Winning perhaps the last big regatta before the Olympics has given Peter Bromby and Lee White just the fillip they needed.

Their low-score 32 points among the Star Class at Spa Week last weekend catapulted the world-ranked Bermudians further into the spotlight and was a priceless psychological boost with the Summer Games just two-and-a-half months away.

?From a confidence point of view it?s very important. We?ve been sailing well for the last year but things haven?t always worked out for us so it?s good to get one where things go our way and we get on top,? said Bromby of their success in Medemblik, the Netherlands.

?It?s pretty important, going into Athens, that we ride in on a wave of momentum. I think that?s huge. That?s probably going to be the last major regatta between now and the Games and every boat that will be in the Olympics was there.?

While the pair went from a situation of relative comfort to having to fight for the title in the last race, the skipper noted their success created few ripples.

?I don?t think our win surprised anybody. We have featured in just about every regatta we have been in in the last three years and, while we haven?t won every one, I don?t think there has been one where our presence hasn?t been felt.?

Racing took place in mostly light air on an Olympic-type course which ? unlike the World Championships ? is shorter, giving the ?younger guys? less chance ?to grind us down and get past us?, said Bromby.

Competing among a fleet of 34, the Bermudians sailed what they earmarked as their two drop races at the start, placing 16th and 17th in the first two races respectively. Given that, they knew they would be under the gun for the remaining seven races.

?We knew that with one (more) bad race we would be in trouble. On the second to last race we came 15th but what the scoreboard doesn?t show is, in that race, we led handsomely on the first three or four legs and then the breeze shut down on the final run.

?What seemed to be an unbeatable lead turned into 15th place in half a leg. The breeze changed direction and we were so far in front that we couldn?t get to the new breeze. We were starting to feel like it wasn?t going to be our week after all. Before that we sailed a first-place regatta and we deserved to win,? said Bromby, alluding to the fact that they finished fifth, first, third, second and fifth prior to the penultimate race.

?That race (15th place) was very disappointing because if we had won it ? with everyone in the positions they were in when the wind shift came ? we were looking at a position where the fat lady would have been on stage. We went from that scenario to a toss-up where about seven guys could win going into the last race, from being totally comfortable to being thrown right among the pigeons again.?

In the final race, there was ?no point in holding back? and the Island?s twosome ? buoyed by a great start ? won the race and with it the championship.

Kiel Week, scheduled for June 19-27, would have been the final big regatta before the Olympics but with many top sailors, including Bromby, now opting to go to the Greek National Championships around that same time, Kiel is expected to lose some of its accustomed lustre.

?We may see a race that looks like a race in the Olympics in terms of the conditions and we can study it but if we?re not there it?s disadvantageous.

?At the level we?ll be at at the Games that may make the difference between getting a medal or not,? explained Bromby of the reasons for attending the Athens meet which will be held a mile from the actual Olympic course.

Until then he, Lee and their coach Martin Siese will continue training at home while their Olympic boat is shipped to its builder for modifications. It will then be transported to Greece for the regatta later this month and on July 30 it will be allowed to enter the Olympic harbour as accreditation begins.

Though competitors take their own boats to the Olympiad, the vessels must adhere to certain specifications and undergo rigorous tests to ensure their compliance.

?It?s a one-design class that?s governed by various tolerances. You can play a little bit with the boat but it?s quite restricted.

?When we get there we will go through a measurement process that lasts a day-and-a-half. They will weigh our boat and check the five measurement points,? outlined the reigning Male Athlete of the Year.

As for Bermuda?s chances in the grandest of sporting spectacles, the 39-year-old is optimistic he and White can exceed the fourth place they achieved in Sydney, Australia, in 2000 ? but remains cautious about his expectations.

?I?ve felt like this for over a year now. We just want to bring it on. I think we have as good a chance as anybody. With the calibre of guys that are at the Games, I think 15 out of the 17 boats can win.

?It comes down to how we sail. If we sail like we did last week we could easily come home with the gold medal but if we don?t catch any breaks we could also come home 15th. That?s the reality.

?You?re not there because you don?t know how to sail. Everybody that?s going is at the top of their game. There are guys who are capable of medalling who are not even going because they didn?t qualify,? he said, stressing the high stakes involved.