out of fuel mere yards from the finish.

And while Constable stood dead in the water -- he later paddled in using oars -- Andrew DeCosta, the defending A Class champion, powered his way to line honours, clocking one hour, four minutes and 53 seconds.

Making the situation ironic was the fact that DeCosta had borrowed a gallon of gas from Constable prior to the start ... a move the latter would regret.

"We were in front of him and had a fairly good lead, but coming into the pylons the boat just seemed to die ... we ran out of gas,'' said Constable, a past winner. "If I would have kept it then he wouldn't have beat me, but that's just the way it goes.'' "Overall it (the race) was still worth it and when everybody cheered us rowing across the line it really meant something.' Mother Nature played a major role in the outcome as well, presenting herself as an major obstacle ... one which many could not overcome.

Ominous clouds and choppy seas were the order of the day where 15 of the 33 boats entered fail to finish.

There were a few mishaps, including a spectacular crash near Dockyard that resulted in the near sinking of Dean Boorman's entry in the C Class.

Boorman and his co-driver Sean Tavares were both taken to hospital suffering from neck injuries after the boat flipped end over end, landing upside down.

Leo Arorash and Kylah Stowe similarly succumbed to the elements along the always treacherous South Shore.

While some may remember the 1993 race for the numerous failures, DeCosta will mark it down as the day he recorded his greatest triumph ... the day he beat the big boys.

"It feels really good,'' said the 21-year-old, who won the class for the third time in a row. "We've always wanted to come first across the line.'' "It (conditions) was really bad and we couldn't go that fast because it was so rough. The key was just driving safe and keeping the boat in the water.

Only two of seven boats in A Class managed to complete the rounding, with Leonard Simons a distant second in 1:15:53.

Meanwhile, the highly anticipated duel in the S Class between Derek Simons and Troy Burgess turned into a non-event.

Burgess incurred mechanical problems midway through the race, leaving boat owner/throttle man Simons and driver Desmond DeShields to go unchallenged en route to victory, registering the day's fastest time of 40:33.

"He (Burgess) was never a problem ... and I don't think he will ever be a problem,'' said an adamant Simons. "They were never in sight.

"We knew we had it wrapped up as soon as we left the pylons.'' Even a broken prop-shaft that caused a loss of power in one of the on-board engines failed to deter the duo.

Kirk Roberts, a winner in 1991, placed second in 45:19 trailed by David Carey (50:37).

Moving up in class paid dividends for Jason Pimental (1:02:35), who followed up last year's second in A Class by seizing the top spot in the B Class.

He, too, benefitted from Constable's misfortune, but this did not take anything away from his performance, especially as he was forced to drive a considerable distance with a broken skag.

The fin-like structure -- vital for steering and control -- was shattered when Pimental struck a rock near Horseshoe Bay and he admitted it to be quite a harrowing experience.

"I was uncertain the whole way along South Shore,'' said an obviously relieved Pimental. "I won through Kevin's misfortune, but my co-pilot (Steven Bridges) did a great job with the trim to get us through.'' Ian Whitehead (1:05:50) did well to place second, while the luckless Constable (1:08:21) was third.

The Nesbitt brothers -- Craig and Treadwell -- similarly took solace in their first triumph in the prestigious event, grabbing C Class honours in 55:33 ahead of another brother duo, Craig and Alister Burt.

"It's special, because we've had problems all year up until Thursday before the race (when the boat crashed during practice), so it feels great to come in first,'' said Treadwell. "It was all a matter of patience and trying to be safe ... that's what won the race.'' Patrick Stamper successfully defended his title in D Class finishing in 52:27.

SECOND TO NONE -- Andrew DeCosta, left, and Chris Smith seen en route to victory in the Round the Island Power Boat Race.