The Commemoration Shell Case, for Division One, was purchased from the ‘Surplus Government Property Disposal Board’, of The Ministry of Munitions of War, Queen’s Palace, Earls Court, London S.W.5. in December 1919. It is described in the invoice as:
1. 75m/m mk.1. B Cart. Case ( Ely) (empty ) @ 3s./10d.
It was collected from The Controller of Ammunition Components, Woolwich Arsenal and delivered to Jacobs Biscuit factory in Bishop Street, where the Secretary of the Waterwags was working.
Guy and Hanna Kilroy in Swift sailed a fine race to finish in first place ahead of Patricia, Pansy and Vega sailed by Graham McMullen who has returned to this racing fleet after a 13 year sabattical.
Racing in Division Two for the Commemoration Cup was tight. The challengers included Seymour Cresswell in Coquette, Geoff Sarratt and Niamh Smyth in Polly, Gail Varian in Eros II and Emma Webb and Julie Delany in Saryalis. After the previous races the results stood as Saryalis 1 point, Polly 5 points, and Eros 11 6 points.
The wind in the evening was a disturbed wind from the south south west. Saryalis was positioned in about 7th place when a storm cloud brought a 20 knot gust across the course. Polly and Eros were neck and neck. Then disaster struck. Having completed approximately 120 racing gybes each year over the past 35 years without a hitch, Polly found the boom would not come over, and when it did, it did so with such force that the boat rolled over and took water over the leeward gunwhale and capsized. Fortunately Richard Mahony, the DBSC rib, was on hand to recover the situation. This allowed Saryalis to escape from her rivals as a worthy winner of the Commemoration Cup.