Alex Jackson's maxi 100-footer sloop Speedboat was the first over the finish line in the Newport Bermuda Race early yesterday morning (4.30 a.m.).

Almost two hours later at 6:25, Il Mostro (Puma), a 70-foot Volvo Ocean Race sailed by Kenny Read, whose brother Brad was in Speedboat's afterguard, was the next to arrive.

However, no records were broken in the biennial classic.

It was a slow race with Speedboat making the 635-mile course in just over 59 hours after the start in Newport on Friday.

The crew of 25 never reefed the boat. In the light to moderate conditions that prevailed through most of the race, Speedboat was hard pressed by Il Mostro, Rambler, and several boats in the mini-maxi 70-80 foot range over the first third of the course.

"We really didn't get away from them until we were in the Stream," navigator Stan Honey said after Speedboat tied up at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club's marina.

"Then they gained a lot in the light stuff as we came into the finish."

At 5.00 a.m.the mini-maxi Rán on its blog reported less than 10 knots as she beat to windward towards the buoys guarding Bermuda's reef.

"Titan is downwind from us and is not a threat. Rambler and Beau Geste are upwind and in front as we thought they would. We are still in a strong position although it now looks like Beau Geste is the biggest threat. Just a few more hours to go."

At 6.30 the blog reported: "As we are approaching the finish slowly but surely, we are all on deck, no more watches, all are on duty for the final stretch. Coffee and tea served on the rail – black only as no more milk powder onboard. Very calm water. Wind speed of 9 knots.

Meanwhile, Bermuda executive Mark Watson made his first race to the Island memorable with a first place corrected time win in the Open Division in the 47th edition of the race.

Watson and the crew of Genuine Risk finished at 8.48 a.m. and had a corrected time under the Offshore Racing Rule scoring of 54:43:32.

"We were ahead of Il Mostro and Speedboat after we all came out of the Gulf Stream west of the rhumb line," Watson said.

"We decided to take a more easterly angle to avoid a cold eddy with negative current. That proved to be a mistake because we let Speedboat separate from us.

"We should have covered them but allowed them to pass to the west of us as we actually went east of the line."

Ralph Steitz, Sailing Director for the US Merchant Marine Academy (owner of the boat that Watson sponsored), said: "We should have just ploughed on through the negative current and covered the competition.

"This was the easiest Bermuda Race I've ever done and I've done a few. We had a steady pressure."

Light air and heavy air are difficult in either extreme. Watson said it was a great sail for his first time.

Among the crew was another 'newbie', Billy Jenkins jr, who at 12 was one of the youngest sailors in the fleet. His father, Billy Jenkins sr, was also aboard.