What a race! This year's Wight Vodka contest had absolutely everything going for it, including some of the best stories of never-forgotten friends, unbelievable fish-tales, questionable protests and 'minds-eye' paintings of mahogany bars, white-sand beaches and ice-cold cocktails. But alas, amongst the many competitors the world over, there can only be one favourite yachting bar, as there is indeed no second place, right?!

This year's First Class prize and line honours goes to one of Wight Vodka's favourite watering holes, the Soggy Dollar on Jost van Dyke's beautiful White Bay! Woohoo! Congratulations to the team for always being there with smiles on their faces, ice in the blenders and Painkillers at the ready.

Dan Hiza and Ritu Manocha, the team behind Wight Vodka, last visited the Soggy Dollar in August 2019, before the hurricane season got under way and the bars started to shutter their doors and windows. "The Soggy Dollar won the 2010 contest, and we can not believe they're back on the podium ten years later!" said Dan Hiza. "We had the good (great!) fortune to visit the Soggy Dollar two summers back, enjoying painkillers on the beach, playing giant jenga and throwing the bean bags a bit too hard during a heated cornhole match. We also exchanged a fine bottle of Wight that we had onboard for a few bottles of the Soggy Dollar's own, extremely smooth rums! I'll take that barter agreement any day of the week!"

The Soggy Dollar won the 2020 Favourite Sailor's Bar Contest, and with over 10,000 votes counted, were pursued heavily by the second place runner's up the Columbia Yacht Club in Chicago, Illinois. Well done for all of the competitors, and indeed for all of those who waxed lyrical about your favourite bars.

For the record the top ten finishers this year are:

1. The Soggy Dollar on Jost van Dyke, BVI
2. Columbia Yacht Club on the (perhaps currently frozen?) Lake in Chicago, Illinois
3. Foxy's Tamarind Bar, another favourite on Jost van Dyke!
4. The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club in Hamilton
5. The Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club with the best views over the harbour by far
6. The Swizzle Inn in Hamilton, Bermuda
7. The Royal Ocean Racing Club in the heart of London
8. Glenwood Pines on Cayuga Lake in Ithaca, upstate New York
9. The Pier View in Cowes on the Isle of Wight…where it all started back in 1851
10. One Bar Playa Blanca in Lanzarote in the Canaries

Here's to the Top 10 finishers, and indeed to the Soggy Dollar for winning this year's contest. Dan continued: "With Covid19 likely putting the brakes on many of our sailing dreams and destinations this past year, we can at least revel in the stories of season's past, and look forward to 2021 and beyond as we gain control over this pandemic, and set sail for that one, particular harbour, with that one, particular bar which we can call home for a day."

wightvodka.com