Gryphon Solo, piloted by skipper Hugh Piggin with crew members Hank Hofford, Susan Ford, and Jeffrey Wargo onboard, seized overall line honours in this year's Charleston to Bermuda (C2B) Race.

The Open Unlimited 50 crossed the St.David's finish line on Tuesday night, but fell short of the course record set by Rick Orchard's Andrew's 68 Grins in 2001.

Piggin and crew completed the 777-nautical mile race in a winning time of four days, eight hours and 33 minutes after setting sail from Charleston Harbour in South Carolina last Friday.

Buddy Darby's Luna Danns (four days, 21 hours, eight minutes) was second boat across the finish line on Wednesday, closely followed by Bill Hanckel's EmOcean in a time of four days, 21 hours and 43 minutes.

Of the 18 boats that departed from South Carolina last week, eight remained at sea with more entries expected to finish yesterday while five others had withdrawn.

The C2B prize presentation will be held tomorrow evening at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club (RBYC) where a trophy for the best overall performance will be awarded along with additional trophies for the top finishers in each class.

The C2B Race was founded in 1997, and has been staged every two years since its inception.

The event challenges sailors to navigate the 777 nautical miles between Charleston and Bermuda at a time of year known for tricky, unpredictable weather with the race fleet again encountering light winds in this year's regatta.

The race, sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism, Gosling's Black Seal Rum, the Fairmont Hamilton Princess, the Charleston Harbor Resort, Bennett-Hofford, and Charleston Boatworks, is open to every seaworthy boat 30 feet and longer and is managed by the Charleston Ocean Racing Association.

[bul] Opening races in the fitted dinghy season, scheduled for St. George's Harbour yesterday, were postponed because of high winds.