Subic to Verde island race attracts 13 boats
ARoUND 13 local and international sailing teams will take part in the Second Standard insurance Subic Bay around Verde island Passage Race (SBViP) and Subic Bay Cup Regatta from February 23 to March 2.
The six-day sailing Grand Prix lured boats from Germany, Australia, Hong Kong and the Philippines. The event is organized by the Subic Sailing Team and held under the auspices of the Philippine Sailing Association (PSA) and the Asian Yachting Grand Prix.
Besides the grueling offshore racing, there will also be a lot of inshore racing in Subic Bay which is part of the Subic Bay Cup Regatta, according to Subic Sailing Club Executive Director Zed Avecilla.
“one of the most exciting parts of the series is the Far East 28R one-Design Match Racing and Fleet Racing which will be part of the 30th Southeast Asian Games this November,” Avecilla said.
“This will be a practice race for our Filipino athletes who will be competing in the SEA Games,” Avecilla added.
The racing class i and ii (iRC i and ii) will cover 200 nautical miles with veteran campaigner, 75-footer Centennial III and skippered by Judes Echauz, picked as one of the favorites.
Echauz, also the president of the PSA, was corecipient of the Executive of the Year award from the Philippine Sportswriters Association during its annual Awards Night last year.
Centennial III will face stiff challenge from SBViP
inaugural champion, Geoff Hill’s Smith 72 Antipodes,
which set a record at 22 hours, 54 minutes and nine seconds.
Centennial III was second while Ray Ordeveza’s Excel 53 Karakoa placed third last year.
Other Centennial III challengers include Hurricane Hunter of Albert Altura, Mills 43 Custom Misty Mountain
of George Hacket, veteran local campaigner Selma Star of Jun Avecilla, Germany’s Emocean I helmed by Michael Raueber, another local entry Sabad of Bobby Benares and Karakoa.
For two consecutive years, Centennial III’s perennial rival in the Subic Bay to Boracay Regatta Race Hong Kong’s Jelik of steel magnate Frank Pong is again skipping the race.
“Sailing is a sport that brings people closer to nature as Boracay continues its rehabilitation, we hope that this race will remind us of the beauty of our country and our maritime treasures,” Avecilla said.
Avecilla praised Standard Insurance for again sponsoring the event.
“Their [Standard Insurance] commitment to sailing goes beyond developing top sailor athletes and coaches,” he said. “Protecting the environment is also at the heart and soul of the company.”
The boats will negotiate a 200-mile race, the same distance as the Subic Bay to Boracay event, from Subic Bay down to Verde Island Passage in Puerto Galera in Oriental Mindoro and back to Subic Bay on the same day.
The Verde Island Passage is a strait that separates Luzon and Mindoro, connecting the South China Sea with the Tayabas Bay in Quezon province and the Sibuyan Sea in Romblon.