SOME 15 yachts from Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines are expected to see action in the 8th Standard Insurance Subic Bay to Boracay Race and the Boracay Cup Regatta from Feb. 17 to 24, under the auspices of the Philippine Sailing Association the Asian Yachting Grand Prix.
In this year’s regatta event, the racing class I (IRC I) of big boats of 75-footers and above will participated in by defending champion and powerhouse Centennial III, skippered by Judes Echauz who will be facing perennial rival Hong Kong’s Jelik of magnate Frank Pong.
Built in 2002, the 52-foot schooner Centennial III, a first-generation TP52-class yacht, topped the 200-mile voyage from Subic Bay to Boracay and placed second last year in the race backed by Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, Watercraft Venture Corp., the Lighthouse Marina Resort, and organized by the Subic Sailing Club.
Also Centennial III’s looming challenger is another Hong Kong’s 100-foot Scallywag, formerly known as Ragamuffin 100 that was recently bought by Malaysian-born Seng Huang Leng.
Scallywag will be a very dangerous team in the cruising class 1 as it tallied a record-breaking 18 hours and 16:34 in the race from Subic to Boracay last year.
Likewise, Scallywag 100, the biggest boat participant, is the record holder of the Subic to Boracay set in 2015 with 14 hours and 23:17.
The other local challengers are Excel 53 Karakoa skippered by businessman Ray Ordoveza, Geoff Hill’s Smith 72 Custom Antipodes and regular campaigner Black Baza captained by Anthony Root and Steve Manning.
In the IRC II, Hong Kong’s Ramrod, skippered Peter Sorensen, is the new campaigner in the division which its challenger include Sydney GTS 43 Mandrake III manned by Nick Burns and David Witt, Farr 40 2.60 Ramrod of Peter Sorensen, both also from Hong Kong.