Our RIB had a full complement of photographers so moving around the boat wasn’t an option. I was sitting at the back where the water seemed to collect, caused by the forward motion of the vessel or perhaps I needed to lose a few pounds, either way it kept my feet cool. Looking back it was almost a flat calm, then just a whisper of a breeze, enough to carry the ships over the line, Trekronor and Georg Stage leading the fleet in the bright sunshine as they passed close to the No Go Zone. The Class A ships went first as usual but the light winds were more suited to the smaller vessels. Viewed bow on, it was easy to see that the different classes in the fleet would eventually mingle, viewed from aft they looked as if they were sailing off the edge of the world.
