Peter Bromby fought back from behind to reclaim his Etchells crown on a dramatic final day of International Race Week on the Great Sound yesterday.

Needing to beat American race leader Joseph Bainton by at least one boat place in the 11th and final race of the week, the Olympian and crew Martin Vezina and Gary Roman claimed a bullet to take the K.F. rimingham Trophy on a windy fifth day of competition.

With fellow Bermudians Paula Lewin and Tim Patton also within striking distance of the victory, Bromby knew that the whole event would hinge on this one race.

?We were looking to control him at the start,? said a relaxed and smiling Bromby back on the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club terrace sharing a beer with his triumphant team.

?As we started out we were nearer the back but we began to make progress through the field. We had him (Bainton) behind us but he went in front although he had to jibe and that put us back where we wanted to be.

?But we still had to worry about Paula and Timmy but we caught Timmy on the run and then cut Paula?s lead in half. She was a little unlucky really because an IOD was sharing part of the course and we used the other boat to get in front.

?And once we were there, that was it ? we weren?t giving it up.?

Bainton eventually finished sixth, earning second place overall behind Bromby while Lewin ended up third overall and Patton one point behind her.

Bromby admitted that the victory was the hardest fought of his multiple victories in Race Week and therefore ?the most satisfying?.

?The way we sailed in the second half of today?s race was the best we?ve sailed all week,? he added.

?It?s been a tough week, with some hard days and I?m glad we can come away as winners.?

It was the first time Bromby had sailed with Vezina, a former Laser winner here, and Roman, a former J-105 winner whose wife Leatrice was sailing with Lewin, and the group admitted it all took a bit of getting used to each other.

?There was some fine-tuning that went on throughout the week,? said Vezina. ?We got better as time went on.?

For Roman, meanwhile, it was the physical exertion of the week that he wanted to talk about.

?That was tough, really tough,? said Roman, who has previously finished third in the Etchells.

?It can really take it out of you ? there was some difficult days and I?m pretty beat now, to be honest.?

Another Bermudian to retain a title was Penny Simmons in the IODs. A second place was enough for the multiple world champion to win the Vrengen Gold Cup by three clear points.

Canadian Sean McDermott claimed the Gripper Trophy in the J-24s in style, picking up a bullet to close out for victory. Bermuda?s Trevor Boyce came second on the final day to claim runner-up spot while Mike Lewis finished third to claim third overall.

Out on the Bravo course off Spanish Point Boat Club, former Athlete of the Year Malcolm Smith clinched the Laser title despite being narrowly beaten by Brett Wright in both of yesterday?s races.

Smith picked up the overall trophy by just two points despite trailing Wright twice yesterday. Between them they won all but two of the ten races and the nearest competitor, Stevie Dickinson, finished another 23 points behind Wright.

American Jerry Thompson claimed the Snipes with a win and a second on the final day to take a seven-point victory over Thomas Kozyn from the US Virgin Islands.