Last of The Best
by POFC KEN LO

A flotilla of solitude stocked with cold Singha, the latest in K-pop music tracks, and a leg of ham baked inside rye bread accompanied by the most buttery risotto ever concocted, served as the Navy’s HQ for the 2015 Stanley Mission.

The sun was shining, the breeze was blowing, and the water surprisingly clear and pollution free. Conditions were perfect for dragon boat fever.

All 3 of the Men’s A-Cup races would be run by the same teams, so teams had to come out hard and fast in the first race to establish dominance and bitch-slap competitors into their place. Unfortunately it was the Royal-X who came in with the strongest back hand. Fortunately, the Navy did a little bitch-slapping of its own.

Race 1. The Navy’s slow start immediately put us out of contention. Some blame our heavy boat, but Royal-X and VRC (aka KWP Pirates) have their share of fatties, oldies, and Lurches. Whatever it was, it held us back and we were immediately put into 4th place in the first 10m. The Navy did hold its own and stayed P4 with Royal-X in P1, VRC in P2, and the Sea School Old Boys in P3.

Interesting Note: The field was separated from the 1st race on. The Royal-X, VRC, Old Boys, and the Navy had their own race while P5 onward had theirs.

Race 2. Again the Navy’s slow start put us behind Royal-X, VRC, and the Sea School Old Boys within the first 10m. Some blame our lack of concentration at the start, with many sailors caught off guard at the horn. From the flotilla of solitude, ex-Sailors noted that we were never in contention for P3 from the start, rather playing catch-up the entire way.

Unlike other 2nd races, the Navy did not fall apart. The trust we’ve built in the team remained, the technique we’ve worked on hard (in the last month) remained, but in P4 we remained.

FINALS. It took us almost a whole season, but something clicked and our start had finally became competitive. At the horn the Navy flew out of the gates. Those sneaking a peak were astonished to see the Royal-X and VRC still next to us when normally they’d be gone. From the floatilla of solitude, it looked like we were finally contenders. However, at the transition, the Royal-X and VRC pulled away. We kept up with the Old Boys for a while longer. But in the end, we were the last of the best.

Admiral's Analysis: There's A Class, AA Class and AAA Class. 12 teams entered the A, four fought it out in the AA, but only three were in the AAA with a real shot at the Cup. I'm afraid the Navy still misses that Little Something to put us up there with the very best…

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