were not enough to prevent Stevie Dickinson from mastering the tough conditions to win the West End Sailboat Club's Long Distance Comet Race from St. George's to Somerset.

Dickinson guided his comet Kitty Hawk to victory in three hours, 27 minutes and 14 seconds, edging out second-placed Malcolm Smith in Fourth Scrapper who finished in 3:27:28. It was the eighth victory for Dickinson, who is also a prominent Snipe sailor.

It was a tough day for defending champion Rudy Bailey in Temptation who had to settle for seventh place in 3:31:00 after battling Dickinson for the lead during the early stages.

Darren Heyliger was third in Silent Rage (3:27:57), followed by veteran Howard Lee in High Yella (3:27:58), Byron McCallan in Shogun (3:28:58) and Shannon Simons in Maxi in 3:30:37.

Dickinson, with crew Wesley Tucker, wasted little time showing he meant business. Second to Bailey a year ago, Dickinson quickly took the initiative at the starter's gun and led until crossing the finish line off the West End Sailboat Club just north of Watford Bridge.

Dickinson gradually worked on the 75-yard lead he held rounding Fort St.

Catherine where the race really started when the sailors had to resort to tacking tactics all the way up on the North Shore to Somerset.

Some boats hugged the shoreline while others decided to go well offshore in hope of catching more of the wind in their sails. Dickinson wandered out a bit but after discovering that it was not going to be to his advantage decided to hang closer to the shoreline.

This move paid off and with his skill and knowledge of the course he continued to tack all the way to the finish line.

Bailey and crew Sinclair Simmons stayed close to shore until reaching the Oil Docks, but he later went well offshore where he lost ground on the lead boats and consequently paid the price.

The only person who seemed to make any progress going offshore was veteran Howard Lee. For a while it looked as though he went out too far like most others and would lose ground, but he eventually directed High Yella in and placed a surprising fourth.

Dickinson is the second highest all-time winner of the Edward Cross Trophy, Alton Millett has won it 11 times.

George Hayward's Mai Lucy II and Munroe Smith's Shashu both turned over and did not finish.

WINNERS AGAIN -- Stevie Dickinson, crewed by Wesley Tucker, won his eighth Long Distance Comet Race yesterday.