| 16 May 2010: The Lamma 500 |
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This year marked the the fourth edition of The Lamma 500 as well as the Liechtenstein Princely Navy's participation at this event. We enjoy this race for various reasons, not the least because we can travel there in style aboard our Princely Yacht, atop of which we inflate our massive Foster’s can at this Carlsberg-sponsored event. Above all, however, we enjoy the racing here in a small, but competitive, field.
With four points in the bag, egos boosted by a victory over IPC (but deflated at the same time by having been beaten by the Tigers) our attention turned to the second heat against the Royal X-Men and the Buzz, which did not look overly dangerous in DWB, as well as Barracuda.
And thus the Navy collected yet again medals in Lamma. Having a silver (2009) and a bronze (2010) in our cupboard now, it is obviously clear that we will accept nothing less than solid gold in 2011!
Final result:
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Sixteen men’s teams were registered in the open division, dividend into two sets of four heats of four boats each. The Lamma 500 works on a points system, with 6 points going to the winner of each heat, 4 points for second, 3 for third and 2 for fourth. The top five Open Men’s crews by points go straight to the Cup Final. 
Our first heat saw us squeezed nicely between old (but resurging) rivals Tai Tam Tigers and old (but declining) rivals HKIPC together with Fat Dragon (the name says it all) thrown into the mix. In the pre-race brain wash session, the Admiral made it clear that this first heat was just like a final - with the objective of outright victory. The Tigers, having been training diligently since late 2009, have shown some strong form in Deep Water Bay and would be fighting hard for the same objective. HKIPC won the Open division in 2009 and were obviously keen to defend their title. 
With a full boat of 20 paddlers we lined up in fairly choppy conditions for the start. Thanks to a stern and a bow line, aligning the boats was less of a lottery then Deep Water Bay and soon we were off for the race. We stuck to our DWB strategy – a fast & furious start followed by a long and powerful chug down the course. It was a good, long fight, but the Tigers came out on top in 2:08.37, followed by the Navy in 2:10.40 and HKIPC in 2:11.14 with Fat Dragon bringing in the rear in 2:15.65. 
Threatening to throw all Foster’s supply overboard if we did not win this heat, the Admiral demanded nothing less than a decisive victory to ensure us a place in the Cup Final. This form of intimidation seemed to do the trick as we were off to a quick start. However, shouts of “TIMING!” were heard before we even reached 20 and our performance seemed rather messy at times. Nevertheless, we pulled away steadily, illustrating the might of Liechtenstein’s naval power – even when not fully coordinated. We threw in a POWER UP call at 50 and again at 80, each time bringing focus back and thrusting the boat forward. In the end, we were sufficiently ahead to slow the pace and still come in first in 2:15.22, ahead of the Buzz (2:17.96), the Royal X-Men (2:19.22) and Barracuda (2:27.62). 
With a total of ten points from two heats, it soon became clear that we had made it into the Cup Final, where we would be joined by South Eagles and Stormies (both on 12 points thanks to having won both of their first heats), the Tai Tam Tigers (also on 10 points) and Lamma Dragons (on 9 points). 
Having had our previous heat more than five hours ago, we were nicely rested and roaring to end the day on a high. Pumped up on Red Bull and M-budget chocolate we headed out to the starting line, from where the beach looked exhaustingly far away. But we knew it was only two minutes away, only 120 strokes, only 500 meters of pain. Pain which we were going to enjoy to the fullest, trusting in ourselves and in our team. As soon as we were in position, our focus became one. All eyes forward, paddles at the ready. The “READY!” call came from the starter and twenty paddles snapped into launch position. "GO!" – our Chief Focus Officer executed a Fredster of a start, crisp and sharp as a freshly chilled can of Foster’s! Accelerating quickly we immediately left the Lamma boys behind, but out of the corner of our eyes South Eagles were already flying ahead. They were never under much pressure, but the fight for second, third and fourth came down to the wire. We clearly had the advantage at first and held it well until mid-race. A good "POWER UP NOW!" at 50 pushed us further ahead but Stormies were chewing away our lead and the Tigers were in hot pursuit. “STAY LONG!!” as we drove the paddles deeper and longer to keep up the momentum. “100! – COME ON!!!” Giving it all for Prince and Country we flew across the line in an exciting and exhilarating finish. 
It wasn’t good enough to defend our runner’s up crown which Stormies reclaimed from last year (when we beat them into third). But – crucially – it was good enough for third and thus a victory over the Tigers who, it must be said, were most gracious in defeat. 
