Defending champion Peter Bromby had a disastrous day on the water yesterday in International Race Week, slipping from first to fourth in the Etchells standings.

Bromby?s two discards for the week are likely to come from yesterday?s effort. Mechanical failure in the first saw him finish last in the opener and he was one of the four boats to be punished for crossing the line early in the second and final race of the day.

After bullets in the opening two races on Sunday, the Olympian had entered the day in the lead but an equipment failure ? ?I?m not as smart as I thought I was,? said Bromby when asked if it was preventable ? gave him last-placed finish in the opener, won by Tim Patton who is now second overall.

In the last race, Bromby, Patton, fellow Olympian Paula Lewin and Don Campbell all crossed the line early to be disqualified, earning them a maximum 12 points.

That left American Joseph Bainton in the lead after he finished runner-up in the opener and won the second race.

?I was feeling a lot happier sitting here on Sunday than I do now,? said Bromby with a wry smile as he dissected his day?s racing over a beer on the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club terrace. ?This wasn?t a great day but with the discards I think I might still be in with a chance. I wouldn?t say I was confident but I still think there is a chance.?

Bromby, who admitted to being ?dumbfounded? by the manner in which his mast problems unfolded in the first race, believed the boat would finish the week courtesy of some thorough pre-race checks and balances.

Meanwhile, the first official winner of the week is John Corless, who claimed the all-Bermuda J-105 class in the Great Sound with two bullets and a runner-up place in the final day?s racing.

He didn?t even start the fourth and final race of the day and still claimed the B.W. Walker Memorial Trophy by eight points over Mark Cloutier with James MacDonald third.

In the J-24s, leader Sean McDermott earned three top-three finishes to stay overall leader by five points ahead of Bermudian John Nichols who won the middle race yesterday.

The opening race was won by home sailor Trevor Boyce while Brit Jon Powell claimed the final event, leaving seven more races before the end of the week.

In the IODs, Richard Pearce has taken the lead after remaining in the top four for all three of yesterday?s races.

Although pre-race favourite and former world champion Penny Simmons won the opener ? to go with two opening day wins ? he could only manage 11th and eighth in the latter two races to sit fourth overall with seven races left. Kenneth Drewry and Anthony Huston were the other two winners yesterday.

On the Bravo course off Spanish Point Boat Club, defending champion Malcolm Smith won the only Laser race of the day for which an official score was posted.

A problem with the scoring has meant a delay in publishing results for the final two races, leaving Brett Wright two points ahead of Smith on eight in the provisional standings with Sara Lane Adderley in third after finishing fifth on the day.

In the Snipes, American Jerry Thompson recorded bullets in both of yesterday?s races in the six-race series.