Top sailing duo Stevie Dickinson and Martin Finegan will carry Bermuda's hopes in the Snipe class at the Western Hemisphere and Orient Championships to be held November 22-30 in Uruguay.

The local pair, fresh off a dominant display in the Comet fleet, have left no stone unturned in their gradual build up to the upcoming commitment in South America where veteran Dickinson remains upbeat about his chances of improving upon his best performance to date (12th) in the regatta.

Dickinson and 16-year-old Mount St.Agnes Academy student Finegan proved to be a cut above the rest in the Great Sound last weekend where twice they came from behind before reeling off four consecutive bullets to knock perennial rival Gladwin Lambert off the top of the overall fleet standings with one regatta remaining in the 2008 Comet schedule.

East End Mini Yacht Club stalwart Dickinson now leads Lambert by a three-point margin and is optimistic he and crew Finegan can pick up where they left off when Yacht Club Punta del Este host the upcoming championships in Uruguay in which event organisors hope to stage as many as nine races with no more than three races to be held on each race day.

All teams, which are to be scored on a low points system, will be permitted to discard their worst race should only a minimum of six races be held and an additional drop in the event the intended nine race series comes off as originally planned.

Dickinson, who has divided his time sailing in three separate classes (Comets, Snipes and Lasers) in recent months, has formed an unflappable combination with the teenaged Finegan who he rates highly.

Finegan is a product in the White's Island and Royal Bermuda Yacht Club (RBYC) Optimist programmes who has represented Bermuda at that level at the North and South American Championships and European Championships.

He has also sailed in the Bytes, Lasers, 29ers and Bermuda fitted dinghies and is presently a crewmember onboard Bermuda Sloop Foundation's pride and joy, Spirit of Bermuda.

"I am so proud of this young kid and if he keeps up the good work I think he definitely has a very good future ahead of him for sure," Dickinson said.

"Martin has been on top of his game this year. This kid has a great sense of humour, works hard, has done a fantastic job and is a real pleasure to sail with."

It is these attributes coupled with Dickinson's sailing expertise which could put the Bermudian pair over the top in Uruguay.

"We really communicate and work well together on the boat and Martin is a very hard worker. He is a very good sailor and going off to Uruguay we do feel good about ourselves because we have put a lot of time in sailing together in the boat," added Dickinson.

"When we arrive in Uruguay we are going to spend another four days practising in their conditions and hopefully we can get things together and be consistent down there as well."

Dickinson also touched on last weekend's sparkling display in the Great Sound where he carved up long-time nemesis Rudy Bailey and Lambert in their own backyard.