David Selley and co-pilot Jordan Fletcher mastered the choppy conditions better than most to claim their maiden line honours victory in yesterday’s Rubis Energy Around the Island Power Boat Race.

Selley and Fletcher were the first to complete the 54.2-mile course in their B8 Phantom, finishing in a time of 57min 23sec to win the overall race as well as their class.

It proved to be a family affair for the Selleys, with David’s twin brother Mark coming second in B Class in 1hr 4min 53sec in his B707 with co-pilot Jordan Every, evoking memories of when their father, Mark Selley, and uncle, Craig Selley, were ruling the waves.

David Selley, who revealed that he and Fletcher almost did not compete because of engine difficulties in the build-up to the race, said that the race had not been for the faint of heart.

“Right off the bat, North Shore was extremely difficult and keeping the boat in the water was the trickiest part of the race,” said David, who turns 24 with his brother tomorrow.

“I thought I’d be feeling a bit better [about the victory], but I’m feeling pretty stiff and I’m definitely going to be sore tomorrow!”

David and Mark had intended to race as driver and co-pilot, but the desire that both share to be behind the wheel determined that they would be rivals rather than team-mates.

“It’s great for me and Mark to be a one-two in B Class, but for us Bermudians, it’s first across the line that really counts,” said David, who won SB Class with his brother last year.

“We sometimes race together, sometimes we race in different boats, but it’s always good competition when we race against each other.”

Mark, a former overall race winner, said that he was elated for his sibling to take line honours.

“It was great for David to win this year,” he said. “We really wanted him to get his title.

“Although we have raced together, we actually quite like racing apart because there’s only one steering wheel and we both want to drive.

“When it’s rough like it was today, you just have to drive to the conditions, be responsible and try not to go swimming.”

While Mark did indeed avoid “going swimming”, the same cannot be said for co-pilot Every, who jumped from their boat to retrieve its engine cover when it became dislodged midway through the race at Southlands, Warwick, costing the pair several minutes.

Starting and finishing at Ferry Reach, the race included a new format, with the organisers condensing the 20 boats into four classes — A, B, D and S — rather than the eight or nine of previous years.

Aside from the Selleys, there were several other noteworthy performances, including Michael Henderson and co-pilot Matthew Renaud’s third-place finish in A Class in their A151, a 41-year-old Bristol hull.

Henderson said that he decided to race in the vintage boat, named after the English city in which it was built, only after being dared by some of his friends.

“There are probably very few Bristols in the world right now, let alone in Bermuda,” said Henderson, who was racing for the first time in several years.

“People told me I was crazy to run it, but I said to them that I was looking to bring back a bit of history and nostalgia to the race.

“Today’s race was extremely trying because the boat is so small and just trying and keep it on top of the waves is near impossible. “We had a little splash on South Shore and we had to stop and bail it out because we thought it was going to sink to the bottom.

“I was kind of dared to do it and a lot of people betted against us finishing — I do intend on collecting on those bets!”

Richard Correia and co-pilot Stephen Davidge made history as the first pair to finish the race in a boat with a four-stroke engine. “Basically, the crankshaft turns four times instead of twice, which means and you have to feather the throttle a little bit,” Correia said. “We certainly happy to make it back!”