sailors in the world at the Women's International Match Race Championship in Marblehead, Massachusetts.

Lewin, with sister Peta and Leatrice Roman as crew aboard a borrowed Sonar craft, placed second at the regatta, which included seven of the top ten female match racers on the Omega World Match Race Sailing Rankings.

Hanna Swett of the United States proved Lewin's nemesis, twice defeating the Bermudian, the first time during the round robin and then again in the best-of-three race final.

It was a busy weekend for all competitors. The postponement of racing on Friday due to little wind forced seven flights to be contested on Saturday, followed by semi-finals and finals on Sunday.

Lewin ended up second following the nine-flight round robin, going 7-2, the other loss coming to Betsy Alison.

That defeat was avenged during the semis, as Lewin downed the respected big boat sailor 2-0 to set up a winner take all battle against Swett for a free entry into next month's Brut Gold Cup.

The first outing against Swett witnessed Lewin take the start and hold onto the lead throughout, but be forced to surrender under pressure from Swett while heading downwind to the finish.

"We were ten lengths from the finish and covering and jibbing as they tried to cover our air,'' explained Lewin, now back in Bermuda. "We had her between the mark and us and I jibbed away to go for the committee boat, but jibbed into a hole and stopped moving.'' Meanwhile, mechanical problems, specifically a faulty spinnaker halyard, proved the undoing of Lewin the second time around -- right when she had grabbed the advantage.

"It was really tough racing and beautiful,'' she said. "It is, right now, the highest rated match racing regatta in the world for women, next to the Gold Cup.'' With the Marblehead regatta behind her, Lewin is now focussing on the National Match Racing Championships on Sunday, with the top two finishers earning invites to the aforementioned Gold Cup.

She wasn't the only Lewin to reap success over the weekend period, as brother Andreas and the rest of his Contest crew enjoying the fruits of a third consecutive Coronation Cup triumph among fitted dinghies.

Andreas piloted the craft to a pair of second place finishes during the penultimate weekend of racing, mathematically eliminating all challengers.

Winners on the day were Port Royal which grabbed the Victory Cup while winning the first outing in Granaway Deep, while Somerset offering Challenger rose to the fore the next time out, taking home the L.D. Fox Trophy.

Contest now stand first with 743 points, compared to 59 for second placed Challenger and 471 each for Elizabeth and Port Royal . Victory and Echo bring up the rear with 401 and 23 respectively.

Paula Lewin