Paula Lewin entrenched herself even more as the darling of Bermuda sailing yesterday with a magnificent comeback victory to retain the Bermuda International Women's Match Racing Championship.

The sound of horns, whistles and boisterous cheering - led by her parents Nigel and Gabby - filled Hamilton Harbour in the late afternoon as the local heroine overcame a 2-1 deficit to beat Sweden's Jenny Axhede 3-2 in the first-to-three showdown.

Brilliant starts in the fourth and fifth races of the final sealed Lewin's second straight triumph in the regatta as she consistently extended her early leads on every leg. In the decisive race, the Bermudian crossed the finish at least 30 seconds ahead of her rival.

"We're so happy. I am so proud of my team. They all contributed incredibly in their own ways. I couldn't have done it without them at all," declared the winner, crying out joyfully as she savoured success and with it a $5,000 cheque.

"It's been a really long day but I'm so pleased to win with all our family and friends around. The last race - once we got off the starting line - was our easiest.

"We knew it as we went around the course. It was very exciting thinking `Gosh, this is in our grasp'."

However, Lewin and her crew were the first to admit it was not all smooth sailing as they were tested to the hilt with various challenges.

Unlike the preliminaries where they raced unbeaten, they lost the first race of their morning semi-final against American Elizabeth Kratzig but rebounded smartly for a 3-1 win and passage into the final.

Spinnaker trouble in the first race against Axhede - who swept Sally Barkow of the USA 3-0 to reach the final - almost cost Lewin but quick crew work saw them home for a 1-0 lead. However, Axhede - deputising for a pregnant Marie Bjorling who faced Lewin in last year's final - was undaunted and put together two impressive races to grab a 2-1 advantage.

That put her one point from the title but it was as close as she would get.

"Yes, it got a bit nervous but we all just took a deep breath, slowed everything down and it paid off because we had our best starts after that," said Lewin of the feelings in the boat as they defied defeat.

The third race, the 32-year-old added, was "really frustrating" because, as with all the other races, they won that start but had some "speed issues", while Axhede caught a lucky break and the wind which accelerated her into an insurmountable position.

"It was a little scary," admitted Peta Lewin, part of her twin sister's crew. "But we kept each other pumped up and positive.

"It was good, close racing in the semis and that prepared us for the final. We knew the Swedes would be tough and we just stayed focused and did everything we have been practising and did it right, I guess."

Fellow crew members, Lisa Neasham, Christine Patton and Carola Cooper, all rejoiced in the outcome, spraying champagne on each other as they came ashore and then taking a refreshing swim in the harbour - most thrown in by their Swedish counterparts as a mark of congratulations.

"It's been a terrific week and it doesn't get much better than this," noted Neasham, while Cooper and Patton credited their confidence and good starts in the last two races for the result.

Looking ahead to today's start of the Gold Cup proper brought another smile to Lewin's lips as she relished the opportunity of battling one of the powerhouses of the sport - former America's Cup winner Dennis Conner.

"I'm really excited about racing Dennis Conner tomorrow. That's next on our list. It's funny because in 2001 (Gold Cup) I crewed for him. So it will be pretty neat to challenge him now."

Tactician for the Swedish team, Anna Holmdahl, said they were "a little disappointed to lose" but happy overall with their performance.

"We have really improved with boat speed and maybe we could have made it harder for Paula if we had been better in the starts.

"We gave her five good races but it was tough if you didn't win the starts today. She was definitely a better starter than us. We congratulate her. She did a really good job."

Holmdahl complimented her own skipper, Axhede, for carrying the team as far as the more experienced Bjorling did last year.

Relying on her team-mate as a translator, 25-year-old Axhede, who usually trims the boat, termed skippering as "more nerve-racking".

"But it's a good mix to do both and I definitely want to do some more steering," said the relief skipper.

In the petit final, Kratzig recovered from losing the first race to oust Barkow 2-1 in a first-to-two tussle, thereby claiming third place.