Paula Lewin slipped from third to seventh at the Rolex International Women's Keelboat Championship in Annapolis, Maryland yesterday.

While Monday's heavy wind with 25-knot gusts showcased boathandling skills, yesterday's shifty, light air put a premium on tactics at the event where 66 teams are competing in four-person International J/22s.

The critical juncture for the regatta was yesterday's second race, the fifth for the series which, upon its completion, gave competitors the ability to discard their single worst race score.

Lewin came 13th in the first race yesterday and improved with a sixth in the second. After dropping a 22nd in the second race she currently has 38 points.

The mediocre performances of the top placed sailors opened the door for Sally Barkow of Nashotah, Wisconsin, the winner of the first race, to climb from sixth to second overall behind Betsy Alison of Newport, Rhode Island.

Alison, the event's five-time winner who finished 12-9 yesterday, used her allowed throwout race to trim off a whopping 67 points, accrued on Monday for jumping the gun on a black-flag start, from her final score.

Alison and Barkow both have 23 points, with the tiebreaker going to Alison, a five-time Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year.

The regatta continues today with two scheduled races and concludes on Friday.