Mother Nature wrecked yesterday's International Race Week schedule, high winds forcing officials to abandon racing for the day.

Instead today, which had been scheduled as a rest day for most classes, will now serve as a replacement, with all classes due to see action -- weather permitting.

Bermuda's Penny Simmons stands on the verge of claiming the first prize of the week-long event, the veteran IOD skipper all but assured of the Bermuda Race Week Championship `A'.

Simmons has been in ravishing form thus far, with three first place finishes, together with a fifth. And any placing better than fifth during the final `A' series race would guarantee victory, as well as position him well for the Vrengen Gold Cup, awarded to the overall low points helmsman when the `A' and Norwegian series `B' are combined.

The closest battle being waged among the keel boats remains among the Etchells, where former winner Tim Patton holds a slender one and a quarter point edge over American Robert Bell, who has 1996 winner Peter Bromby aboard as crew, while Andreas Lewin stands two and three quarter points further back in third.

Patton and Lewin each have first place finishes to their credit, Patton having triumphed in race one on Sunday, before Lewin led wire to wire on Monday.

America's John Alofsin has set himself well on the way to upsetting Michael Emery's plans of a repeat in the J-24 class, positioning himself at the top with six and a half points on the basis of two firsts, a second and a third.

Emery is second on 113 .

The super fast Tornado fleet and newly instituted 505 each have runaway leaders, Alan Burland having triumphed in all four outings by the former, while Henry Amthor has taken a pair of firsts in the latter.

In the small boat classes, Malcolm Smith finds himself up against it in the Snipe class as Alex Pline threatens to derail his victory parade. The American has adapted well to the local conditions, placing second in the first race and winning the next to earn two and three quarter points, a four and a quarter point lead over the Bermudian.

Defending champion Howard Lee (33 ) currently has a handle on the Comet class, leading Gladwin Lambert (seven), Stevie Dickinson (83 ) and Rudy Bailey (15), while Tom Daly (11 ) and Adam Barboza (31 ) are in control of the JY15 and Laser classes respectively.