Peter Wickwire retained his Bermuda International Invitational Regatta title in the Great Sound yesterday.

The Nova Scotia helmsman entered the final race of the ten-race series in the International One-Design racing sloop with a three-point advantage over Pierre Crosby and managed to put further distance between himself and his nearest rival after the latter was black flagged for going over the line early on a general recall.

The battle for supremacy came down to a classic match race, which Wickwire ultimately came out on top.

Wickwire seized the right of way behind the line during the pre-start and shut the door on Crosby who strayed onto the course early near the pin end and was disqualified.

“We stayed to the right of him the whole time to maintain starboard advantage and we never got overlapped,” Wickwire said. “We just kept forcing him down the line and then he ran out of runway.

“We forced him over in the last few seconds and maybe he wasn’t aware it was a black flag. We were also right there [at the line] but we managed to get our bow down.”

Crosby’s misfortune handed Wickwire the overall title on a platter.

However, Wickwire still had some work to do to win the B series, which he achieved after leading all but one leg in the final race to pip nearest rival Paul Zupan of San Francisco and complete an impressive double.

Wickwire crossed the start line at the committee boat end and made huge gains in the stiffer breezes on the right side of the course to round the top mark in second behind leader Henry Arnold of the Royal Thames Yacht Club.

Wickwire snatched the lead away from Arnold on the first run to the leeward mark and kept the chasing pack behind his transom the rest of the way to tighten his grip on the Vrengen Gold Cup.

“To get a win in the last race was just exciting for us,” Wickwire added.

Sailing with Wickwire this year was crew Rick Echard, Matthew Cairney, Peter Soosalu and Greg Lawrence.

“We had a spectacular team and exactly the same as last year except for the addition of Peter Soosalu who sails with me in Nova Scotia,” Wickwire said.

“He runs the sailing programme at the Royal Novia Scotia Yacht Sqaudron and he was here cutting his teeth on tactics. He came through very strongly so we have a lot to celebrate.”

Crosby, who finished second overall, filed for redress on account that several other boats went over early at the start. But he was ultimately denied in accordance to Rule 30.3.

“Others had gone across as well, but I was called out and that was the end of that,” Crosby said.

“I am disappointed with not being able to do as well as we had hoped to do. But we’ll just have to come back and do better next time.”

Rounding out the podium was Bermuda skipper Patrick Cooper who claimed a third-place finish.

“I am extremely pleased with third overall,” said Cooper, who was joined by crew Melinda Bessey, Julia Axelen, Craig Davis and Martin Siese. “We’ve sailed this regatta probably for five successive years and this is our best result so far.

“We’ve come fourth four years in a row, so to finally get out of fourth and into third is fantastic.”

Capturing A Series honours was Arnold who finished fourth overall.

“Series A went pretty perfectly,” said Henry, who took second in the final race.

“I think our lucky charm turned out to be the Oracle boat [Oracle Team USA’s wing-sail foiling AC45S catamaran]. Whenever it was around we seemed to sail pretty well.”