SUBIC BAY—Champion boat Centennial III, skippered by Judes Echauz, prevailed in the lone race of the IRC Racing Class I in the inaugural Subic Bay around Verde Island Passage Race and swept all of the six races of the Subic Bay Cup Regatta over the weekend here.
In the combined seven races, however, Hong Kong’s GTS 43 Mandrake III, helmed by Fred Kinmonth and Nick Burns, edged Centennial III for the championship by only 16 minutes and 18 seconds in the SBVIPR and a lone point in the SBCR races.
Event administrator Zed Avecilla said Mandrake won the overall title this year despite losing the SBVIP race to Centennial III.
Avecilla said the combined and SBCR trophy was awarded to Mandrake III after it accumulated a total of 6 points for both events (5 points in the inshore race and 1 point in the offshore race), winning by only a point against Echauz’s Centennial.
He explained that Centennial III garnered five points in the inshore race and scored two points in the offshore race.
On the other hand, Mandrake III won the SBVIPR by 16 minutes and 18 seconds in corrected time over Centennial, giving him a one-point lead.
“As the week progressed, it was difficult to recall that this series was a replacement to the Subic Boracay Race and Cup. As they say in the classics ‘The Show Must Go On’ and it did. Hopefully, all the inconvenience has been resolved and by next year the Boracay event will return,” said Avecilla.
“The Organizing and Race Committees must be commended for making quick decisions to reschedule and run the event in Subic Bay,” said Captain Martins Rijkuris, Director of Asian Yachting Grand Prix.
The Philippine Sailing Association team, skippered by Emerson Villena, captured the title in the inaugural FarEast 28R competitions of the SBRC in this freeport zone.
“The Far East 28R one design class is not only an excellent opportunity for our Filipino sailors to compete with the best in sailors in the around Asia but also for international teams to visit Subic Bay, as the 2019 SEA Games will be held here and the keelboat one-design racing is expected to make a return,” Avecilla said.
“We are very happy with the outcome of the race. We’ve had great weather, a very technical course due to a lot of wind shifts. Overall, the participants enjoyed their time on and off the waters,” said Jie Combalicer, one of the event organizers.