| May 11-14, 2006: Philippine International Dragon Boat Races, Boracay |
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Operation White Beach to Boracay – the Navy’s first overseas combat mission – was supposed to be a tropical beach-based, sun-drenched serious-paddling-cum-serious partying engagement. Instead, the Navy sailed straight into a serious typhoon that battered the troops for three long days and tested their patience, survival skills and mental stamina to the limits. Despite the miserable conditions, the Navy’s unique team spirit prevailed and the battle cries of “LIECHTENSTEIN!!!” were audible well above the roar of Tropical Storm Chanchu.
Thursday
Following the team manager’s meeting, the first evening’s program was a reconnaissance of the island’s nightlife. Specifically, the Admiralty’s goal was to significantly increase Liechtenstein’s score at Cocomanga’s infamous ‘wall of fame’. Chief Petty Officer Beat together with Sailors Alex, Robin and Steve are commended for their bravery in drowning the requisite “15 and still standing” shooters and thus lifting our small principality beyond Brazil, Venezuela, Portugal and Hungary in a single night! Sailor Robin was barely “still standing” after the ordeal and had all his possessions stolen during a subsequent recovery dip into the ocean – but that’s a small sacrifice compared to the enormous gain in international standing and recognition!
Friday
By the time the 250m races finally went underway, the crew was thoroughly drenched, bored and fatigued from the lack of activity. Sagging spirits were regularly lifted through vigorous singing of the Liechtenstein anthem, which quickly started to spread among the teams – including pirated versions of “Frankenstein” and “Lick-my-sheen”. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, as they say!
Our heat was finally up at around 1500hrs – as predicted – and Sailorette Roushana whipped up the crew with her vigorous warm-up exercises. The competition in our heat was formidable, with the Navy lined up against the Manila Dragons and the Dolphins, two mean-looking local teams who must have been practicing twice daily, judging from the size of their upper arms. But the Navy is not easily intimidated and we paddled to the imaginative starting line full of enthusiasm, glad for being able to finally put our paddles in the water.
We thus finished in an honourable third, which due to the delay and changed racing format, meant that our race was over in the 250m event. We watched a few of our fellow competitors race, including the highly impressive team from Cam Sur, which eventually won the 250m men’s category and the pink ladies of the Lamma Dragons, who pulled off a surprising victory against their local rivals.
Back at base on the other side of the island, Typhoon Chanchu was intensifying in power, battering the beach and forcing some crewmembers to evacuate their flooded quarters. Dinner was a Bratwurst & Risotto BBQ in the sheltered confines of our host’s living room, complete with billiard competition and a stable supply of Frozen Colanis to keep the spirits high. Overnight, the typhoon pounded the island relentlessly, making sleep a difficult proposition – particularly in the Admiralty’s highly exposed sea view room.
Saturday
The sun finally also made a brief appearance, shining on the Liechtenstein crew as we infiltrated various TV interviews. We ended the afternoon with a group “Hoegere!”, a unique naval team bonding exercise.
All Sailors did eventually returned to base and were accounted for in time for our afternoon departure on Sunday. Congratulations to all the Sailors who have participated in – and survived – this gruelling mission!
Special thanks to our hosts Jimmy and Nenita and the crew at ARTISTA Boracay who helped to make our stay a comfortable and enjoyable one despite the adverse conditions!
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Months of meticulous planning culminated with 15 Sailors and three supporters assembled and rearing to go at 0700hrs at Hong Kong International Airport for an early morning flight to Manila. The excitement and anticipation of the adventure ahead were visible on all the faces – including the Admiral’s, who in his overzealousness had erroneously set his alarm an hour too early! The flight departed on time, immigration at Manila was efficient and the transfer to the domestic airport super-smooth. We were off to a good start and a first round of beers was quickly followed by a second. Our celebrations were a bit premature, however: as we were sitting aboard the domestic Asian Spirit flight ready to take off for the one-hour flight to Boracay the entire airport was shut down because of the arrival of the country’s diminutive president, Gloria Macapacal Arroyo! That’s a lot of inconvenience for one small lady! We were eventually off with a two-hour delay, reaching Boracay in windy and overcast conditions at 1500hrs. 
With a training session scheduled for 1600hrs, there was not enough time to check into our base and the crew had to change on the boat before hitting the beach in rough seas. The intention of the training session was to familiarize ourselves with the boats and equipment and the local water conditions, which were deteriorating by the minute. We managed to put in a few practice runs up and down the beach before capsizing the boat on the return to the beach. It all happened quite quickly – a wave hitting the port side of the ship threw half of the paddlers in the back overboard. The ensuing imbalance tipped the boat to the left, emptying the remaining crew – including our photographer – into the shallow sea. With all crew accounted for and only our pride slightly dented we checked into our base at 
As racing was supposed to go underway at 0700hrs, a bleary-eyed crew was roused from their sleep at 0545hrs. Strengthened by a Swiss and American breakfast we set out for the assembly point in gusty and rainy conditions, thanks to the approaching storm. Upon our arrival we were promptly informed that the race had been moved to the calmer waters of the east side of the island, with the start re-scheduled for 1000hrs due to more favourable tides. 1000hrs in the Philippines obviously means “not before 1500hrs” anywhere else and the crew thus proceeded to kill time and look for shelter. Sailor Martin wrapped himself into the Bolle banner and caught up on a few hours of sleep on the beach. 
The start was a cruel joke by the local organizer, who shouted some commands in Tagalog before suddenly the race was under way. Despite our best efforts, the Navy was more or less left standing as the local teams pulled away at an amazing pace. It was thus a catch-up game from the word “go”. Sadly, the Navy was never in contention but – in our defence – we did paddle with a relatively weak rear-end crew which we had to “borrow” to make up the numbers. 
On Saturday morning the crew awoke to what looked like the aftermath of a severe battle – with extensive damage along the waterfront and half of the beach washed away. Predictably, racing was delayed and was to continue on the backside of the island. As we left Diniwid for a more sheltered breakfast location, the scene was reminiscent of the Apocalypse Now (which ironically was filmed in the Philippines). Picking our way under overturned trees and through flooded mud paths, we eventually found our way to the English Bakery, where we noticed that one Sailor was MIA. In fact, we were missing a paddle during a routine equipment check, which led us to notice that we were short a man. Sailor Danu normally keep a low profile to infiltrate rival teams during covert operations, but at this time he had even slipped under the Navy’s own radar. We eventually recovered the missing Sailor – together with his paddle – and it was decided that Sailor Steve (aka LiechtenSteve) would henceforth be in charge of ensuring we do not lose our man again. 
After the finals of the 250m event, which were carried forward to Saturday, the 500m races finally went underway at around noontime. To kill the time, the Navy had established a temporary base at the Kiwi-owned “Butterfly Garden”, where we slowly depleted the available beer supplies. 
When it was finally our turn to race, the tide had moved out significantly, leaving barely enough water to float the boats. In fact, when digging our paddles in the appropriate depth we were hitting the muddy ground. Furthermore, the low water level caused a significant drag on the boat, making the journey to the starting line feel like 5kms rather than 500m. We purposely kept the crew numbers low, with our own 14 paddlers joined only by two powerful local mercenaries. 
The battle promised to be a fierce one, with the Liechtenstein Princely Navy competing against the team of the Philippine Navy as well as another local outfit. The start was confusing as ever, with the Philippine Navy jumping the start and powering ahead quickly. However, our own Navy was off the line quickly, too. So quick, in fact, that Captain Widmer lost his footing and was thrown off his seat. With ten powerful stokes lifting the boat gradually out of the water, he struggled a while to regain his position. Meanwhile at the front, the Admiral was getting his counting all wrong and almost skipped the all-important ten “power strokes”. Fortunately, Sailor Martin kept up the routine, ensuring that the rhythm did not fall apart. Despite all the confusion, our boat kept pace with the local rival in the next lane and we were less than half a boat length behind by the time we settled into our one-stoke-per-second chugging pace. 
The paddling was hard and fierce with excellent timing, allowing the Navy to stay close with the boat ahead. Shouts of “POWER!” and “TIMING!” were occasionally answered by “SHUT UP!”, ensuring a lively atmosphere on deck throughout the 500m distance. Sailorette Roushana and SOF James, who made up the ‘second front’ in row 5 added important shouts of encourage in the final stages of the races, which helped to propel the Navy across the finish line in an honourable third position, just a little distance behind our closest competitor. Despite of – or maybe because of – the initial chaos, it was a performance to be proud of! 
With racing thus concluded, there was little left other than to deplete the remaining beer supplies in celebration of our double podium finish and to watch the remaining teams get stuck in the ever shallower waters. It is no exaggeration to say that it would have been faster to simply push the boats through the ankle-deep sea! 
