For most of David Marc Finnegan's two decades in Bermuda having a brush with success usually meant giving someone a good haircut.

He's still trimming hair, but these days he's also trimming sails and Finnegan will get his first real crack at a major ocean crossing competition when his Crewcut will be on the starting line in Class C as the Marion to Bermuda race gets underway tomorrow at 1.50 p.m. Bermuda time.

Crewcut is one of five Bermuda entries in the race, and all of the local skippers, navigators and crew were treated to a dinner last night at the Beverly Yacht Club.

The celebration gave everyone a brief respite from harried preparations for tomorrow's kick-off, with a guest list which included the Minister and Works and Engineering the Hon. Leonard Gibbons and US Consul General Bob Farmer.

It also marked the last time Finnegan and his crew of Martin Purser, David Roblin, Craig Scott, Robby Dickinson, Shelagh Tasker and Warren McHarg could really unwind prior to the 645-mile ocean passage.

It'll be back to business tonight with the captain's meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. Bermuda time at the Tabor Academy's Performing Arts Centre.

Last night the Crewcut team were dressed in their trademark blue shirts emblazoned with a menacing comic book character wearing a spiked haircut.

"It's just to make it all fun,'' said Finnegan, pointing to the official logo. "Obviously me being a hairdresser, it has some bearing on that. I gave the guy an earring and made him have a mean face.'' One of three owners of Tangles (his two other partners are Simon and Heather Horrell), a Reid Street hair salon, Finnegan is hoping Crewcut will be a cut above the other vessels in his class.

Although he's a first-time participant, several members of his crew are no strangers to the race and Dickinson competed in 1989 when his father owned the boat, then called Distant Drum .

Finnegan has been owner of the Sigma 41 for approximately two years and has spent the last several months tuning it up for the Marion to Bermuda race.

"This is probably one of the longest times I've been away from the shop,'' he said, seeking shelter from persistent rain and cool, 50 degree temperatures near a crackling fire inside the Beverly Yacht Club, as sailors made a last-minute trip to registration tables.

"This takes a lot of work, I mean my guys are out there now fixing what broke from our trip down here. And I've actually been in the yard again since I came up here.'' The pony-tailed Finnegan was inspired to do the race after his mother's sudden death recently. "I just figured that life is too short and I've been wanting to do this,'' he said. "This is what I was striving to do. If you're able to do something like this do it now instead of waiting. Just get on with it.'' Like most other skippers, Finnegan's main priority is to make sure everyone has a good time during the race, but "I want to do as well as everybody else, although we'll never lose the fun side of it. Obviously I'd like to win my class, would like to be overall winner and I'd like Martin to get the navigator's award.

"I spent a lot of time getting new equipment and I spent a lot of time in the yard getting the boat ready and I've spent a lot of money so obviously I'd like to win.

"But if we go back to Bermuda and we haven't won anything it won't be a total loss. It would have been a big learning curve for me and the next time I can come back with a vengeance.'' Finnegan first took up the sport a few years ago after growing tired with his motorboats. "And I was into fishing, scuba diving and waterskiing and I got bored with that.

"I needed to move on and I just wanted a sailboat,'' he added. "I don't need to go anywhere fast anymore, my pace has slowed down quite a bit. A friend of mine put a sail on one of my motorboats and I just got totally hooked by it.'' He'll be leaning on more experienced crew members during the race, and he joked about struggling to keep Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club commodore Buddy Rego away from the helm on the ride here from Bermuda. Finnegan was part of the crew that sailed Tsunami , Rego's boat, to Newport last year.

"I think (tomorrow) is going to be the time I'm just going to say `let's go sailing','' he said, smiling. "How will I feel? It'll depend on the weather conditions. Going to sea is not going to be the problem, I know the boat is ready, but being on the line if it's foggy and nasty...I think I might let one of the guys with more experience take over. I don't want to risk everything that I've worked for and I don't want to hit anything.'' And as for strategy, Finnegan aims to keep it as simple as possible.

"Sail fast and safe,'' he said. "That's the gameplan.''