Inaugural PHINSAF Nasugbu to Busuanga Race

by PHINSAF Media on 15 Mar 2017 With plenty of encouragement from Busuanga Bay Lodge Resort GM Thomas Mayer, the Philippine Inter-Island Sailing Federation (PHINSAF) has added a new race to the Philippine sailing calendar. The aim was to provide an interesting new race to introduce yacht owners and crew to the extensive cruising grounds of Busuanga and Coron in the Calamianes group of islands located at the northern end of Palawan. This group of idyllic islands comprises nearly 25% of all the 7,107 islands of the Philippine archipelago.

With the aim of having boats finish at the same time (or as close as possible) for a welcome lunch on the white sand beach of South Cay Island, RO Jerry Rollin decided to use a novel starting system: boats were allowed to choose their own start time between 0800 and 1800 on Friday 10 March, with results to be calculated on actual elapsed time - no, this was not a pursuit race. As light winds were forecast for the second part of the race, it was hardly surprising that all boats chose to start before 1000h.

Free berthing and availability of provisions was provided, pre-start, at the Punta Fuego Yacht Club, and the event kicked off with a sumptuous dinner and briefing for all crew, and the enthusiastic support of their new General Manager, Edgar Krohn, who until recently had himself been managing a resort in Busuanga.

Promptly at 0800 Punta Fuego Yacht Club established the start line just outside the Marina entrance, in time for David Wheeler and his Cape Carib 33 Freewheeler to start at 08.10.58.

After a start in 10-12kts, the breeze built to 15-20kts as the fleet approached Ambil Island, heading for the squeaky-narrow (0.6nm) Golo Pass. Crossing the entrance to the famous Calavite Passage the boats experienced a beam reach with gusts up to 30knots and 1.5m waves, a fantastic ride for any offshore sailor. ‘Personal best’ speed records of up to 12kts were reached as the Amihan wind blasted the boats through the Calavite funnel. Unfortunately, the conditions did not remain, with the sea flattening out and the wind dropping progressively as boats cleared past Mt. Calavite on the north west corner of Mindoro. Boats struggled with confused wind for hours - as evidenced by their pretzel-shaped GPS tracks!

The Race Committee boat, Lost in Asia, skippered by Peter Baird of Broadwater Marine, accompanied the fleet and provided safety and comms. The finish was set at South Cay Island by Gunter Bernert, a well-known local dive master, early in the morning on Saturday 11th.

South Cay is a gem of an island owned by Busuanga Bay Lodge Resort. It is a beautiful playground for guests, featuring a soft sandy beach, crystal clear water, exceptional snorkelling and a tranquil place to relax – and don’t forget the excellent good food and drink on tap (so to speak).

As the boats and crew began arriving at the South Cay finish, the Busuanga Bay Lodge chefs fired up the grills for a classic beach BBQ lunch. War stories emerged and, as usual, the tales became longer and longer as more wine, margaritas and rum was served. Eventually all boats proceeded to the Busuanga Bay Lodge berths in Puerto del Sol bay, a safe and spectacularly beautiful anchorage for yachts travelling in these part of Palawan.

The party restarted at the Seahorse Bar as crews arrived at Busuanga Bay Lodge for the Awards Dinner. Thomas Mayer, GM, and Edgar Krohn (GM Club Punta Fuego) accompanied PHINSAF Chairman Jerry Rollin for the awarding of the prizes.

1st Carino Monchu Garcia
2nd Freewheeler David Wheeler
3rd Isabelle Teresa Javier

It was unanimously agreed that event was a great success, and both Busuanga Bay Lodge and Punta Fuego Yacht Club have confirmed their commitment to sponsor next year’s race. Already organizers are excited about expanding the event to include, maybe, a rally fleet for powerboats and an inshore regatta on the second day.

For more information please contact the PHINSAF Secretariat at:
admin@philhobie.ph Tel: +63 917 540 8571 or visit http://www.phinsailing.ph