Boracay Cup 2013 - more noise needed
by Guy Nowell, Sail-World Asia on 24 Feb 2013
Boracay Cup Regatta 2013. HiFi, winners of the Boracay Cup 2013. Guy Nowell
http://www.guynowell.com
-202403121603.gif)
‘Up on the left and back on the right’ was the preferred tactic for all boats except Jelik, who sailed smartly round the course for another line honours win but could only manage a fourth place on handicap.
HiFi finished second on the water and first on handicap in conditions that suited her perfectly – light breeze and flat water – and jumped to the top of the table for the first time. Series leader Karakoa (Ray Ordoveza) finished 11 minutes behind HiFi, which looked like a long way on the water, but was good enough for second place.
In the IRC Cruising class, Peter Sorensen and the crew of the chartered Sorcerer, having had a less-that-successful regatta so far, jumped ship to join Jun Avecilla on Selma Star C! Calibre ROX (to use the full name), finishing second in a two-boat race behind Martin Tanco’s Centennial II.
There was a bit more breeze and even a glimmer of sunshine for the last race of the series. On mile to the port hand windward mark, then the island to starboard all the way round and through the Tabon Strait between Boracay and Panay to the finish line. That meant a two-sail reach to the top of the island, a short beat around the end, a close spinnaker reach back down the other side and a run to the finish line. Some boats seemed more pressed than others on the reach – just a matter of the wind angle and the sail.
After a 90-minute race HiFi and Geoff Hill’s Antipodes crossed the line side by side, both being recorded at 13.44.10. That was good enough for HiFi to claim her second bullet of the day and the overall points score title for the Boracay Cup 2013.
Centennial II retired from the last race, leaving Selma Star and her Sorcerer guests to cruise round the track and record a first place.
Final Results, Boracay Cup 2013
IRC Racing
1. HiFi 2 2 1 3 1 1 (7)
2. Karakoa 1 1 3 2 3 2 (9)
3. Jelik 3 3 2 1 4 3 (12)
4. Centennial III 5 5 4 4 2 5 (20)
5. Antipodes 4 4 7 7 5 4 (24)
IRC Cruising
1. Centennial II 1 1 1 1 1 4 (5)
2. Selma Star 2 2 2 2 2 1 (9)
The Boracay Cup Regatta follows on from the Subic-Boracay Race, a 200-mile passage race. Together the Race and the Regatta make up the Subic-Boracay Series – this year HiFi did not do the passage race, leaving Karakoa to collect the overall title and the trophy presented by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority and the Aklan provincial government.
There’s no doubt that Boracay is a grand place to hold a regatta. That most important commodity of all – wind – practically lives here. This is the home of the Neil Pryde Boracay International Funboard Cup, and a whole host of other windsurfing and kiteboarding events. This year’s Boracay was substantially marred by the passing to the south of TD Crising, bringing torrential rain and even more wind to a place better known for blue skies and sunshine. A shame, but it’s nobody’s fault. When you have the likes of Neil Pryde and Frank Pong saying (and I quote) 'this is the best regatta in Asia', where are all the boats? Jonno Rankine, sailing on HiFi, said that the event is 'right up there with any of the Caribbean regattas – Antigua, St Maarten etc. So where are all the boats? After all, seven entries in IRC Racing and three in IRC Cruising doesn’t make for much of a regatta in competitive terms, even if the numbers do include some quality entries. Why does the event have such a small entry list?
Boracay is certainly off the beaten track, by sea or by air. The Series’ place in the calendar puts if shortly before the San Fernando Race (or it’s alternate-year twin, the Rolex China Sea Race). If you are crew flying in to join a boat it’s going to take a while – our return journey Boracay-Kalibo-Manila-Hong Kong was a full 13 hrs, only three of which were spent flying.
The other thing missing is a bit of visibility. Lots of people say they have heard of the Boracay Cup and the Subic-Boracay Race, but the event suffers from lack of ‘web presence’. And I guess that would be ‘social media’ presence as well. If you are in the comms loop and your friends are at Boracay, all well and good. If you’re not, you’ll not hear much.
There’s nothing wrong with the race management, there’s nothing wrong with the venue, and there’s nothing wrong with the breeze. What the Subic-Boaracay Series needs to do is make a great deal more noise about itself. So here’s looking forward to a very, very noisy 2014!
[Sorry, this content could not be displayed]
The Boracay Cup Regatta 2013 is proudly sponsored by the Philippines’ Department of Tourism (‘It’s More Fun in the Philippines!’); the Philippines Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO); the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA); I Love Wine; Ibiza; Movenpick Hotels; Fila Sportswear.
If you want to link to this article then please use this URL: www.sail-world.com/106878