Here's a short highlight video of the Pexlify team sailing the high seas at the Salesforce UKI Alliances & Channels Regatta 2017.
Last week, the team had an amazing few days sailing on The Solent in Portsmouth, just off the south coast of England. The team arrived late on Tuesday evening with the event kicking off early on Wednesday morning.
When we got down to the marina early the next morning, we were met with bacon and sausage butties and were introduced to our Captain and First-Mate, Jim and Sam. Little did we know at the time that we had been placed with one of the best sailors in the group and both Jim and Sam were top gentlemen.
After getting our gear on the boat and leaving the harbour, we were soon on The Solent where the races began in earnest. Although there was only a small breeze, the weather was simply amazing, with the sun shining and the temperature around 29 degrees.
After a full day of races in the blistering sun, we managed to arrive in Crowes Yacht Haven on the Isle of Wight with a first and second place. However, with some boats carrying a handicap, we weren't sure if we were in the lead of our Group 1 boat class.
That night, Salesforce and Sunsail Events held the Salesforce Partner Awards. As you will see in the video, there was plenty of entertainment with live bands and Martin Corry, as MC, was in top form. There was plenty of wine flowing and the whole meal was delicious.
After all the team went early to bed - we will not talk about the bar lock-in - everyone was up bright and early for another day of competitive racing. With a lot more wind and the water a bit choppier, this definitely felt more like proper sailing.
Captain Jim, again, was able to make the right decisions and tack at the right times. All the crew dug deep as well, even those suffering from seasickness/post event blues - not mentioning any names. When we arrived back at The Port House, in Portsmouth, we were quietly confident of our victory.
After some tea and scones, the results were in and the crowd gathered around. It was official - Pexlify had won the Group 1 class!
It was a great couple of days and everyone on the Pexlify team thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Thanks also to David O'Donovan and Niall Hughes from Salesforce for being excellent crew members.
We would like to thank Salesforce and Sunsail Events for the hospitality and for putting on a well-organised event.
We're already looking forward to defending the Group 1 title next year!.
