An archipelago of 7,641 islands with a 36,289-kilometer coastline, you can easily conclude that water sports is the hands-down national recreation in the Philippines.
But despite centuries of maritime heritage and a coast longer than that of the United States, the sport of sailing has been relegated to the background and dismissed as an elitist activity. Thanks to a select breed of aficionados, this ancient skill is being revived in various parts of the country—from the do-it-yourself dinghy, the good old paraw, the amazing Hobie Cats, to the yachts which cruise the open sea.
To the uninitiated, one can hie off to Taal Lake Yacht Club (TLYC) in Talisay, dubbed by Lonely Planet as the country’s “sailing mecca” because of ideal winds the whole-year round. More like a no-frills lakeshore resort, it is not as snobbish as its name sounds as it welcomes everyone who wants to get their feet wet in the sport.
Here, every Tom, Dick and Harry can easily learn to sail using the Oz Goose wooden boat which is easy to maneuver, or build at a cost cheaper than the latest iPhone.
For the past few years, the club has been hosting Family Boatbuilding Weekends of the Philippine Homebuilders Yacht Club to offer an out-of-the box getaway for people of all ages. The group also holds regattas to give joiners their baptism of fire in competitive sailing.
Just recently, the club held the first Talisay Fiesta Regatta as part of the patronal feast to encourage the villagers to engage in the sport right in their own natural backyard.
TLYC is also the home to the country’s biggest fleet of Hobie Cat 16s, a sleek, 16-foot, twin-hull, fiberglass wind-powered boat, a standard aquasport equipment in luxury resorts. Every second Sunday, these colorful boats slice the placid lake in friendly races, and in preparation for major tourneys such as the Round Taal Volcano in November, the Hobie Nationals and the Philippine Hobie Challenge, which are both held in February to take advantage of the amihan winds.
The challenge, now on its 19th edition, is the country’s most extreme water-sports adventure as it takes on a week of island-hopping across rough waters. Organized by the Philippine Inter Island Sailing Federation, the regatta is attended by grizzled veterans from all over the world to put the spotlight on lesser known coastal areas through sports tourism.
This year’s contest takes place from February 16 to 23, kicking off in Donsol, Sorsogon, and sails to remote islands in Masbate, Leyte, and Cebu, where participants will also do outreach programs to the host communities. Winding up at the posh Huni Resort and Balay Kogon in Sicogon Island, Iloilo, they will be joined by a fleet of yachts that will be cruising on a joy ride to see the archipelago’s stunning islets.
Another sailing haven is Subic Bay, home to the Subic Sailing Club, which has been key player in transforming the former US naval base into a water sports playground. Formerly known as the Saturday Afternoon Gentleman Sailors, the group will hold on February 22 to 24, the second Standard Insurance Subic Bay Around Verde Island Passage Race, a 200-nautical mile offshore race around the world’s “center of the center of marine biodiversity”.
This will be followed by the World Sailing Federation-sanctioned Subic Bay Cup Regatta from February 24 to 28, and the One-Design Fleet Racing on March 1 and 2. Both events will serve as “practices races” in the run-up to the 30th Southeast Asian Games to be held here in November.
The club will also spearhead the inaugural of the Chairman’s Cup Regatta on April 25 to 30, as a tribute to SBMA leaders who helped make the freeport a global sports tourism hub for grand prix keelboats, fostering camaraderie among sailors. Taking the place of Commodore’s Cup, the race will have dinghies, keelboats and windsurfs to enable young and beginner sailors to compete.
Organizers say the event envisions to be the paragon of the development of sailing to encourage Filipinos to embrace the sport, and rediscover the country’s checkered maritime heritage in the process.
On a typical day, leisure cruises around Subic Bay are offered by The Lighthouse Marina Resort, a nautical-themed boutique hotel inspired by sailing and operated by sailors. It offers basic sailing lessons aboard dinghies.
Down south, the indigenous paraw made an appearance at the 47th Iloilo-Guimaras Paraw Regatta Panay (February 9 to 17), one of the country’s longest-running sailing contests. The iconic outrigger boat of Panay, the paraw is also a sought-after floating artwork with its beautifully painted sail depicting local culture, and has become a permanent fixture in Boracay’s seascape.
With the thrill that sailing brings, it is perhaps time drop our collective fetish for basketball and set our sights to this age-old sport which will help us rediscover our seafaring character, and help us win the elusive Olympic gold medal.