Mining Companies Make it Happen for two Philippine Mirror Crews

by Yachting WA on 15 Dec 2010
A couple of mining companies have come to the rescue with fantastic financial support for two Mirror sailing crews from the Philippines who are due to fly into Perth on Monday.

The four sailors are representing the Philippines in the upcoming the International Mirror Dinghy World Championships in Albany, Western Australia after Christmas, an event expected to have about eighty crews from Africa, Europe, Asia, and Australia.

Senior crew Ridgely Balladeres and Romel Chavez are already known to the WA Mirror sailors from previous competition.

The junior crew is sixteen year olds DJ (Don Jhon) Cabarles and Gambi (Gabriel) Fetizanan from the Puerto Galera Yacht Club. DJ and Gambi who joined the Puerto Galera School Sail Training program in 2004 have quickly established themselves as two of the top Philippines junior sailors. DJ won every race when he competed against sailors from the Macau Yacht Sailing Academy. Gambi has now teamed up with DJ and they are being trained by the Philippines Sailing Association to compete on the International circuit.

When the Puerto Galera Yacht Club Small Boat Program was conceived in 2004 the objectives were to introduce the sport of sailing to the local school community; to provide local children with free, healthy, competitive recreation; and to offer sail training and dinghy hire opportunities to members and visitors. A wider and longer-term objective was to pave the way for a career in the sport of sailing for eligible, talented youngsters by inducting them into the Philippine Sailing Association where they could, hopefully, represent the Philippines at international level, and earn a place as full-time crew on racing yachts. These youngsters have epitomised the success of this enterprising venture and are now looking to leave their mark on the world stage.

With a dad who is a sailing instructor it is little wonder that DJ’s younger brother is also a rising star in the SBP program and will be a force to be reckoned with when the Optimists come to compete.

Gambi’s father is the craftsman who built all 20 of the program’s dinghies based on the Mirror in a shed in the grounds of the yacht club.

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