Peter Bromby doesn't paint a picture of a man possessed.

A laid-back, sometimes pragmatic approach might belie his passion for sailing.

Indeed, while most of his rivals here in Sydney have listed on their official biographies under the title `ambitions' a desire to win gold, Bromby talks of his Bermuda trucking business and how he would like to make it more successful.

Sailing, even after more than 30 years on the water, it would seem, is still just a pastime, a means of having fun.

But ask the burly, six foot, four inch Somerset resident just how much a medal would mean to him at these Olympic Games, and he takes a deep breath before looking you straight back in the eye.

"You have no idea,'' he says. "It's unthinkable. I can't even think of it right now, it would mean so much.'' After years of globetrotting, taking on and often beating the best yachtsmen in the world, a medal at a major Games still eludes him.

And he'd like nothing more than to fill that void at what quite likely will be the last time the historic Star class competes in an Olympic Games (see story this page).

What of his chances? When the first in the 11-race series begins this Saturday, Bromby and crew Lee White believe theirs are as good as anyone else, despite the fact that all but one other team in the class are full-time sailors.

"I think if we sail the regatta of our lives, everything goes our way, we get some breaks, then yes, we could get a medal,'' says Bromby in typical matter-of-fact fashion.

"It's a tough road and we realise that. But there's nobody here we haven't beaten before. It's really just a matter of who has a good day.

"There's 11 races and we have to look to get into the top five as many times as we can.

"I'd certainly like to have a good day the first day. That changes the whole complexion of the regatta if you can get a good start. It's always a long way back from a bad first day.'' Four years ago in Atlanta following a strenuous build-up campaign, Bromby and White finished a creditable but at the same time disappointing 13th.

"I've always felt that when we go into a sailboat race we should have a shot at winning. So, yes, I was disappointed,'' reflects Bromby.

"But in the Star class, in particular, the bad ones have all been weeded out.

There's only the good ones left. That's what we're up against.'' This time around the Bermudian pair changed their approach. With business commitments at home, neither could afford too much time overseas taking part in warm-up regattas. And while in 1996, they travelled to Savannah more than a month before racing began to adapt to local conditions, this time they touched down in Sydney just over a week ago.

"I think it was the right way to go,'' explained Bromby.

Continued on page 27 Bromby relaxed Continued from page 27 "I don't believe we needed any more time. Racing doesn't start until Saturday and we made a point of looking at the schedule before we came. If racing had begun this week, we would have come earlier.

"This is still more preparation than we would give to other regattas we sail in overseas.

"We know what we have to do. It's a matter of going through everything methodically. That's what we're doing. Every day we're overturning more rocks.'' What they have discovered is that conditions in Sydney's picturesque harbour, where the Opera House and bridge provide a stunning backdrop to the races, can change very quickly.

And Bromby sees that as a plus. "To be quite honest, I think the flukiness will help us. You know, we're going to need some luck.

"To get a medal, and I don't rule out that possibility, it's just a matter of us catching the breaks and some of the others blowing up under these conditions. It's possible.'' Seasoned sailors: Lee White (front) and Peter Bromby, who will compete in the Star class in Sydney.

SAILING SLG