Fireflys invent new drink - the Light and Shifty
by Jo Mason 20 Sep 2009 09:38 BST
12-13 September 2009
Dark and Stormies, a cocktail of dark rum and ginger beer, may be the national drink of Bermuda, but the spirit of the Caribbean was a little closer to home this weekend and took on a new twist at the Firefly open meeting at Upper Thames Sailing Club.
After sailing on Saturday, the evening kicked off with Pimms on the riverside watching the late summer sun go down and moved on to Dark and Stormies after supper.
The Firefly sailors were not to be deterred when Upper Thames’ stock of dark rum ran dry. When Firefly class captain Johnny Bickford delved into the bar stocks and returned with white rum, which he mixed with ginger beer, the Light and Shifty was created to much jubilation.
Perhaps the sunshine the fleet had enjoyed sailing on Saturday had helped inspire the sailors.
"It all got a bit Caribbean-tastic," said one who supped on the new Firefly sailor’s drink of choice.
There was some evidence of sore heads the next day. But the headaches weren’t just due to the festivities of the night before.
It was typical day’s sailing at Upper Thames with light and shifty conditions all the way.
"It felt like a double whammy," quipped a second sailor.