Subic Bay hosts leg 4 of Paddles Up! The Philippine Dragon Boat Tour

Living up to its reputation as the country’s sports mecca, this Freeport proved to be an ideal venue for Paddles Up! The Philippine Dragon Boat Tour, as teams from all over the Philippines participated in the 4th leg of the competition last Saturday (May 14).

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Roberto V. Garcia welcomed the delegates of the Philippine Dragon Boat Tour, saying this is another milestone for the Freeport years after it hosted its last dragon boat competition.

“We are glad that dragon boat is back in Subic,” Garcia said, adding that local and international water sports and sailing enthusiasts have already made Subic Bay their home.

Leg 4 kicked off at the Subic Park Hotel. The gruelling 300- meter competition featured three classes: Women’s 10 seaters (small boat), Mixed Masters 10 seaters (small boat) and Men’s Open 20 seaters (full boat).

Conquering the waters of Subic Bay were delegates from the Philippine Navy winning the Women’s class and the Mixed Masters class. Meanwhile, Sagwan Tanauan ruled in the Men’s Open class.

The Paddles Up! Philippine Dragon Boat Tour is composed of five different legs with more than 20 clubs consisting of collegiate and elite crews.

The first leg was held at Manila Bay in Pasay City November last year, while the second leg was at the Sampalok Lake in San Pablo City, Laguna held last January 9.

The Subic leg came at the heels of the competition’s third leg held at Taal Lake in Tanauan, Batangas last March 5.

Paddles Up! was organized by the Philippine Canoe Kayak Dragonboat Federation (PCKDF), in cooperation with Solar Sports Channel. (RBB/MPD-SBMA)


PHOTOS:
Competing teams paddle their craft on Subic Bay during the Paddles Up! The Philippine Dragon Boat Tour held at the Subic Bay Freeport over the weekend. (AMD/MPD-SBMA)

[Top left] Kahna Versoza, of the Subic Park Hotel, dots the eye of the dragon to start the Subic leg of Paddles Up! The Philippine Dragon Boat Tour over the weekend. (AMD/MPD-SBMA)

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Ang, Torres grab limelight in jet ski race

Two Filipino ace riders – veteran internationalist BJ Ang and Excel Torres of Iloilo Watercraft Association (IWA) – grabbed the spotlight following their dominating feats recently in the SBMA Jet Ski Invitational Race at the Subic Bay Freeport.

Ang, the lone Filipino jet ski rider in the 2013 Asian Motorboat Liuzhou Open in China this Sunday, displayed superb skills in his fast all-stock 2011 Sea Doo to open a wide lead and capture the Expert Runabout Open crown.

The event is organized by the Jet Sports Association of the Philippines (JSAP) under its new president Harley David and race director Joey Millionado with the support of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).

Torres overcame a talented field of champion riders as he gained the Expert Runabout 4-Strokes championship in the race supported by Networx Jetsports, Irma Fishing, R33 Car Exchange and the Philippine National Red Cross.

The country’s No.1 rider Paul del Rosario showed the crowd the top form and experience that made him the 2010 World Jet Ski Expert Runabout Open champion as he unveiled remarkable endurance and unparalleled speed throughout the four-lap race to dominate the Open Ski class over top female riders Jam Mangio and Abby Reyes.

The event drew the participation of the Iloilo Watercraft Association headed by Vincent Tajanlangit. Australian Jet Ski Association vice-president Dan Fox regaled the crowd with his equally impressive skills that earned him the Novice 4-Strokes title over Iloilo bet Noy Mercado and third placer Raymond Ronquillo.

A decorated rider with several international stints including the prestigious competitions in Dubai and Malaysia, Ang proved why he’s one of the country’s best when he controlled the tempo from start to finish in the eight-lap first Moto of the Expert Runabout Open. (The Philippine Star)

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Subic tourism school holds eco-kayaking course

Kayaking enthusiasts from various provinces in the country took to the water here recently, not to compete in a race, but to learn about how their favorite activity could help in promoting tourism in the Philippines.

The course, spearheaded by the Subic-based International School for Sustainable Tourism, consisted of a three-day training on kayak paddling, kayak guiding, and kayak safety with an emphasis on eco-tourism.

The course took advantage of the waters of Subic Bay, which varied from placid to choppy, and featured notable kayaking experts from here and abroad, who gave practical lessons on eco-kayaking.

According to Buzzy Budlong, a noted kayaking enthusiast who has led an 88-day kayaking expedition around the country, kayaking can be both a recreational activity as well as a boost to local tourism in the country.

“It can create jobs, boost sustainable tourism, and at the same time educate people about our coastal and marine resources,” Budlong said.

Ogie Empeño, a registered scuba diver from the local government of Masinloc, Zambales, said they joined the course because they would be expanding their eco-tourism program in Masinloc Bay, featuring several resort islands and a unique mangrove island.

“This would be a big help in our efforts to conserve the bay area, as well as promote it to boost the local tourism market,” he added.

The course was also attended by Bill Temby, a seasoned kayaking instructor from Australia, who gave lessons on basic kayaking skills.

Temby said that the Philippines has a very big potential when it comes to kayaking, given the lengthy coastline in the country.

But he noted the differences between kayaking in Australia and the Philippines.

“Well, the conditions are completely different to start with. I was teaching in Australian waters where we have issues like hypothermia,” he said. “In Australia, it is competency-based and we instruct only with proper certification. It’s much more regulated there.”

Temby said he hopes that kayaking would be recognized as a tourist activity in the Philippines and that it would be standardized to ensure safety.

“It all comes back to safety,” he said. (FMD/MPD-SBMA)

PHOTO:
Participants in the eco-kayaking course at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone pose with kayaking expert Bill Temby (sixth from left)

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Subic Hosts Eco-Regatta As Run Up To Recycling Talks

A regatta, showcasing boats made from recyclable materials, will be held here to promote ecological awareness among different schools and organizations competing in the event on Sunday.

Dubbed the Columbia Recyclable Regatta, the eco-regatta is organized as a kick-off event to Columbia’s “Recycling Talks” for schools and organizations.

Organizers said the main requirement for those participating in the recyclable regatta is for all boats to be 80 percent made up of recycled materials.

The participants are encouraged to find an innovative and resourceful way to transform recyclable materials into a fully functional watercraft for the regatta.

The Lighthouse Marina Resort, in cooperation with Philippine Dragon Boat Federation and the UP Mountaineering, is building two boats made entirely of recyclable materials.

One of the main materials used for the watercraft are slippers that Team Lighthouse found on Capones Island in San Antonio, Zambales during a coast cleanup drive last April 27, 2012 in celebration of Earth Day.

The coastal clean-up was also held in line with The Lighthouse’s “Save Capones Island” campaign.

In this race, participants must paddle their recycled watercrafts over a 200-meter course on the seafront of The Lighthouse Marina Resort in Subic. This match is open to teams of two (either under the “Mens” or “Mixed” categories), of all ages and professions, so everyone is encouraged to join. Cash prizes and Columbia gift certificates await the winners.

The first leg of the regatta will be at The Lighthouse Resort, Subic Bay Freeport Zone and the second leg of the race will be in Cebu City. The registration fee is P2,500 inclusive of rash guard. (Jonas Reyes, Manila Bulletin)

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Hi-Fi tops Boracay Regatta

THE CHALLENGING and excitement-filled Subic to Boracay and the grueling Boracay Regatta Cup finished off in the late afternoon of March 2, 2012 in the pristine and alluring beach front of the Boracay Island.

Any avid sailor or sailing teams that have the knack and yen for sailing in strong wind conditions should not miss the opportunity to enlist for these annual sailboat races. The organizer expects more participants in the annual sailboat races in the years to come with the increase of foreign and local entries in the past two regattas.

Subic and Boracay were recognized and marked in the international sailing community as "must venues" for sailing in Asia.

Neil Pride and his professional crew on the sailboat Hi-Fi with four wins in a row won the much-coveted Boracay Regatta Cup and with Jun Avecilla’s (Phl) Beneteau First 36.7 Selma Star C! Calibre ROX won in the Cruiser/Racer Class. Ray Ordoveza’s (Phl) Excel 53 Karakoa clinched the Racing Class award with the Capri Carib 31 Freewheeler, skippered by David Wheeler, grabbing the PY Cruising Class award.

The event was organized by the Saturday Afternoon Gentlemen’s Sailing (SAGS) Club of Subic Bay under the auspices of the Philippine Sailing Association, Subic Bay Yacht Club, Philippine Tourism Authority, Philippine Coast Guard, Watercraft Ventures, Inc., Lighthouse Marina Resort, the Government of Aklan, SBMA and the Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce and with the sponsorship of San Miguel Corporation, PLDT, Cebu Pacific Air, Tieza, Tanduay, Nigi-Nigi Resort and BusinessWorld as media partner. (BusinessWorld)

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