The final day of International Race Week was all about head-to-head battles, with the class leaders closing out victories in near-perfect conditions against their closest rivals.

All three classes were settled in what were effectively match-racing conditions, with Peter Bromby?s Etchells win over fellow Bermudian Tim Patton one of the closest fought.

Bromby, who missed Thursday?s abandoned day of competition due to a court appearance, was back in charge yesterday and led his crew to good effect, closing out the win in the first of the day?s two races.

?It?s always good to win,? said a relaxed Bromby, beer in hand, just after closing out the win with a first and fifth place finish to claim the K.F. Trimingham Trophy.

?The aim was basically to sail Timmy off the course in the first race and then no one could beat us.

?In the final race we just stayed back and let the other boats still battling for position have their go, although I think we took Timmy on the line in that one anyway.?

Bromby, who has won the regatta ?more times than I can remember?, is taking a back seat from international competition following his Olympic campaign and is enjoying the more laidback atmosphere of events such as the popular Race Week.

?When you are competing internationally you are always under the microscope and always under pressure to get the results to satisfy the sponsors and those backing you,? he continued while basking in the bright sunshine of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club.

?These sort of events are a lot more relaxed and a great chance to race against your mates and really enjoy yourself.

?This year I am taking a back seat and working on things like building a house, dealing with certain other obvious matters (a reference to the court case that kept him off the water) and working on building the business back up.

?I am going to worry about things like the Olympics next year, for now it is a chance to sail for enjoyment and have the odd beer.

?But it?s still good to win ? and if you can?t win in your own backyard, what chance have you got on the road.?

The J-24s ended in similar fashion with American Anthony Parker closing out Todd Olson in the penultimate race yesterday with some one-on-one racing.

Parker went in to yesterday?s 13-15 knot winds in the Great Sound with a three-point lead and knew all he had to do was keep ahead of his Bermuda rival.

?It was just a case of making sure we got ahead of Olson in one of the two races and we went for it in the first,? said the jovial Parker, who claimed his second class victory, 16 years after his first.

?We were ahead and then made a mistake to drop behind but we closed him down and after a bit of a tacking duel we got the result we wanted and are delighted.

?We won that race and that was it because our lowest finish was a third.?

Parker, who had to fly out yesterday afternoon and missed the prize-giving, is an enormous fan of International Race Week and was delighted to score a second victory after a first place finish in 1989 and a runners-up spot the following year.

?I love this place and I?ll probably be back next year,? said the 59-year-old.

?It?s great, you come down here, they put you up, give you boats and invite you to loads of parties, what more can you want? And it?s my wife?s first trip here as well, so that was an added bonus.?

It was a two-horse race in the IODs (International One Design) as well, although the leader changed over the three races on the final day of competition.

Two bullets and a second for American Charles VanVoorhis was enough to overcome countryman and leader-all-week Jonathan Pope, whose two thirds and an eighth pushed him to second, giving VanVoorhis the Vrengen Gold Cup by two points.

Although racing was abandoned because of dangerous conditions on Thursday on the Alpha course, there was still racing on the Bravo course with Malcolm Smith winning his duel with Brett Wright in the Lasers.

The former Athlete of the Year picked up two seconds to close out victory by five points.

In the Snipes, American Michael Irgens won two of the last three races to claim victory by ten points over Bermudian Ray Pitman to take the 350th Anniversary trophy.