Following a rigorous training campaign since February, the Liechtenstein Princely Navy's most ambitious campaign for supremacy in the South China Sea paid off handsomely, with our proud Navy achieving a victorious 2nd place finish in the Cup Final of the B Class Expatriate Men category at the Stanley Dragon Boat Championships. This momentous victory marks the best ever result in our team's short history and means our proud Navy came 2nd out of 58 competitors.

Having achieved a rewarding 6th place Cup Final finish in 2003, the Admiralty of the Liechtenstein Princely Navy set out on its most ambitious training program for the 2004 season. Training commenced in freezing conditions on Valentine's Day and with the exception of Easter break, the Navy practiced for one to two hours every Saturday since.

We have come a long way since that grey Saturday afternoon in February, when only six dedicated sailors showed up for training. Drawing strength from a coherent team that consisted 80% of sailors from previous years, the Admiralty's tough practice program steadily improved the power, stamina, rhythm, tactic and motivation. The Admiralty's training efforts were significantly helped by the joining of Sailor Misao from the Japanese Naval Self Defense Forces, whose invaluable contribution to the team has already earned him a promotion to Petty Officer 2nd Class. Furthermore, the Navy was able to draw on the tactical expertise of Sailor Nathan, who joined our forces from the elite Bondi Diggers team. Together, we forged a naval force to be reckoned with.

Training attendance and discipline was generally strong throughout the season and Operation Nightcrawler II - a tough 15 hrs urban Special Ops assignment - helped to consolidate the unique spirit of the Liechtenstein Princely Navy.

The Admiralty was also fortunate to count yet again on the unrelenting support of its financial backer, LGT Bank in Liechtenstein, together with the continued fuel development program with Foster's, who generously agreed to an increased supply of thirty cases of high-octane Foster's power fuel. Neil Pryde yet again generously sponsored the Navy's improved 2004 combat uniforms while Bolle joined the Navy's ranks as the Official Naval Eye Protection Provider.

Race Day in Stanley on 22nd June 2004 turned out to be a hot and humid day, but with calm waters for excellent racing conditions. Apart from a quick rain shower in the early morning, excellent - yet sweltering - weather conditions prevailed throughout the day. The Liechtenstein Princely Navy assembled at Stanley Main Beach at 0900hrs to commence its warm-up program under the direction of Lt Jr Grd Streun, who devised the unique, but somewhat un-sexy, Liechtenstein Bowel Shake Move.

The Navy's first round race was scheduled for 0945hrs in lane four, alongside former archrivals UBS Pacific Blades and neighboring Team Austria (almost as creatively named as the Swiss Men which mutated into Swiss Bulls this year). None of these teams however stood the slightest chance against the most powerful Navy of any alpine nation. Once the starting gun was fired, our well-rehearsed starting sequence was unleashed with the precision and rhythm that come from four months of hard training. Five deep, strong paddle strokes are followed by another five faster-paced moves that pull the heavy teak wood boat loaded with 18 paddlers, one drummer and a helmsman out of the water. Thereafter follows a sequence of ten highly accelerated strokes which then lead into a more settled 'cruising mode' to ensure sufficient strength and stamina to the finish line over a total course length of 270m (shortened from 300m last year).

By the time the Navy settled into cruising mode, it was clear that it would be a three-pronged race against AIA Southside Massive (previously Smuggler's Inn, Cup Final winners of 2003) and the Dutch Men. It was a hard-fought battle that was eventually won by AIA Southside Massive with the Navy in close second. UBS and Austria were more than a boat length behind and had clearly fallen out of contention.

Highly motivated by this early success, the team retreated to the Princely Yacht, which served as the naval base for the day and where a hearty breakfast was ready. Despite a fuel supply of 15 cases of Foster's on the day, the Admiralty deliberately restricted all sailor's fuel intake to one bottle before round two and another before the final - a strategy which caused some contraversy but clearly paid off.

The second round race was scheduled for 1200hrs and placed the Navy in boat 7 next to another strong contender, HSBC Offshore Without A Paddle. Prior to race day, the Navy's intelligence sources obtained classified information that specifically indicated that HSBC's sole purpose this year was to beat the Navy. There was clearly no love lost at the starting line as HSBC team members congratulated AIA Southside Massive (in lane 5) for beating us in the first round. Undisturbed by such antics, the Admiralty called the team into ready mode for the race and concentrated on the ever-crucial start of the race. And it was yet again a perfectly executed start that tilted the balance in favor of the Navy. With power and rhythm all the way through the ranks, the Navy's sped unrelentingly down the racecourse head-on against AIA and HSBC. While AIA yet again won the line honors, the Navy triumphed in second ahead of its behemoth local rival to the great delight of our team.

It was time for lunch and that second bottle of Foster's back on the Princely Yacht, which had in the meantime turned into the major party location on the entire beach. Cooking up an incredible feast of Bratwurst and Risotto, Chief Bratwurst Officer Stefan was yet again in his element. DJ Vinnie, of one fifth and Kee Club fame, kept sailors, guests and supporters entertained with a pulsating mix of sounds that blew the competition out of the water. It also caught the attraction of a Korean television crew very eager to get on board and capture the Liechtenstein party spirit. It was testament to the fact that the Liechtenstein Princely Navy was clearly unbeatable both on and off the racecourse.

Despite all the festivities, the Admiralty's attention turned to the Cup Final race, scheduled for 1630hrs. Motivation and strength were running very high and only minor tactical adjustments were required to ensure a podium finish. The original goal was of course to win the Cup Final, but with AIA yet again lined up in the final, the competition would be fierce - a fact also illustrated by AIA's drummer, which can be seen in the newspaper clipping on the Media Exposure page. Opting for style and grace, rather than brute force, the Admiralty was confident that its own drummer - Commander Mei - who has endeared herself among the crew with a record training turnout to all but one practice sessions, would take the race all the way to the finish line.

And so it was. The hour of reckoning came as the Greatest Naval Force In The History of Dragon Boating was staring down a line-up of the nine top teams in the competition - including the Sea Gods, Bloomberg, HSBC and of course AIA. With tensions running high as the starter made final adjustments to the line up, our team was united in a quiet resolve to make naval history for Liechtenstein on this glorious day. The start was yet again a precision operation of the highest order and the field quickly withered down into a two boat race against AIA. "POWER - UP - NOW" came the command fifty strokes down the course and the Navy's battle cruiser leaped crucial inches forward. Another "power up" call was lost in the mayhem but our boat chugged along like a steam train on rails. Sitting in the front row and glancing to the left, it was clear that the fight was closer then ever. "UP - YOUR - ASS" came the call for the last ten or so strokes, gearing the Navy up into a frantic pace across the finish line. AIA remained unbeaten, but the Navy was an incredibly close second, followed by a long gap down the field that was eventually filled by HSBC in third.

Competing only in its fifth year, 2nd place is an amazing and incredible result that was however well deserved and very hard fought for. It is a result that makes proud a Prince and Country of 35,000 land-locked people with no access to lake or seawaters. It makes proud an Admiral and a small Private Bank that have left global giants like UBS, HSBC, Goldman Sachs, CSFB, Deutsche Bank and National Australia Bank in their wake.

Long Live Liechtenstein!