Royal Bermuda Yacht Club (RBYC) Optimist sailor Benn Smith currently leads the group of sailors vying for a place on Bermuda’s team for July’s 2013 IODA World Championships in Italy.After eight races of the two part qualifying series the son of multiple World Sunfish Champion and past Male Athlete of the Year Malcolm Smith (14 pts) holds a six-point lead over nearest rival Ceci Wollmann (20 pts).Smith posted six top three finishes that included three bullets during part one of the IODA World Championships qualifying series contested in the Great Sound at the weekend in five to 20 knot west, southwest breezes.Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club (RHADC) sailor Wollmann also posted three bullets to keep pace with leader Smith.In third is Bermuda Optimist Dinghy Association (BODA) 2012 Sailor of the Year Chase Cooper who currently has 23 points along with fourth placed RBYC and Sandys Boat Club sailor Campbell Patton.Rounding off the top five is RHADC’s Mikey Wollman (33 pts).A total of 23 sailors competed at the weekend which saw five races held on Saturday and an additional three on Sunday.Part two of the IODA World Championships qualifying series is scheduled for April 20-21.The eventual top five sailors at the end of part two of the IODA World Championships qualifying series will earn the right to represent Bermuda in Italy this summer.Prior to resuming the IODA World Championships qualifying series next month BODA will be sending a five-member team to Porto Alegre, Brazil to compete in the IODA South American Championships March 21 31.Bermuda’s South American Championships team consists of RBYC pair Smith and Chase Cooper and RHADC trio Ceci and Mikey Wollmann and Peter Dill. The team will be accompanied in Brazil by BODA High Performance Coach Martin Jenkins.