| 21 May 2010: Stanley Warm Up Races |
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The Stanley Warm Up Races, as its name suggests, are a precursor to the main event in Stanley and given the fact that they are run over a similar distance (250m) the event provides some early insights into who’s "in it to win it” this season.
The first good news of the day was that our first heat was scheduled only for 1030hrs, allowing our hard charging crew – regularly accustomed to 0530hrs wake-up calls – to sleep in for a change. And, as a bonus, it turned out to be a really nice day – not too hot, not too cold, and water as flat as last year’s Foster’s!
A good start, well timed yet not infringement aggressive, saw us off in a hurry. Digging hard and long to get this wooden boat moving we ‘readied and reached’ and settled down for a minute of hard work – about the same time it takes Petty Officer Sinclair to tie his shoelaces. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but as Lt Charlie keeps reminding us, it is classic anaerobic exercise (the paddling, not the tying of shoelaces) – twenty strokes and you feel great, forty strokes and you feel the pain, sixty strokes and you want to puke!
Next up was the semi final which would see us go head to head with the Tai Tam Tigers, as well as the seafood guys and a bunch of other Chinese teams. In fact, only three pre-dominantly ‘gwailo’ teams had made it into the Cup Semi Finals: us, the Tigers and the Royal X Men (who were boasting about having had the third-fastest time in the initial heats, yet later fell apart in the semis and headed into the Silver Cup). Also, all other ‘banking teams’ like UBS, Credit Suisse and the Goldman Sachs Vikings (who ironically were battling it out against the ‘Stars and Stripes’ of the US consulate…) were all by now relegated into the ‘tail’ races. Only the mighty Liechtenstein Princely Navy, sponsored by LGT Bank, was fighting it out with the big boys.
It seemed to work well – we were clean from start to finish, nowhere hollow, everybody pulling water. On paper it didn’t look that different from our first heat (1:07.59 vs. 1:07.58, i.e. one hundredth of a second decline in performance) plus the Tigers beat us into second place (but we gained the upper hand over the seafood restaurant who finished third). In reality, however, it felt like a really good race. Lt Charlie explained it best: “This is the kind of performance that you bottle up, put it away and bring it out anytime it really matters!”
So we bottled it up, ready to be served again later!
As we shot across the line in a quick succession of ‘toots’ it was immediately clear that the bright green guys from the (take another deep breath) Federation of Dragon Boat & Water Sports had won the day. But who was behind was far from obvious. Time, therefore, to indulge in some cold Foster’s and wait for the result.
Saving the best for last, the Navy finished the day in an outstanding third place (out of 22 teams) in a blazing hot 1:07.03.
Final result:
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This year the event featured 22 men’s teams including a large contingent of Chinese teams with such weird and wonderful names like the KoKoChai@WR team, the POKKA’s All Hearts in One Dragon POKKA and (take a deep breath) the Federation of Dragon Boat & Water Sports – making the Liechtenstein Princely Navy one of the shortest- and sanest-named teams on the list!
Well rested, we thus lined up in perfect conditions for Race 11 against PCCW (telephones), Zim Asia (huh?), Lee Kum Kee (oyster sauce) and Wide Way Restaurant Challenge Dragon (seafood!). With Chief Focus Officer Fred off on a private mission, Chief Racing Officer Lt Charlie took over the lead command of HSH Liechtenstein for the day. With flat water, a pontoon at our back and a stern line for Commander Mei, we were locked solid into our starting slot. All eyes were on Lt Charlie as we went “PADDLES UP!” and “GO!!”
We tooted across the finish line in 1:07.58, second place only to the seafood boys in 1:07.38 – zero point two of a second behind, the time it takes to blink an eye!
Our post race analysis of the first heat concluded that we were nicely ahead until about 40 strokes, but as the competition crept back on us we unnecessarily increased the pace and messed up our timing – “premature acceleration” in technical terms. We therefore refined our game plan to stay focused and ramp up our power – not our pace – for the last twenty strokes.
With the top three finishers of the two semis heading into the Gold Cup Final, we yet again found ourselves in the top final of the day. The field was watered down to us and the Tigers, seafood and Marine Police, KoKoChai and the (take a deep breath) Federation of Dragon Boat & Water Sports! We drew lane two, close to the starter and hopefully the fast lane.
For the third time in three races our start was right on the money – aggressive, fast and full of traction. “READY AND REACH” and our first twenty stokes made the boat fly. Then the drum and another twenty to the pain barrier. “POWER UP NOW!” and through the pain barrier into the last twenty, kitchen sink and all!
First up to collect their silverware (and thus 6th and last) were the Tigers, undoubtedly not very pleased with the result and thus beaten again by the Navy when it matters most, i.e. in the final. Fifth and fourth went to someone else meaning the Navy was on the podium!
