BPI Corregidor Cup 2024: blink, and you missed it
by Guy Nowell 18 Nov 2024 14:36 AEDT
15 November 2024
Fort Drum and Corregidor (behind). BPI Corregidor Cup 2024 © Guy Nowell / BPI
The Corregidor Cup is the opening event of the BPI Private Wealth Signature Yacht Race Series, a highly laudable programme from sponsors the Bank of the Philippine Islands aiming to resuscitate what was once an energetic big-boat sailing scene in the Philippines that had fallen into abeyance, largely due to the restrictions on movement brought on by the Covid pandemic.
Four regattas - the Corregidor Cup, Busuanga Cup, Boracay 200, and the Subic Regatta - make up the series, which last year attracted 23 boats over the course of the four events, with Jun Villanueva's elegant Ice 52, Belatrix, winning Overall for the opening series.
And now here we are again, at the delightful Caylabne Bay Resort and Marina, and looking forward to doing it all over again. The Skippers' Briefing ran true to form, with Jerry Rollin reminding everyone (once again) that "it's all in the Sailing Instructions". The Opening Party was splashy, energetic, and hugely enjoyable.
Next morning was ominously quiet. The lurking approach of typhoon Man-Yi, heading for Siargao on the Pacific coast some 400nm away, was sucking up all the breeze, and the AP went up on shore at 08.00. Some uber-enthusiastic souls went out to the start area to sit around and enjoy the sunshine from a different vantage point, and the rest of us made do with another cup of coffee at Kites and Sails, Caylabne's waterfront lounge, and watched for signs of life on the race course.
The AP came down at 10.00, and at 10.30 RO John-John Torres rather optimistically sent the IRC division off on a trip round Fort Drum, the Puerto Azul mark, and Carabao Island, a distance of just 9.8 nm. Slow, slow, quick, quick, slow, but without the quick-quick part. The course was shortened to the Puerto Azul mark, and first across the line was James Villareal's newly acquired Farr 40, Raw Honey, after 1h 15m for the 4.5nm distance. Competitors regrouped back at the start line for a second slo-mo race around Fort Drum and Carabao Island, which ended a long time later with a win for Ray Ordoveza's venerable Karakoa. Winner for the day in the IRC division was Selma Star (Jun Avecilla) with a 1, 3 scoreline. Cruising division winner was Allusive (2,1) skippered by Anthony Evangelista, making a first appearance in the Series, and proof positive that even heavy boats can win in light air when they are sailed properly. Ikapati (Hans Woldering) won the Multihull division.
The evening's entertainment took place around the Caylabne pool, and once again the venue turned on all the taps to produce a great buffet dinner and open bar, with home-grown entertainment laid on in the form of a crew karaoke competition.
Next morning, and a T1 Storm Warning signal had gone up overnight. That means No Sailing. None at all. Not even to return to your home mooring at Punta Fuego - sorry Sabad, but the Coastguard said so. It was a good thing that the RO slotted in two races yesterday, painfully slow as they were, because as it said in the Sailing Instructions "minimum two races to constitute a regatta", although I can't remember when I last saw that invoked.
And that was that. No sailing, no more racing, and the Corregidor Cup 2024 was over almost before as it began. If you blinked, you missed it. Possibly the quickest - and at the same time, slowest - regatta ever. Of course, Saturday laid on was fresh racing breeze and blue skies, and would have been just perfect for some regatta action, but the T1 and the Coastguard say 'no' and in the end you can't argue with that sort of Authority.
With nobody going anywhere, Race and Regatta Management quickly swung into action, organising a Rules Seminar conducted by the Jury Chairman Leonard Chin which was very well received. The Caylabne Marine team swung into action, additionally securing all the newly 'captive' boats in the Marina with additional mooring equipment and extra anchors.
Caylabne and the BPI 'socials' team swung into action with a huge and delicious buffet lunch (the ice cream was fabulous) and even got the Tyson vs Paul heavyweight slug-fest up on the big screen, live. If you can't go sailing you may as well watch two very large people trying to kill each other. They call it sport.
In the evening, the final prizegiving was brought forward 24 hrs, and the winners of the two-race regatta duly recognised, which all goes to prove that sailors are perfectly capable of enjoying a regatta with precious little breeze and then no racing at all, as long as they get a good feed, a few drinks, and a prizegiving party.
The BPI Private Wealth Signature Yacht Race Series reconvenes at Punta Fuego on 9 January 2025 for the start of the Busuanga Cup - a 130nm passage race to Black Island near Coron, followed by two days of inshore racing between Sangat and Chindonan.
Standing by on 72.
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