Bermuda's Paula Lewin edged closer to a bronze medal on another blustery day on the waters off Mar del Plata yesterday.

But she could have found herself challenging for silver going into today's final two races had it not been for a costly mistake in the second of yesterday's three runs.

Having led home the six-boat Europe Dinghy fleet in the opening race of the day -- her first win so far in this 10-race Pan-Am series -- Lewin then swept into a commanding lead in the second race.

But just when victory seemed a formality her boat capsized and she trailed home a disappointing fifth.

A third place finish in the last of the day's three races, however, left Lewin with a firm hold on third spot overall with 21.75 points, 6.25 ahead of fourth-placed Canadian Susan Emerson but 10.5 behind Brazil's Marcia Pellicano. America's Kimberly Logan remains out front with nine points.

"I had the biggest lead ever in that second race,'' said a frustrated Lewin.

"I was almost half a leg ahead and then I capsized.

"There's things called chicken gybes. When you don't want to gybe, you tack around. It's very conservative, it's slower but only by about a boat length.

But I just went for it instead, I got too aggressive and I capsized.'' Lewin conceded that mistake has probably cost her a shot at the silver medal.

"Unless I win both races and she (Pellicano) finishes sixth, then no, I don't think so.'' But a bronze would be no mean feat and certainly help lift the spirits among a sailing team which really hasn't fulfilled expectations this week.

To secure what might prove to be Bermuda's only medal at these Games, Lewin probably needs a couple of third places today, but could still hang onto her position with worse finishes depending on how her rivals fare.

For the Island's other sailors, it was a familiar story yesterday as they battled unsuccessfully against winds of over 20 knots and high waves.

Stevie Dickinson, sailing with crew Heath Foggo in the Snipes, left Club Nautica last night vowing not to return for today's last two races.

"I've had enough,'' he said. "There's no point.'' Team manager Chuck Millican, however, said he would attempt to persuade Dickinson to complete the series.

"I don't like to blame equipment, but I believe Stevie's problem is his boat,'' said Millican.

"It's just too old. It's ok on the lakes of North America but not in the conditions down here.'' Dickinson had a sixth, eighth and DNF yesterday to drop to the bottom of the eight-boat fleet, five points behind the seventh-placed Puerto Rican.

Ironically, the class is being led by Cuban Manzo Lopez who Dickinson has frequently beaten in previous regattas.

Laser sailor Malcolm Smith remained in 11th place overall in a fleet of 17 after finishes of 15th (his worst of the week), 13th and 14th.

And Elizabeth Walker posted finishes of sixth, seventh and seventh to remain rooted at the bottom of the seven-boat Laser Radial fleet.

Match racer Peter Bromby, eliminated from the J24 series on Thursday, watched yesterday as the sailor he beat in the preliminaries, Peter Holmberg of the US Virgin Islands crushed Argentina's Francisco Campero 3-0 to earn a berth in today's finals.

Holmberg meets American Paul Foerster to decide the gold medal after the latter also won easily, 3-0, over Canada's Ross MacDonald.