Paul Goodison is threatening to run away with the Bacardi Moth World Championship.

The English sailor once again lived up to pre-regatta expectations as he reeled off two more victories in the Great Sound yesterday to afford himself more breathing room at the top of the pecking order.

Goodison, the two-times defending world champion and Olympic gold medal-winner, holds a 13-point advantage over nearest rival Francesco Bruni, of Italy, after six races and a throw-out.

Rome Kirby, of the United States, sits in third, a further four points off the lead pace.

The trio all participated in last year’s 35th America’s Cup, which Bermuda hosted, while Bruni is also a former King Edward VII Gold Cup winner.

Goodison led the field by a four-point margin after the opening two races going into the races contested in 12-18 knot breezes yesterday.

But his march to a third straight world title was interrupted when the rigging on his boat was damaged during the warm-up, forcing him to miss the third race. He managed to get back out on the racecourse after making the necessary adjustments and go on and post an impressive 1-2-1 record on the day despite encountering further issues with his rigging.

“It was quite an entertaining day,” said Goodison, who competed for Swedish challenger Artemis Racing at the America’s Cup.

Benn Smith, the youngest sailor competing, leads the Bermuda contingent and is 30th in the overall 41-boat fleet.

Joshua Greenslade, the newly crowned Bermuda national Moth class champion, trails Smith by 15-points in 33rd followed by James Doughty, the Bermuda Moth Class Association president, in 38th.

Significant revisions were made to the rules governing the regatta after the opening qualifying races on Monday were postponed because of strong gales.

The original format consisted of a six-race qualifying series with the fleet to be divided for the 12-race final series. The format now consists of a single series of 18 races. A revision was also made to the various methods used to determine a boat’s series score with the first of up to three throw-outs coming into play yesterday.

The championship, which also features a Masters division, as well as a sole entry in the women’s and youth divisions, is being hosted for the first time by the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club in conjunction with the International Moth Class Association.