the fleet and set his sights on the Vrengen Gold Cup after winning the Bermuda Race Week Championship `A' Series yesterday.

"Our main goal is to win the overall for the week although in this last race we were keeping our eye on the `A' Series as well,'' said four-time winner, Bromby.

Following his defeat at the hands of main challenger Bill Widnall in the day's first race Bromby new that he needed to finish ahead of Widnall and keep his rival out of the top three places in the second race in order to take the first series. A strategic race ensued with the two countering each others moves, seemingly oblivious to the rest of the field, Said Bromby: "In the early part of the race we were covering him (Widnall) tightly...anywhere he went we were right with him.

"We knew that if we kept him out of the top three we couldn't be beaten.'' Meanwhile former winner, Jan Petter Roed of Norway took advantage of the pair's preoccupation with each other and led by three boat-lengths at the first windward mark. Roed never relinquished this advantage and with the first place finish moved ahead of Widnall to second overall, putting himself in a great position to challenge Bromby with three races remaining.

Roed, six-and-a-half points behind the leader entering the day, managed to shave a half point off Bromby's lead as he continued to perform consistently in his bid to seize the Cup once more.

Successfully defending their championship in the Tornado class were the duo of Alan Burland and Chris Nash, who could do no wrong all week. Their fourth place finish in the last race was their worst of the week, but with today's race being cancelled it mattered not.

Skipper Burland and crew Nash always seem to bring the goods to the annual regatta and this year was no different. They were simply brilliant, piling up four first place finishes which effectively made it a battle for the second, third and fourth spots.

A modest Burland said afterwards: "The racing was really very close all week...closer than it seemed.

"We won a lot of races but it was close.'' He expressed pleasure at being able to compete in a very enjoyable and competitive series against the Kempes, Reid and Jay, as well as Malcolm McBeath, who wound up third overall with Glenn Astwood as his crew.

"It was a fun series. We were glad to be out there and happy to perhaps help the Kempes tune up their sail,'' said Burland.'' The Kempes were likewise satisfied with their showing, especially as they are still trying to come to grips with the new sail which they helped design with American Randy Smythe and unveiled at the beginning of the race week.

"We're getting to know the sail more and understand it more,'' said Reid.

"It's radically different from the sail that we've sailed with in the States and Europe.'' They were particularly impressive in the second race under medium winds when they completely decimated the field, winning by over twenty boat lengths.

Said Reid: "Overall we're very pleased because we stayed with Alan.

"He's always good in strong winds. We were leading him heading to the finish line in three of the races and lost it through tactics.'' Among the Etchells, American Stephen Cucchiaro recorded his first victory in the Great Sound this week, but it was fellow American Nina Nielsen who made the biggest move, going from fourth to first overall after coming in second.

Nielsen leads last year's runner-up Tim Patton by the slimmest of margins, three-quarters of a point, with three more contests left and is on line to become 1992's only female champion.

Patton managed fourth on the afternoon while overnight leader David Jones had a disastrous outing, trailing in 10th to fall two spaces down to third followed by Bermudians Bill McNiven and Paul Fisher, still within striking distance.

Well on his way to regaining the 4th Cruiser Squadron Trophy for the Luders is 1990 champion George Hughes of Canada.

With a more than eight point gap separating him fron the nearest challenger it would take a near catastrophe for Hughes to squander his edge.

Nevertheless there remains an intense battle for the next few placings, with just three points separating the next three competitors. Another Canadian Allan Chandler now holds second with Brian McDonah making it a one-two-three for the Canada with two races left.

Bermuda's number one hope in the Snipes Malcolm Smith finally came to the fore, as he was first in the last race of the day to better by one his finish in the opening race and move into the top three. Stevie Dickinson also remains in the thick of things with a third in race two.

There's no doubt about the leader in the Sunfish as Bahamian Donny Martinborough continues to leave everyone in his wake. Two more victories at the Spanish Point Boat Club yesterday and Martinborough's record reads 1st, 1st, 1st and 1st.

And even though Alan Scharfe of the United States has shown that he is also a class competitor, he and all the rest have proven no match for Martinborough, who is on course for his eighth championship.

KING OF THE SUNFISH FLEET -- Unbeaten so far this week, Donny Martinborough of the Bahamas looks to be on course for his eighth International Race Week title afte missing last year's event.