The first official boat finally crossed the St. David's finish line yesterday, handing Carrera the Newport-Bermuda Race honours.

Overnight Pyewacket and Windquest arrived to complete the expected dominance of the Maxz 86 Demonstration Division and it was another 12 hours before one of the more traditional vessels finally arrived.

The 80-ft Reichel-Pugh came in mid-morning in a time of 67 hours, 15 minutes and 54 seconds and owner Jo Dockery was quick to point out that - given the overnight winners were only on “probation” in the race - his crew were the victors.

“We are the real winners,” joked Dockery within earshot of the crew members working on Pyewacket which had come home after 10 p.m. on Sunday.

“Look at these things, these are not normal boats, these are monsters. They are a completely different type of vessel, they are not really boats at all.

“They were in their own race - which Morning Glory won - and we are in our own race, which we won.

“No seriously, I am glad to see them here. They are a beautiful specimens and if they hadn't let them in then I wouldn't be the new owner of this boat.”

Bermudian resident Hasso Plattner, the owner of Morning Glory which came in first on Sunday afternoon in just over 48 hours in the Demonstration Division, had sold the smaller boat to Dockery 13 months ago, allowing him to complete the Newport-Bermuda Race for the fourth time - but the first as the official first over the line.

“It was a piece of cake,” said Dockery, getting back to the business of how his crew had overcome relatively calm conditions to become the fourth boat back to dock at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club after departing Newport, Rhode Island three days and 635 miles ago.

“It was real easy sailing. After what happened two years ago, anything was going to be easy. It was nice and calm - too calm sometimes - but I was really proud of the guys.

“You couldn't meet a nicer a bunch of guys, or such accomplished sailors.

“At one stage we saw Titan 12 (which later finished second in the class) and the guys rallied big time. It was a case of ‘we have a yacht and we know what we have to do to win, so let's do it'.”

Once the winning champagne was duly swigged he further celebrated by shouting out a food order he had clearly been thinking about for days at sea: “Get me a medium-rare cheeseburger.”

Carrera was one of six yachts in the IMS Racing Class to finish by mid-evening yesterday, with Tom Hill's Titan 12 next in followed by Rosebud, Bright Star , Lightwave and Sjambok.

Two boats also came in from the IMS Cruiser/Racer class, with Skip Sheldon's Zaraffa first in followed by Donnybrook.

The early leader in the quest for the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Trophy, awarded to the IMS Racing Class vessel coming home in the fastest corrected time, looks to be Roger Sturgeon's Rosebud, one of the lightning quick new Trans Pac 52s competing in the 2004 race, the 44th instalment of the 98-year-old ocean crossing.

The 2002 winner Blue Yankee was around 50 miles behind her class rivals yesterday morning and had not yet arrived by press time last night.

Day four of the race also saw three more of the original 158 fleet pull out.

Killua, owned by James Binch of New Cannan, Connecticut, withdrew from the Americap Double Handed Class but has continued to Bermuda under power.

Finesse, a J42 owned by Newton Merrill of New York is also motoring to Bermuda but not due to mechanical problems - the decision to withdraw was made due to the combination of light air and family commitments.

Amelia III, Jefferson Hughes' Fontaine 64, has had a problem with her sails and is also motoring to the Island, although had 252 miles still to go as of yesterday's 8 a.m. roll call.

A whole swathe of boats were expected to finish last night, with a steady flow due in over the course of today and tomorrow as weather systems off Bermuda look set to give the boats a helpful push after recent calm conditions.

The first Bermudian vessels may be in today with Les Crane's Monterey and Rob Mulderig's Starr Trail expected to come in ahead of Colin Couper's Babe, with Governor Sir John Vereker aboard.