25th Round the Volcano Regatta & Mozzafiato Cup

25th Round the Volcano Regatta & Mozzafiato Cup © Karl Panahon

Where in the world can you actually sail or even race around a volcano? Taal Lake being famous for featuring the most unique geography of an island, in a lake, in an island, in a lake, in an island, has been the battle ground of the Philippine Hobie fleet for decades.

Last November 22, 2025, Hobie 16 sailors gathered at the Taal Lake Yacht Club for the annual race around the volcano. This year the iteration was made into two legs - the first one requiring the fleet to race towards the West Channel of Taal Lake facing the towns of Laurel and Agoncilio, rounding Binintiang Maliit to port, and going for the upwind zig-zag towards the eastern shores of the lake at Mozzafiato Boat Club in Balete..

The 2nd leg would be a downwind start from Mozzafiato through the gates between Bubuin and Nagpayong Islands east of the Volcano Island, and back to TLYC.

25th Round the Volcano Regatta & Mozzafiato Cup - photo © Karl Panahon

The Amihan winds promised a good 10-12kts winds, with 15-16 kts gusts. The weather was crisp in the morning, and showers were expected in the afternoon. The sailors knew that this wouldn't be a pony ride, but more of breaking a mustang all the way to Mozzafiato and TLYC.

TLYC's Commodore, Peter Capotosto, briefed the sailors that there would be three classes for the day, with the Hobie 16s, Hobie Getaways, and the Cruising Class - the latter would be teams that would sail straight down to Mozzafiato instead of going through the West Channel. The Cruising Class will be joined by the Taal Lake Explorer, the Tiki 31 home based at TLYC. The Tiki will have its sails up while docked at Mozzafiato so that the teams can find their way to the lunch destination.

Warning flag was raised at 0955h, and the race began at 1007h for the Hobie Getaway fleet with skippers Martin Marty, Thom Kleiss, and Denise Celdran leading their respective teams around the famous course. The Hobie 16 fleet got ready a minute after the Getaway fleet crossed the line, and within 5 minutes began their downwind race towards Binintiang Malaki. Eric Tomacruz and Norman Jaravata catching better winds than the rest of the fleet.

25th Round the Volcano Regatta & Mozzafiato Cup - photo © Karl Panahon

Everyone knew that Binintiang Malaki would cast a long wind shadow on the Western Channel. It was the sentinel of the northwestern corner of Volcano Island, and stood guard to the entrance of the Western Channel. Some teams tried to avoid staying close to the island, while some made a mistake of hugging it and getting stalled for a bit longer. To make things more complicated, the Western Channel felt like a maze as fish pens covered a good deal of the course. Teams had to avoid and find their own route with the favorable winds.

Despite the lull, teams were laser focused in chasing clues on the lake's surface trying to find the wind that would get them out of the West Channel. Binintiang Maliit was the final challenge of the channel. Each team knew that after its wind shadow it would be a wild ride upwind to Mozzafiato Boat Club.

From flat and calm waters of the Western Channel, the teams strapped in and would face 14kt winds with 0.5 meter swells. These may sound small, but for both Hobie 16s and Getaways with a draft of 0.25 meter the waves were rocking everyone to a rodeo ride with their boats.

For some teams the ride up felt endless, but soon they all found their way to Mozzofiato Boat Club. Local staff immediately greeted everyone and helped the crews lift the Hobies to the parking lot.

As good as the venue provided a beautiful view of the lake, the food went beyond everyone's expectation. Mozzafiato was truly living up to its name, and the sailors were already talking about sailing down sometime soon and considered it as a possible destination for a day cruise lunch.

25th Round the Volcano Regatta & Mozzafiato Cup - photo © Karl Panahon

Mozzafiato also gave awards for the Mozzafiato Cup:

Hobie Getaway Fleet

1st Place - Thom Kleiss
2nd Place - Martin Marty
3rd Pace - Denise Celdran

Hobie 16 Fleet

1st Place - Norman Jaravata
2nd Place - Eric Tomacruz
3rd Place - David Warring

By 1525h, the Warning Flag was raised again, and the Hobie Getaway Fleet raced towards TLYC through the Bubuin - Nagpayong Gap. The Hobie 16 Fleet left at 1531h and caught up the with the Getaway Fleet at Calauit Point at the entrance of the Eastern Channel. The fleet was close to each other up to this point when a squall took down some of the Hobie 16s, while others got stuck in the wind shadow of Nagpayong Island. The capsized boats were pinned down by the squall and had to wait it out. The leading pack raced back to TLYC with a good close reach setting.

25th Round the Volcano Regatta & Mozzafiato Cup - photo © Karl Panahon

The 2nd Leg of the RTV finished approximately one hour, with some teams finishing the leg in just 40 minutes. The Hobie 16 Fleet would see a twist around of placing with some of the top rankers in the 1st leg slide down, while the back fleet placing in front. The results were as follows:

Hobie Getaway Fleet

1st Place - Martin Marty
2nd Place - Denise Celdran
3rd Pace - Thom Kleiss

Hobie 16 Fleet

1st Place - Eric Tomacruz
2nd Place - Dennis Cruz
3rd Place - David Sharp

The RTV ranking was considered based on the Total Elapsed Time for the both legs, with the following results for the Hobie Getaway Fleet:

As for the Hobie 16 Fleet:

This was one of the closest races in recent years, with Jaravata narrowly edging Tomacruz by only 19 seconds.

The 25th Round the Volcano Regatta once again demonstrated the enduring passion and skill of Philippine sailors, who navigated Taal Lake's challenging waters with determination and camaraderie. This race, rich in tradition and drama, continues to grow in competitiveness and spirit, promising even greater participation and excitement in the years to come. As the fleet looks ahead, the Round the Volcano remains not just a race around a volcano, but a celebration of community, resilience, and the pure joy of sailing in one of the world's most unique and breathtaking settings.