The 2002 Newport to Bermuda racing spectacle came to a fitting close in the Great Sound yesterday as Blue Yankee again demonstrated her status as this year's top boat.

The Stamford entry put on an encore performance during unfavourably mild eight to ten knot easterly breezes as she spurred Team Storm Trysail white to victory in the Onion Patch Series after overhauling leaders, New York Yacht Club red team, on the final day of racing.

Bob Towse and crew had already this week captured top honours in the Newport to Bermuda crossing with a corrected winning time of 51 hours, 59 minutes and 23 seconds to capture the coveted Gibb's Hill Lighthouse Trophy.

Team New York red had to settle for second place honours while Team New York white finished third in the series.

Idler was the regatta's top individual entry, Rush a close second and Ptarmigan third.

For Blue Yankee and crew, the events of the past week were in stark contrast to those of last month when captain Jamie Boeckel was thrown from the bow of the Reichel-Pugh 66ft yacht and his body never recovered.

Local Etchells sailor Tim Patton was also onboard Blue Yankee during yesterday's proceedings.

Navigator Dee Smith, still coming to terms with the tragic loss of Boeckel, immediately paid tribute to his fallen colleague.

"It's been a special week for us," said Smith, "because of Jamie's (Boeckel) loss and the fact that we were able to get down here first - which was really the memorial race so to speak.

"I wasn't onboard when they lost him (Jamie). I was still competing in the Volvo Race (Round the World). But he was a very good mate of mine.

"I sailed with him in the America's Cup and was looking forward to sailing with him down here, but unfortunately he's not here anymore.

"But we had a very good race down here and I'm sure he (Jamie) was looking out for us. So it's definitely all for him. I think that everybody on our boat is still coming to terms with the loss, and they are happy to have performed admirably for him.

"It's a big win for us because we were so far behind coming into this race.

"The conditions were very light and shifty for our boat. We can't tack the boat that much in the light air and we need to tack in the shifts. So we just tried to get the big one's (shifts) and try to sustain the pressure.

"We had some fun with Richard Breeden (Bright Star). He was bigger and in the way most of the time."

Also sailing onboard Bright Star yesterday were Bermuda governor, Sir John Vereker, Newport to Bermuda race committee chairman John Winder and Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Commodore Les Crane.