And if he can beat leader Dennis Connor in this morning's fifth race of the six-race regatta (with one throwaway), Bromby if confident he can nip the well renown American for the title.

Yesterday Bromby won the first race with Connor second and Henry Springler, who is out of contention, third. In the afternoon race, Connor took line honours with Bromby second and Springler third. That is also how it stands overall, with Connor on four-and-a-half points and Bromby on six-and-three-quarters.

"I need to beat Dennis in the morning race in order to stay on contention for the afternoon,'' said a confident Bromby last night. "I beat him today soundyly by 15 boat lengths so I'm quite happy. I've got a good shot if I can get on top of him.'' Bromby is confident of his chances going into today's final races as he and crew Lee White and Clive Thatcher prepare for a showdown with Connor. "For us this is the first time we've raced Etchells for a whole series so we're learning a few things,'' said the skipper. "This is also the first time I've sailed with Clive.

"We're probably more familiar with the conditions here than Dennis is. We come down here three or four times a year. That, we have in our favour.''