This year's Newport to Bermuda Race was the fastest in the history of the event with Roy Disney's Pyewacket shattering the record by three hours, 52 minutes and 28 seconds.

And the race also attracted the biggest fleet ever with 182 starters in Newport, four more than in 1972 and 1982.

Four sailors went overboard coming through the Gulf Stream. But all were recovered in five minutes or less as the race maintained its exemplary safety record.

Only two incidents during the fleet's crossing required contact with shore-based medical experts, one a facial injury and the other an infection problem.

This year's race featured distinct divisions between IMS Racing with pro sailors on race-type boats and IMS Cruiser/Racers with owner-drivers, limited pro crews and Crusing/Racing boats.

There were 11 starters in the Racing division and 127 in Cruiser/Racing. Each division was scored with its own type scratch boat setting the curve, so corrected times were not comparable.

Twenty-eight entries sailed in two AMERICAP Cruising Division classes and 10 sailed in the AMERICAP spinnaker, double-handed class.

Skip Sheldon's Zaraffa won the St. David's Lighthouse Trophy for first on corrected time in the IMS Cruiser/Racer Division. Bob and Farley Towse's Blue Yankee won the Gibb's Hill Lighthouse Trophy for first on corrected time in the IMS Racing Division.

Joe Hoopes' Palawan took the Royal Mail Trophy for first in the AMERICAP Cruising Division. Richard Du Moulin and Peter Rugg placed first in the AMERICAP double-handed class in Lora Ann for the Weld Trophy.

All in all, sailors took away 88 trophies and prizes at Saturday night's presentation at Government House.

Winners were:

Class 1: 1 Peter Robovitc (Sinn Fein), 2 Ed Gaynor (Emily), 3 Eric Crawford (Restless).

Class 2: 1 James Thompson (Ariel), 2 Bill Kardash (Aura), 3 Bob Forman (Jacqueline IV).

Class 3: 1 Reeves Potts (Carina), 2 Henry Morgan (Dolphin), 3 Ken Commerford (Moon Racer).

Class 4: 1 John Santa (Galadriel), 2 Don Patterson (Orion), 3 Colin Couper (Babe).

Class 5: 1 Eduardo Salvati (Mabuhay II), 2 Jim Sundstrom (Stampede), 3 Jim Bishop (Gold Digger).

Class 6: 1 Frank Eberhart (Hound), 2 Richie Shulman (Temptress), 3 Allan Blair (Elan).

Class 7: 1 Robert Watson (Neva), 2 Tom Stark (Rush), 3 Dietrich Weismann (Scepter'D Isle).

Class 8: 1 Skip Sheldon (Zarqaffa), 2 James Dolan (Encore), 3 Robert Limoggio (Spank Me).

Class 9: 1 Bob Towse (Blue Yankee), 2 George Coumantaros (Boomerang), 3 Roy Disney (Pyewacket).

Class 10: 1 Joe Hoopes (Palawan), 2 Jim Reiher (Sky), 3 John Middleton (Marlow)

Class 11: 1 George Denny (Restive), 2 Jim Flaherty (J'Erin), 3 Paul Hubbard (Bermuda Oyster)

Class 12: 1 Richard Du Moulin (Lora Ann), 2 Hewitt Gaynor (Mireille), 3 Scott Piper (Pipe Dream II).

The 44th Newport to Bermuda Race will start on Friday, June 18, 2004.