The 'navy' of landlocked Liechtenstein sailed to the rescue of Operation Santa Claus last weekend. The Princely Navy's 30-strong force, in their white dress uniforms, made a port call at Stormies in Lan Kwai Fong. The 'sailors' and their wives, who came for a Christmas party, were asked to bid for several items at an auction. The most feverish bidding was for photos of members in 'compromising poses' from years past that 'Admiral' Silvan Colani had collected. The dragon boat team members, most of whom are involved in banking, readily coughed up to stop the pictures embarrassing them. The highest bid for a photograph was HK$1,000, Mr Colani said. 'That guy wanted to take no chances. It was a modern-day form of blackmail.' The tongue-in-cheek fund-raising drive raised HK$24,394 for Operation Santa Claus - exceeding the group's goal by 20 per cent. Last year, it raised HK$10,000. 'I am very happy, absolutely, because we exceeded our target,' Mr Colani said. 'It was a fun night. I'm afraid it might be a difficult time but everybody was very generous.' The sailors also went out to the street to ask Lan Kwai Fong revellers to donate at least HK$100 in exchange for a photograph together, he said. This year was a landmark for the Princely Navy. It won the prestigious B cup championship at Stanley's dragon boat races, the admiral said. The group was founded in 2000 and was the only dragon boat team to represent the country of 35,000 people.