Benn Smith’s hopes of a third straight Edward Cross Long Distance Race victory and fourth overall were dashed after being disqualified during a protest hearing at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club today.

The West End Sail Boat Club skipper and crew Christian Ebbin, the two-times defending champions, won Monday’s race by a landslide only to later discover that a protest had been filed against them by East End Mini Yacht Club rivals Maxwell Curtis Jr and crew Wesley Tucker for a collision between their boats during the early stages of the race.

East End Mini Yacht Club vice-commodore Curtis and Tucker originally finished third but were also disqualified for their part in the incident that occurred near the entrance of the Town Cut in St George’s Harbour.

Siblings Alan and Sarah Frith, also of the East End Mini Yacht Club, originally finished second but have now been declared as the official winners of the prestigious race by default.

Smith took matters in stride after the protest committee announced their ruling.

“The protest committee made a decision on the protest and, while not everyone may agree with it, it’s the decision and we all have to respect it,” he told The Royal Gazette.

“Looking forward to competing in the event next year and congratulations to Alan and Sarah!”

Curtis, who also serves as president of the Comet Class Yacht Racing Association of Bermuda, felt the protest committee’s ruling was fair.

“Firstly, I would like to thank the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club for coming in and assisting our Comet class with a protest committee and orchestrating the protest hearing and everything,” he said.

“We really, really could not have got this done without them, so firstly I want to send a huge thank you to everyone that pulled this together at the RBYC in a short time to get us in and give us the best decision that they can come up with.

“I think it was a very fair decision. I think Benn and I definitely realised that we both had broken a rule and had to be penalised for it. That’s racing, that’s sailing and you have to sail by the rules.

“As the Comet class president, all I am trying to do is make sure everyone is sailing fairly and everybody gets a fair race.

“Sailing won today, and I am loving the fact that the decision was made in a timely manner and it was fair.”

It is the second time that Smith and Curtis have been disqualified from the race in four years, having also been disqualified along with class legend Stevie Dickinson for crossing the starting line early in 2023.

Frith was thrilled to claim a maiden race title.

“I am obviously very proud of the race that we sailed regardless of what happened in the protest room,” he said.

“My crew worked really hard; we sailed the boat really well and we would’ve been thrilled with second place and we’re just as thrilled to have won.

“It’s not the way that you imagine winning that race. The ideal would be crossing the line with everybody cheering right off the bat that you had won the race.

“That’s the feeling that you want and we didn’t get that, which is a shame. But we’re thrilled with the way that we sailed and proud of everybody that completed that course.

“It was a really gruelling day so I want to congratulate everybody that completed the course and everybody that we were racing against. We got pushed really hard and I think everybody sailed really well.”

Replacing the Frith siblings in second place is West End Sail Boat skipper Quinton Simmons and crew Zane Hendrickson, with American father and son duo Joe and Ian Lauver replacing Curtis and Tucker in third.

“It was a long, hard beat on Monday and we were happy to finish in the first half of the fleet,” skipper Joe Lauver said.

“We have come fourth the previous two times we sailed this great historic event. We come for the friendships and the competition is truly secondary.

“We love the people and the island, and look forward to next year.”