Jonathan Kemp, runner-up in A Class, was partnered by Justin Wall not Leonard (Shinah) Simons as reported in yesterday's story on the Round the Island Powerboat Race.

Guy DeSilva took on Mother Nature and won yesterday, conquering a beastly South Shore as well as the rest of the fleet involved in the 1995 Esso Round the Island Powerboat Race.

At the end DeSilva, timed in one hour, 39 seconds, literally quivered with emotion as he sat inside the cockpit of his 16-foot, white and yellow Phantom.

But there was nothing shaky about his performance as he captured his first title in seven attempts.

Forced into a two man dogfight with fellow A Class entrant Jonathan Kempe (1:01:22) for the entire 44.5 mile route, DeSilva and co-pilot Brian Smith were forced to call on all of their skill and stamina, especially along the South Shore which gave no favours this day.

Continually tossed like a piece of drift wood, DeSilva was at his best and despite stalling once near Elbow Beach after nose-diving into the surf, the crafty veteran was able to regroup and maintain his edge until the finish line.

"It hasn't really hit me yet what I've done, but it sure feels good. I was actually shaking when I turned the corner at the pylons, but the feeling was so good,'' said DeSilva, enjoying the moment with his crew and supporters.

"It was pretty rough out there, but these Phantoms run well in the rough although the ground swell and chop (on South Shore) made it difficult.'' Although he led from the outset it was never easy for the new champion as Kempe, partnered by Leonard (Shinah) Simons, remained on his tail throughout.

"He's (Kempe) always good competition and made us run hard. Every corner we made we were watching him and it made us ride even harder,'' DeSilva explained. "I think this was the hardest race I've been in, because he maintained pressure all the way and I had to ride harder to keep the distance.'' Still, this year could be DeSilva's last at the helm as he is anxious to sell the boat in order and devote more time to his family.

While no prize exists for the first across the line -- there are only class winners -- DeSilva still takes a position as Bermuda's top gun, overhauling last year's champion Andy Stoneham, who was mysteriously absent from the fleet.

An element of controversy surrounded the D Class where Patrick Stamper overcame early mechanical problems to win his fourth straight title in 48:10.40, but was then forced to sweat it out while awaiting the outcome of a protest.

Stamper was accused of using an oversized engine and had his boat `impounded' by the race scrutineer. An examination later revealed its legitimacy.

Unlike DeSilva, Stamper was forced into a pursuit role as class rival Sean White led for three-quarters of the race until he was caught and passed by Stamper near Ariel Sands.

And there was a time, after trailing for so long, that doubt crept into the mind of the defending champion.

"It was doubtful and I didn't think I would catch up, because our motor was really bad for a while and I thought we'd be lucky to finish,'' said Stamper, a model of consistency ever since the classes were separated to allow one solely featuring Deep-V hulls.

"This has been the hardest race for me in the five years that I've raced...we were getting thrown around quite a bit and dipped a couple of times along South Shore.'' A thrilling site to the crowd of hundreds on hand at Ferry Reach was the entrance of Troy Burgess and his 28 foot, bright orange Custom Cat, which took the S Class.

Backed by three 2.5 mercury engines, Burgess had no peer, soundly beating off the competition. Burgess had the fastest time of all competitors, clocking 42:53 and finally extinguishing the ghosts of past failures.

"I feel like the whole neighbourhood feel, we did this together and it's for all of us, the action's happening here,'' said Burgess who dedicated the victory to Vincent DeCosta and Antoine (Buggy Whip) Burgess, both deceased.

Already looking toward next year's event, Burgess sent a warning to those who might seek his crown, saying that the boat had yet to reach "the ultimate peak''.

Meanwhile, there was a happy ending to what started as a sad tale for Jason Pimental, who less than a month ago had his boat charred by an arsonist.

Using a borrowed ride, Pimental won the B Class for the third year running partnered by Mark Paiva in 57:20.56.

Taking the C Class was Mark Arujo in 48:08.25.

VICTORY PLUNGE -- Brian Smith (bottom) and Guy DeSilva take the plunge as they celebrate winning yesterday's Round the Island Powerboat Race.