22-year-old skipper Kyle Weaver.

Weaver was at the helm of the US Naval Academy's Constellation , the first boat across the finish line on corrected time.

He and his crew of fellow midshipmen will proudly carry the St. David's Lighthouse Trophy back to Annapolis, Maryland.

Race organisers believe Weaver is the youngest person ever to skipper the overall winning boat in the biennial race, but could not confirm it.

A delighted Weaver attributed the win to a "great crew and good preparation'', which he said began months before the race got under way.

He described the crossing as "quite wet but with a good, steady breeze and no mishaps''. Winds were no higher than 25 knots, with the lowest winds being eight to nine knots, he said.

Weaver said the 20-year-old Constellation proved "even older boats can do well''.

When asked if he expected to win, he replied, "We knew we were doing well because we could not see too many boats around. But we did not expect to actually win. It's the highlight of my Naval Academy career and the icing on the cake. I couldn't be prouder.'' Weaver graduates from the US Naval Academy this year and plans to take to the skies to become a navy pilot. He has been sailing in the Constellation for four years, working his way up to skipper.

The Naval Academy has been participating in the Newport to Bermuda Race since 1938, but this is the first time it's team has won overall. In 1952, it won first in class, but not overall.

Cmdr. Charles Barber, who was on board as safety officer, said winning the race would bring prestige and "show a lot of people that the US Naval Academy produces good sailors''.

He said the crew had prepared well for the race, sailing every day throughout winter -- except when waters were iced over.

They also had numerous lectures on the Gulf Stream, sail repairs, first aid and safety at sea, he said.

Constellation , a grey-hulled Swan 48, crossed the finish line at 9.04 a.m. on Tuesday, becoming the first boat overall on corrected time and the winner of the Racing Division. First in the Cruising Division was Freestyle , a Little Harbor 52.

Joining Weaver was Oliver Vietor (first mate), Mark Vannoy (navigator) and crew James Murphy, James Borghardt, Mike Miller, P.J. Trudell, Will Wright, Joe Emmert and Ara Barton. The safety officers and coaches were Cmdr. Barber and Jim Nolan.

While here, they will be "waiting for the sun to come out'' and celebrating in style -- being a Navy boat no liquor is allowed on board.

All 117 racing and cruising division yachts, which entered are expected to have finished by today, making this year's race one of the fastest ever.

Boomerang was in fact the fastest boat to finish the race in the last decade.

Pushed by winds of up to 35 miles per hour the 81-foot maxi boat swept across the finish line in just 72 hours, 19 minutes and 29 seconds.

Freestyle a Little Harbor 52, clinched the Royal Mail Trophy as overall winner in the Cruising Division, while Eldon Trimingham's 65-foot cruising class vessel Escape was the first local boat to cross the finish line.

Trimingham said he had hoped to do better, but was hampered by the wind direction. "The boat was designed to go fast when the wind is after the beam, but it was ahead of us the whole time -- we never got out of first gear,'' he said.

WELL SCHOOLED -- Kyle Weaver, third from right, and his US Naval Academy crew members strike a pose on board Constellation, which won the Newport to Bermuda race on corrected time.