A 10-knot north-northeast breeze made for a dramatic morning start of the Edgartown Yacht Club’s annual ’Round the Island Race on Saturday. A total of 47 sailboats of varying sizes converged for five starts in the 67-mile race, the best in years.

Sailboats came from all around the region, but it was one sailboat, Ceilidh, a 39-foot sloop, from Chester, Nova Scotia that became the race’s favorite. A rear commodore from Chester Yacht Club, Captain Randy Stevens, and his crew won first place in the Class 3 PHRF, a nonspinnaker division.

The finish also earned them the first-ever Upbeat Trophy, a Tiffany trophy created this year by former Edgartown Yacht Club commodore Owen Smith, who used to compete in the annual race in his boat Upbeat. Mr. Smith donated the trophy, to be given each year in perpetuity to the best boat in the nonspinnaker division.

The fastest boat did not win a first place in the handicap race but got a lot of “wows” and the Commodore’s Concord Cup. Jim Swartz’s fast Vesper, a 52-foot TP52, of Edgartown, completed the race in 6 hours, 43 minutes, crossing the finish at close to 3:15 p.m. Because this is a handicap race, the boat earned a fourth place in the Class 1, PHRF A. The winner of that division was Pugwash, captained by David Murphy.

Apart from winning the race, Mr. Murphy was credited with getting the Nova Scota sailors to Edgartown to race. He had taken his J-boat Pugwash to Chester, Nova Scotia, raced well and earned the friendship of many.

Bob Donahue, racing chairman, said most of the boats were home by 6:30 p.m. There were still a few late stragglers, and at least nine boats that didn’t finish the race.

The tough part of the end of the race was almost as difficult as winning. The currents off West and East Chop reversed at about 7 p.m. Any boat that wasn’t already on its way past East Chop and headed towards Edgartown got caught and faced a strong east to west current. It happens often enough for unlucky sailors, who find themselves facing a current head-on and knowing that the wind isn’t strong enough to overcome the current’s speed.

Clare Gesualdo, rear commodore, oversaw the start of the race on Saturday morning. She said she was deeply pleased by the way the race went. “The whole weekend was a great event. You plan everything, but the one factor you can’t plan is the weather,” she said.

Yacht club manager Bill Roman said, “There wasn’t a lot of wind, but there was enough to give all the participants a respectable return time.”

Winners are as follows:

Class 1, PHRF A, 12 boats: 1, Pugwash, David Murphy, Edgartown; 2, Wicked, Douglas Curtiss, New Bedford Yacht Club; 3, Ursus Maritimus, Jim Masiero, SAYC.

Class 2, PHRF B, 11 boats: 1, Gut Feeling, Edward Herlihy, NBYC;; 2, Sophie, Paul Ulyalt; 3, Dreamcatcher, Stephen Kylander, New Bedford & Hingham Yacht Clubs.

Class 3, PHRF N/S A, 11 boats: 1, Ceilidh, Randy Stevens, Chester Yacht Club; 2, Manitou, Greg Slamowitz, Block Island Club; 3, Windigo, George Brown, New Bedford.

Class 4 PHRF N/S B 13 boats: 1, Saylavee, Peter Soule, Saquatucket; 2, Freya, Fred Trezise, Beverly Yacht Club; 3, Good Fortune, Bill Brine, Edgartown.

IRC: 1, David Murphy, Pugwash; 2, Jim Swartz, Vesper; 3, Stefan Lehnert, Passion.