A blanket of thick, soupy fog descended on this resort town yesterday, but more people were talking about the dark cloud which hung ominously over the start of the Newport to Bermuda race, scheduled for Friday.

Race organisers were forced to deal with a brewing storm after some of the fastest teams became upset over what trophy they will be competing for.

Owners and crew in the racing division, an elite group of 14 Grand Prix teams, are angry over a new rules change.

Announced only two weeks prior to the start of the race, the change makes their sailboats ineligible for the prestigious St. David's Lighthouse trophy, one of the sport's most coveted trophies since 1906.

Only the racer/cruiser division, made up largely of amateur boats (there are 100 yachts entered in this category) can now win the top prize.

A new Grand Prix trophy which features a crystal peninsula with bronze lighthouse will be up for grabs in the racing division.

The decision is geared to give a distinct advantage to amateurs over professionals.

Francis Carter is competing in the racing division aboard the 80ft Longobarda , the only Bermuda entry in that division.

Four Bermuda skippers will now be eligible for the St. David's Lighthouse trophy -- Kirk Cooper ( Alphida ), Jordy Walker ( Jalapenos Dos ), Les Crane ( Monterey ) and Buddy Rego ( Tsunami ).

At least one sailor, David Clarke, of Locust, New Jersey has decided not to participate in this year's race because of the rules change. One of Clarke's former boats won the trophy in 1986, but he recently discovered his new 36ft Grand Prix sailboat Pigs in Space was not eligible for the prize. This also comes after he spent at least $10,000 on renovating his boat.

Another entry, High Noon , captained by Arthur Conway of Ramsey, New Jersey is also considering pulling out even though his boat is in fifth place after this weekend's two Onion Patch races, and is in third place overall as one of three members of the New York Yacht Club II team.

"They certainly do feel disadvantaged and it (the St. David's trophy) is certainly one of the most sought after trophies in sailing,'' said Dan Dyer, chairman of the Race Committee yesterday.

"Obviously if you are marketing or selling the boat, it's a significant thing to have one.'' Dyer said the decision was designed to give the race "back to amateur sailors''.

"That is our goal," he said from the downtown Marriott Hotel, headquarters for this year's race.

"This race has always been designed for the non-professional sailors.'' Dyer, however, tried to be careful not to further alienate the professionals competing, saying they still had a major part to play.

"Look, we're not trying to shut them out. This (new division) is the perfect place for them.'' Some sailors like Richard DeVoss, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, are upset about the change but have decided to compete regardless.

DeVoss and his father, Richard DeVoss sr. a former America's Cup syndicate executive, own a 70ft racer Windquest .

The maxi yacht made its debut last summer by finishing second in the Chicago-Mackinac race and later broke a record in the Port Huron to Mackinac race. Along with other members of the DeVoss family, former America's Cup helmsman John Bertrand, a professional, will sail the boat.

Dyer said the competitive nature of some sailors had sparked the change in rules. "We've tried to explain to everyone what we're trying to do,'' he said. "We feel, I feel, that there is a 50ft class which is extremely, highly developed along with maxis and it was mainly professionals and it self-destructed. "It was expensive, so high tech and so media sensitive that it lasted for a couple of years, then it died and nobody wanted to participate that way.'' Later he added: "One thing that's kind of ironic is they are very proud of high tech and how fast their boats go but they have a boat that is extremely well designed, well engineered and have a beautiful mast, beautiful sail plan but goes five or eight percent faster than Ticonzeroga that's been around for 35 years.

"Some kid with his rowboat with an Evinrude 10 horsepower can go to windward twice as fast as they can. So exploiting the speed is not ... well a sailboat is a weird way to do it.'' The two entries from the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club competing in the opening regattas in the Onion Patch series here last weekend are in the top four of the nine teams involved.

The RBYC I represented by Alphida , Longobarda and Wonder are in second place on 58 points behind NYYC I with 501 points.

Jalapenos Dos , Gold Digger and Brigadoon VI , making up RBYC II are in fourth place on 123 points. Third is NYYC II with 71 points.

RBYC I were led by Longobarda with 14 points and Alphida with 15 points after the two races.

The performance by Alphida was particularly impressive since it was her first time in action since being overhauled after an accident last winter.

There are 163 boats entered for the Newport to Bermuda Race, the most since 1982 when there was a record 178. There were 117 boats on the starting line in 1992.