within a whisker of the Venezuelan with another solid showing yesterday in the Great Sound during action in the Sunfish World Championships.

Trailing defending champion Cordero by five and a half points entering the day, Smith sliced the lead to only one and a quarter as the fleet prepare for the championship series which begins tomorrow.

Smith now has eight and a half points compared to seven and a quarter for Cordero.

The local benefitted from first and second place finishes during racing in the afternoon, but his biggest boost came from Cordero, who was guilty of a false start in his first outing and was forced to use the result as his discard.

Cordero rebounded to finish second the next time out, but afterward appeared nervous as he waited to find out if indeed he had incurred the dreaded PMS.

"If I'm not disqualified I'm in pretty good shape for the finals,'' said Cordero, as he relaxed by watching television at the host Spanish Point Boat Club. "If I get a PMS I have to be careful in the next races, because one mistake could make me lose everything.'' As events would have it, Cordero had just cause for worry with Smith and other hopefuls, Paul-Jon Patin of the United States and Bahamian Donnie Martinborough, making their move.

Patin pulled into a tie for third with Bruce Sutphen on 153 points after first and fifth place finishes. Sutphen, one of the pre-regatta favourites, also had a first to go with an earlier third.

The native of Long Island expressed pleasure with the day's work.

"I think it's (regatta) going fairly well considering the conditions, I'm sailing pretty consistently and looking forward to sailing the last day in the full fleet,'' said Patin, whose large build is more conducive to strong winds rather than the medium gusts which prevailed yesterday.

"I just stayed in phase and stayed on the right side of the course.'' Patin looked forward to resuming the chase for Cordero when the regatta resumes with the championship series and was optimistic of his chances of catching the slippery Venezuelan, who has dazzled with his speed on the runs.

"I think a few people have a chance,'' said Patin. "I think that he (Cordero) and Malcolm are out there looking pretty good and there's three or four people after that which are pretty close, maybe eight or 10 points behind.'' Included in that bunch is another American, Bruce Mahoney (173 ), who now lies fifth after two seventh place finishes yesterday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Stevie Dickinson recorded his first top placing when he won the final race of the day, leading throughout and improving to sixth overall. The first is added to an earlier sixth and eighth, which was used as a discard.

Lone local female competitor Paul Lewin, although consistently among the top 10, slipped from third to ninth in the standings following finishes of fifth and sixth.