Stevie Dickinson endured a gruelling hike up the North Shore to successfully cover nearest rivals Rudy Bailey and Gladwin Lambert over two thirds of the race course and clinch an unprecedented 14th Edward Cross Cup and first in three years yesterday.

The East End Mini Yacht Club stalwart also turned spoiler, throwing cold water on Bailey?s bid for a third straight Long Distance Comet Race title in front of his rival?s home supporters in the West End.

Sailing with female Laser skipper Sarah Lane Adderley onboard , Dickinson sailed a smart and conservative race which saw him grab pole position almost from the outset and vigorously defend that lead all the way to the finish line in the Great Sound, working the protected shorelines to his advantage.

Dickinson seized line honours in a winning time of three hours and 22 minutes ? two minutes and 45 seconds ahead of runners-up Bailey (three hours, 24 minutes and 45 seconds) ? while third placed Lambert crossed the line in a time of three hours, 26 minutes and 44 seconds.

Veteran skipper Howard Lee (three hours, 27 minutes and 24 seconds) finished fourth and Jamie Harvey, who flirted with disaster just prior to the start of the race in St.George?s Harbour, finished fifth in a time of three hours, 29 minutes and 59 seconds.

Harvey?s mast was snared by the outrigging on the committee boat and had to be cut loose after several anxious moments, while two other entries capsized in the harbour just prior to and after the start of a race.

Veteran skipper Dickinson had to master choppy seas during the early stages of the regatta.

?It was pretty windy off of Fort St.Catherine and the Oil Docks and so you had to sail through the chop,? Dickinson said. ?It was quite hairy at times, but we hung on.?

It was the second year in a row the race was ultimately decided off the Oil Docks.

?The race was definitely won way in the earlier stages,? Dickinson added. ?Right up to Bailey?s Bay we were trying to get comfortable in the boat, work the main and keep the boat speed up so we could drive through the chop and it worked out really well for us.?

Once Dickinson grabbed the early advantage it was just a matter of preventing his rivals from getting clean air in their sails and maintaining good boat speed.

?When you get ahead and cover like that from the front, the race becomes easy,? he added. ?I never loosely covered where it made it look like they (Lambert and Bailey) had a chance to get in. I always made sure I had the advantage at all times.?

It was the first time Dickinson and Adderley had teamed up in the Comet class.

?It was great and I didn?t realise it was going to be so tactical,? Adderley told . ?But Stevie did a great job and it was great sailing with him. We never gave up an inch.?

Dickinson also praised his crew.

?Sarah did an excellent job today and worked very hard,? he said.

As for his perennial rival Bailey, Dickinson stated: ?Now he will have to take another year to try and figure out how to beat me.?

Bailey really had no one else to blame but himself for virtually throwing the race away just past the Oil Docks when he ventured offshore hoping to gather more boat speed and pip Dickinson on a reach.

It was a decision that ultimately cost him the race, and his place in history.

?I definitely gave those guys a comfortable lead by sailing out to the north . . . but with the angle that we were on I figured we?d blast up,? Bailey explained.

?But they got the new shifts and opened up a decent lead on us and so I had to sail back (inshore) to get back in contention.?

With Dickinson blanketing, Bailey and Lambert swapped positions twice just past Coney Island in Bailey?s Bay.

?I definitely wasn?t surprised to see the green boat (Lambert?s ),? said Bailey, who predicted all along his club-mate would be in the hunt.

As for his failed bid for a second overall hat-trick of Edward Cross Cups, Bailey added: ?Now I know what it feels like for him because he has never won it (hat-trick). So I guess it feels just as bad as it did for him, but at least I have one under my belt.?

Bailey completed his hat-trick in 1988.

Third placed Lambert, who momentarily led the fleet at the start, commented: ?I am quite satisfied because I felt competitive the whole way and was able to remain with the fast company the entire race. That kept me in the game.?

Lambert held second place up until Shelly Bay before Bailey finally reeled him in.

?Things thinned out a bit heading up the North Shore and I just tried to hang on as long as I could,? he added.

Yesterday saw 15 from a total of 21 boats make it to the finish in the West End.