Sixteen-year-old Danielle Bailey presented dad Rudy with an early Father's Day gift yesterday as the pair combined to lift the 58th Annual Long Distance Comet Race title - Bailey's seventh overall.

Returning as crew on her father's boat Temptation after a four-year hiatus, Danielle helped Rudy cross the finish line first off the West End Sailboat Club amid a massive flotilla of spectator craft and to the pulsating sound of calypso music.

The pair entered the history books as the first father/daughter combination to ever win the coveted crown - the victory coming in four and a half hours.

The last time they competed together in the offshore race, they managed second place honours. But yesterday no-one could thwart their rise to the summit, not even Bailey's long-time rival, 12-time champion Stevie Dickinson.

Dickinson placed fifth in Kitty Hawk.

Byron McCallan's Shogun finished second while Ramano Ramirez's Hot Tamali rounded out the podium finishers.

After making it to the start line only moments before the race officially got underway, Bailey found himself in fourth position heading towards Fort St. Catherine with Dickinson not far behind.

Dickinson took over the lead from McCallan near Ferry Reach as the fleet began the long journey up the north shore.

But the defining moment presented itself just off Bailey's Bay where Dickinson decided to take a gamble by tacking more to the north. It was a move that proved costly as Bailey first reeled him in and then overtook his rival near Francis Patton School.

And after seeing off the challenge of Hot Tamali near Devonshire, it was all smooth sailing for the Baileys.

Now the veteran has set his sights on Alton Millett's record for the most consecutive wins.

"It all worked out. I said that I was going to win the International regatta in the US, International Race Week (Bacardi) and then this race," said Bailey, obviously delighted with his latest triumph.

"As far as the start was concerned, we started dead last but by the time we sorted it out we had managed to slide out of the Town Cut in fourth place and ahead of Stevie and those guys.

"Heading up the north shore, it was one of those races where you had to stay close to the shore, making only short tacks going out to the north and long tacks heading out to the west. That was the only way we could get along at high speed and it worked. We got very close to Stevie after he had a sizeable lead, caught him up and then actually passed him before he made the cardinal sin of tacking too long heading north.

"Ramirez and myself were sailing together for most of the race until I managed to stretch it out a bit just off Devonshire.

"Danielle did a fine job. She's sailed in light and heavy winds and she's a very good crew.

"I was stuck on six (titles) and it was beginning to hurt me, but now I can work on my hat-trick again.

"I think that I am the only one with the exception of Alton Millett over the last 25 years that's actually won it over three years in a row, so that's what I am now aiming for (again)."

Danielle, meanwhile, has goals of her own - that of skippering with her father as crew.

"It was hot out there!" exclaimed the teenager. "But it was also nice to have won it with my father."

Despite having led the race in the initial stages, McCallan was pleased to have secured runner's-up honours.

"Overall I am pleased but considering the lead I had, to throw it away was a bit of a shame," said McCallan. "But just to come back and finish second was satisfactory."

Dickinson, meanwhile, acknowledged his mistake. "I tried to defend my position and cover Rudy a bit, but he was fast today. I couldn't do anything with him (Bailey). He sailed directly under me so I decided to go out a bit, thinking maybe the wind would be better out in the northwest but it just didn't work out for me. But that's what sailing is all about, taking a gamble. So I took the gamble and it just didn't work."