Rain! Rain! How unfair! The bridge, quays and piers were as packed as the day before, but there were many umbrella's blocking the view of the poor suckers who had showed up less than two hours in advance and had to stand in the back. 

The organisation had provided buckets to the teams so that one member could bail if there was too much water in the boat.

The lifeboat crew looked even more reluctant to launch than yesterday.

The Good Buoys [31]
(19 + 2 + 3 + 3 + 4)
Total progress: 31

The Locomotive [26]
(18 + 1 + 3 + 4)
Total progress: 26

The Nessie Rowers [21]
(13 + 3 + 2 + 2 + 1)
Total progress: 21

The Sirens [20]
(9 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 4)
Total progress: 20

Ruthless [18]
(14 + 2 + 2 )
Total progress: 18

Ketch of the Day [13]
(5 + 2 + 1 + 4 + 1)
Total progress: 13

She had to beat her family. She had to beat her family. And now Alice wasn’t even there to gloat with her! Auugh!

And worse? She was pretty sure she’d seen her brother.

But, she had also managed to wrangle a lass from the carnival, a wife she had slept (whose husband she had initially endured) with who also did this … recreationally? Not to mention the farm girls. Oh! The farm girls.

Okay, she probably needed to row harder than she was staring at that wife’s shoulders.

Fanny was desperately hoping Bessie from the carnival didn’t look over.

And when she wasn’t? Well, she let out a loud, ominous breath behind Roberts with a wolfish grin.

Wesley jumped at the breathe, trying to not alert Crane in front of him. He'd probably have a laugh or even worse, try to talk to 'Francis'. That would only make this nightmare worse. He glanced over his shoulder at her wide eyed then glared, silently wanting the constable to cut it out, but also not about to lower himself to begging.

It was raining. Luke hated when it rained.

“Someone get on t’ bucket already,” because there was no way he was getting stuck throwing out water when he could be rowing. He looked over his cousin and the others they’d wrangled up, then out at the other boats.

His eyes honed in on Lory immediately, because how could anyone avoid seeing that flash of bright hair, even in the rain? He’d heard about what happened at the yacht race. It didn’t stress him out any less to see his sister on the water again.

“Lory!” he called, but- damn it, there wasn’t any time!

Luke grumbled curses under his breath and shouted, “be careful!”

Didn’t she know how dangerous the waters were when it rained?

The Good Buoys [24]
(13 + 2 + 4 + 4 + 1)
Total progress: 55

The Locomotive [11]
(3 + 2 + 2 + 4)
Total progress: 37

The Nessie Rowers [15]
(7 + 2 + 3 + 2 + 1)
Total progress: 36

The Sirens [15]
(6 + 3 + 2 + 1 + 3)
Total progress: 35

Ketch of the Day [19]
(8 + 4 + 2 + 2 + 3)
Total progress: 32

Ruthless [6]
(1 + 4 + 1 )
Total progress: 24

The rain was rather relaxing under this strenuous effort, sweating in a cheery, short-sleeved dress that was plainer than she tended to wear these days. It was nicer than the kind of dress her sisters wore and patched until the patches wore through the rest of the dress … and this dress was brand new.

She heard an all too familiar voice. Her head whipped to him, wide-eyed and snarling as her neck bulged and chin pulled down into said bulging neck.

The guttural snarl seemed to spur the butches on, and they zipped out in front of the Ketch.

How were they doing this bad? It had been an embarrassment yesterday to end second, and now even the girls - were they all girls? - were ahead of them! In fact, most teams were ahead of them. Will held the bucket ready between his feet in case too much water filled the boat, but for now, he rowed as hard as he could. "Don't mind 'er!" he shouted. He didn't like Lory anymore. She had given his father trouble and was embarrassing her family. "Row faster!"

Bill was a strong man. All that shoveling coal had given him strong arms to row with, even if his technique was that of a beginner. They were doing well, but the police team lay far ahead of them. He still hoped to catch up so that they'd win that prize money. He and his mates had set their eyes on a very long night in the pub.