It wasn’t bouquets all round though as drama unfolded on the water when a man accidentally went overboard while the spinnaker was flying, making the recovery more difficult.
As the yacht sailed away the procedure for man overboard practised during a race of the same name, was instigated, first throwing the life ring, letting the spinnaker fly loose then retrieving it and picking up the swimmer.
The five-minute dip in the ocean may have been welcome but his mind may have been on fin shapes other than the keel and rudder and the smile only returned once back on board.
Oblivious to the unfolding drama nearby and in ideal conditions for a catamaran, the 13 knot south-easterly pushed Sally Malay to the front going on to score a first and fastest in division one for skipper Sarah Liddiard.
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READ NOWChasing them all the way was Hard Evidence skippered by Gail Riley while Marie Conboy on Sandrine finished third.
In division two it was another first and fastest with Sue Osborne on Zinfandel taking the honours closely followed by Rebecca Ralkovcic on HYC Training and Deborah Fisk on Blue Chip.
Tales of close calls, promises of more practice next year and shouts of “ring the bell” could be heard at the presentations rounding out a very different Valentine’s Day.