Stevie Dickinson and crew Pat Young warmed up for this year's Western Hemisphere Championships in Uruguay by taking overall line honours in last weekend's Comet Class Mid Winter Regatta.

The past US National Championship Phantom Class winner posted two bullets and a second racing in light and variable breezes on the windward to leeward Great Sound race course to pip West End rival Gladwin Lambert for top honours by a single point.

Third place honors went to Dickinson's East End Mini Yacht Club stable-mate Scott Fox respectively.

Earlier this year Dickinson (pictured) indicated he planned to spend as much time as possible sailing in the Snipe and Laser classes this summer as preparation for November's Western Hemisphere Championships in South America.

But with perennial rival Rudy Bailey and several other top Comet skippers opting out of last weekend's Mid Winter Regatta, the former Devonshire Colts footballer couldn't resist the temptation to jump back into his famed dinghy (Kittyhawk) just days after placing third in the Lasers during Bermuda International Invitational Race Week.

"It was a very good day for us – we were fast all day," said Dickinson. "The conditions were light and shifty and we had to really concentrate."

Last weekend represented the first time Dickinson and Young – who will accompany the veteran skipper to Uruguay this fall – had sailed together in a major regatta. And judging by the day's harvest, the pair have quickly discovered a winning formula.

"Hopefully we can continue to get better and better as time moves on," Dickinson added. "Sunday was our first practice sailing together and my goal is to devote as much time as possible to practicing for this year's Western Hemisphere Championships in Uruguay."