For Bermuda's young sailing sensation, Jesse Kirkland, the mission is complete.

Competing during Saturday's choppy seas in the Great Sound with winds blowing at 15-20 knots, the 14-year-old Saltus Grammar School student sailed brilliantly in the final two races of the North American Optimist Championships to come away with the overall individual title.

Kirkland virtually assured his place at the summit by placing second in the penultimate race before wrapping up the regatta in convincing fashion by placing first during the 12th and final race.

He had entered the week-long regatta having come off a superb performance in Corpus Christi, Texas, where he finished fourth in a fleet of over 200 at the World Optimist Championships.

Kirkland's latest win, in a fleet of 113, capped off a remarkable week which also saw Team Bermuda win the team championship on Wednesday in Hamilton Harbour.

Brazilian Marco Grael placed second among the individuals while Mexico's Jonathan Hernandez rounded out the podium finishers.

Edward Thompson (12th), Sean Bouchard (32nd) and Jonathan Kempe (33rd) were the other local competitors to finish in the top 50.

"I feel pretty good. It was a great accomplishment," said the teenager yesterday.

"In the beginning of the regatta the conditions were light and there were also a lot of light-fast competitors in the fleet, so it was pretty tough.

"And then during the last two days of racing the wind picked up a bit more so basically it became even more challenging out there on the course."

Race organiser Paul Doughty said the championships had been enormously successful.

"From the foreign competitors to the locals, everybody really enjoyed themselves," he said. "It was certainly one of the best regattas that they have been to and personally that means a lot to me."

Doughty also praised event co-ordinator, Mary Bouchard.

"We had a tremendous variety of winds throughout the week," he added.

"We started with four to eight knots and when we finished on Saturday we had 15 to 20. It was just perfect."

Bermuda's Alexander Kirkland was the highest-placed overseas entrant when the UK Laser National Championships finished in Plymouth, England over the weekend.

Kirkland placed 12th on 54 points after finishes of 7-49-11-13-20-16-7.

The regatta was won convincingly by Britain's Paul Goodison who six of the seven races and finished second in the other.