Defending champion Peter Bromby finished with a fifth place in the sixth and final race of the prestigious Bacardi Cup regatta off the waters of Key Biscayne, Florida, yesterday, so securing fifth place overall.

Alternating with crew Martin Siese and Lee White, one of whom will accompany him to this summer's Olympic Games in Athens, Bromby always faced an uphill battle to retain his title, despite winning the second of the six races on Monday.

He went into yesterday's final race in eighth place overall in a fleet of 92, but by that time Alfonso Domingos and crew Bernardo Santos of Portugal had already assured themselves of the championship and opted not to compete yesterday.

Their low total of 24 points was enough to make them the first Europeans to win the coveted cup since the race began in Cuba in 1927.

Bromby and White's fifth place yesterday left them on 52 points, just three adrift of fourth place finishers, Howie Shiebler and Will Stout of the USA, and only four and a half behind third-placed Australians Colin Beashel and David Giles.

Second place overall went to Canadians Ross Macdonald and Mike Wolfs on 37 points.

Bromby's finishes were 18-1-13-17-16-5, allowing him to drop the 18th.