SUBIC BAY—Subic Bay to Boracay Race winner Centennial III, skippered by sail master Judes Echauz, again defeated Hong Kong’s Antipodes, captained by Geoff Hill, in the first race of IRC Racing Class I of the inaugural Subic Bay around Verde Island Passage Race and the Subic Bay Cup Regatta on Sunday.
However, the champion boat was defeated by Hong Kong’s GTS 43 Mandrake, both helmed by Fred Kinmonth and Nick Burns in the over-all title arriving in this Freeport zone with 30:42:53, with Centennial’s 30:59:11 or a difference of 9.82 minutes in the corrected time.
Antipodes placed second in the IRC I with a corrected time of 31:43: 12, with local entry Karakoa, helmed by Ray Ordoveza coming third with a corrected time of 54:57:59, according Zed Avecilla, one of the event administrators.
Centennial III’s perennial rival Hong Kong’s Jelik of magnate Frank Pong failed to participate this year for unknown reasons, Avacilla said. Another Hong Kong’s 100-foot Scallywag, formerly known as Ragamuffin 100 that was recently bought by Malaysian-born Seng Huang Leng, also begged off.
George Hackett’s Mills 43 custom Misty Mountain did not start and Jun Villanueva’s failed to repair Bellatrix mast in time in this 200-mile SBCR, presented by Standard Insurance Inc., and being supported by Tanduay Rum, Pepsi Cola, Broadwater Marine, Nano Fixit and JC.
Verde Island Passage is a strait that separates the islands of Luzon and Mindoro, connecting the South China Sea with the Tayabas Bay in Quezon province and the Sibuyan Sea in Romblon, beyond.
It is one of the busiest sea lanes in the Philippines because it is the main shipping route between the Port of Manila and the Visayas and Mindanao in the south. Marine scientists declared the Verde Island Passage as “the center of the center of marine shorefish biodiversity in the world.”
For the IRC II, Bobby Benares’ Sabad grabbed second place with a corrected time of 31:51:22, followed by Jun Avecilla’s Selma Star with 32:45:49 corrected time.
Avecilla said Hong Kong’s Emocean skippered by Michael Rover did not finish the race.
Meanwhile, in the Cruising Class, Asia Pacific Sailing of Hong Kong captained by Leu Cheng Qi won the race with 36:32:48, while his only opponent Apsaras also from Hong Kong helmed by Li Jian did not also finish the race.
The SBCR and the SBCR Boracay Cup also offers precious points for the coveted Asian Yachting Skipper and Yacht of the Year awards.
Overall winners in each three class of the combined Subic Bay to Boracay Race and the Boracay Cup Regatta series will bring home the impressive handcrafted solid brass trophy replicas by Fernando Cacnio, a multi-awarded Filipino visual artist.