of Hurricane Bertha blew over the Georgia coast.

Star class pair Peter Bromby and Lee White, Paula Lewin (Europe) and Malcolm Smith (Laser) were given the all-clear to resume training along with the rest of the 500-plus international gathering as weather conditions improved.

Olympic sailing events spokesman Marcus Hutchinson said sailors had left the safety of the Savannah river and returned to the day marina, a huge metal barge moored where the river estuary meets the Atlantic Ocean.

"It's still quite windy out there, with 25-knot winds blowing,'' said Hutchinson yesterday.

Competitors and larger yachts were evacuated on Wednesday from the offshore marina as Bertha, which has claimed six lives so far, headed for the US coast.

But the hurricane was heading for the Carolina coastline and Hutchinson said the weather conditions in Savannah were expected to improve.

The main Olympic marina, a collection of tents and trailers on nearby Wilmington Island, was back in full operation after being stripped down to weather the storm.

Hutchinson said the temporary structures at the marina were built to withstand winds of 40 knots.

Olympic organiser Billy Payne, in Atlanta to give the final report on the city's readiness to the International Olympic Committee, said he was relieved the storm appeared to be skirting Georgia.

"I was ready to go down there and rally the troops,'' he said. "It looks like we may have avoided a very significant problem.'' Local liquor merchants Burrows Lightbourn have taken literally Bermuda Olympic Association president Austin Woods' call for Bermudians to "put the champagne on ice.'' Woods said earlier this week he was confident that both sailor Bromby and triple jumper Brian Wellman could win medals at the upcoming Games and advised locals to prepare to celebrate.

Yesterday Trevor Nicholls of Burrows Lightbourn responded by offering bottles of Piper Heidsieck champagne to any athlete who makes the medal podium.

"If anybody wins a gold we'll donate a jeroboam of champagne,'' added Nicholls.

SAILING SLG