AbsoluteLabs takes the win at the Salesforce UKI Ecosystems Regatta

Seven people, one boat, two days on the Solent, and a trophy to show for it. We went in a man down after a late call-off and still came home with the win, which tells you most of what you need to know about this crew.

There was a bit of bravado on the pontoon beforehand about fancying our chances anyway. By the time we were lining up for the first start, that had quietly turned into focus, because racing a short crew means everyone doubles up, and there's no one spare to carry.

Day one

As we set sail, we were told that these were champaigne conditions for sailing and racing! We started training the sail out into the Solent to get a feel for the boat before anything counted, then straight into it: Our pro skipper Peter at the helm for the opening races to get everyone up to speed, then the wheel, and the responsibility, led from the front.

The Solent, as it often does, had other ideas, and at least one race was sailed in wind considerably stronger than anyone had packed for. Hands went numb on the sheets, waterproofs turned out to be more aspirational than advertised, and there's at least one jacket that didn't survive the weekend in the state it started it.

It's the kind of thing that doesn't happen in a meeting room. Put seven people on a boat, hand three of them ropes they've never touched before, and you find out fast who stays calm, who starts barking orders, and who just quietly gets on with it.

We had two races on the day, we were head most of the time, and then suddenly got taken over at the last stretch, but then we took our revenge and beat them comfortably in the second and final race for the day with both of us being joint winners but there was one more race to be held the next day to decide the winner.

By late afternoon we were moored up at Cowes Yacht Haven, boats rafted together on the pontoon and a drink in hand before anyone had properly dried off. The evening carried on at the Royal Ocean Racing Club in Cowes, supper, music and plenty of good conversation.

And, perhaps unsurprisingly, the conversations didn't stop there. Dinner turned into one of those evenings where the discussion moved effortlessly from the day on the water to AI transformation, agentic services, what it could mean for the way we work, and plenty of insights and ideas bouncing around the table.

And then came the after-party… which included some questionable karaoke choices, varying levels of vocal confidence, and absolutely no shortage of enjoyment. Not necessarily our finest musical performance, but definitely one of the most entertaining ways to finish day one.

Day two

This was a hotly contested challenge with the eyes on the prize, we set out - The standout stretch wasn't really one single moment, it was the point where the boat stopped feeling like seven people following instructions and started feeling like a crew.

As the race began, amongst confusion and busy traffic, our skipper had a brain wave where he turned right while everyone went straight – we had our hearts in the mouth as the strategy could go very wrong and we could end up at the back of the pack, but it didn't! By the time we got the first yellow boy, we were miles ahead and leading comfortably and it really was breeze after that. We came first, not only in our smaller boat category but we beat the bigger boats who had a 10 minute head start!

By early afternoon we were back at Port Solent for the regatta prize-giving and, despite being a man down the whole way through, the AbsoluteLabs crew took the win – not only in our category but also the grand prix overall winner of the regatta beating over 20 participating boats!  

Why we do this

Being a Salesforce Summit Partner isn't a logo on a slide. It represents years of delivery work, a bench of certified consultants, and a track record Salesforce is happy to put its name next to.

Days like this are part of how that relationship actually gets maintained. Partnerships are built in meetings and delivery calls, but they're kept alive by the people on both sides choosing to turn up to things like this, trade boats, and remember each other's names at the next one.

The crew

On the water this year: Tushar, Hannah and Javier flying the AbsoluteLabs flag, alongside Paul Howie, Jo Leake, Clayton White and Johnnie Hume from Salesforce. Conor Kelly was meant to be the eighth and had to pull out at the last minute, which is the closest thing to an excuse this team will ever need and didn't use.

Thanks to Simon and the team at Prometheus Sailing for keeping everyone upright and entertained, and to the rest of the Salesforce ecosystem out on the water with us. See you next year, and we'll bring a spare pair of hands just in case.  

‍