader Nina Nielsen could only manage eighth, allowing Bermuda's Tim Patton to take over again at the top.

Patton has so far been unable to repeat the victory he achieved in Sunday's opening race, but a consistent series has helped him to remain in contention for the K.F. Trimingham Trophy.

Runner-up last year, Patton was sixth yesterday in the class, which has not produced a repeat winner this week and thus promises an exciting conclusion to the series today and tomorrow.

Less than four points separate the top four, with Nielsen tucked in behind Patton in second, while Bermuda's Billy McNiven and Jeffrey Stall of the US share third spot.

With the Tornadoes having finished their series on Tuesday, the J-24s and the Etchells were the only boats in action yesterday.

Racing in the Luders Class was called off yesterday afternoon due to the high winds.

The postponement means that the Luders will have back-to-back races today to complete their series.

Bermuda's defending champion David Summers has a tough task on his hands if he is to retain his title, with a trio of Canadians currently filling the top three positions.

It is George Hughes -- the 1990 champion -- who looks hot favourite to regain the 4th Cruiser Squadron Trophy.

Bermuda's Peter Bromby is back in action again this morning in the IOD Class `B' Series, and, after his early week performance in the `A' series, few would bet against him taking the overall crown tomorrow.

Donny Martinborough of the Bahamas, the only skipper to remain unbeaten this week, will be looking to keep his perfect record on the final day of racing in the Sunfish Class.

Martinborough has four victories to his credit so far, giving him an unassailable lead at the head of the fleet.

For Malcolm Smith, the reigning Sunfish champion, it is so far so good in his bid to take the Snipe Class this year.

Smith holds a narrow lead over Henry Filter of the US going into the final day's racing, with Bermuda's other main hope, Stevie Dickinson, holding third place just ahead of former champion Bill Buckles of the US.

Today is the official closing date for entry to the 38th Biennial Newport to Bermuda Ocean Yacht Race, which starts on June 19. PHOTO COMING AT YOU -- Bermuda's Trevor Boyce is second overall in the J-24 Class after yesterday's racing.