Bohol Wakefest 2012 Pandanon Island

The beautiful Pandanon Island will be the venue for Bohol Wakefest 2012 – a month long wakeboarding and wakeskating festival for everyone interested to get into the sport of boarding in the Philippines. Bohol Wakefest 2012 also includes a two–day Wake Jam. The Wake Jam is where invited, top–class wakeboarders and wakeskaters, from all over Asia and the Philippines, will be demonstrating their skills and performing some astonishing tricks, for the entertainment of spectators and to motivate local enthusiasts to excel.

The Bohol Wakefest 2012 is enabled by a new, straight–line wakeboard cable system (Sesitec System 2.0), which is a mobile wakeboard and wakeskate facility that could be located across almost any short stretch of river, lake or bay.

Bohol Wakefest 2012 is presented by Singapore based The Board Shop and they chose Pandanon Island, Bohol, for this year’s wakefest so that "Visayans no longer have to travel to Davao and Luzon to experience the bliss [that] wakeboarding brings".

In addition to wakeboarding and wakeskating, the organizers of Bohol Wakefest 2012 have arranged for a whole range of other beach and water activities, from 25th May to 25th June. During the event you will also be able to participate in (or watch) beach volleyball, touch rugby, Frisbee and much more . . . everything in fact to get you active outdoors and close to water.

If you are new to the sport or just curious to see what can be achieved with a rope and a piece of plywood then you must attend the Wake Jam on 8th – 9th June. This is when the top–class wakeboarders and wakeskaters have been invited to demonstrate why wakeboarding is the fastest growing water sport in Europe and Asia.

If you are interested in the business of providing wakeboarding facilities or maybe looking to locate a permanent or mobile facility in your area, then you should come to the Bohol Wakefest 2012 and talk to The Board Shop about the Sesitec cable system.

The Sesitec mobile, straight–line wakeboard cable system is designed and manufactured in Germany. The system is unique insomuch as it was designed specifically for wakeboarding and enables a continuous ride – without having to drop the handle after one pull down the course. It is perfect for beginners and, with the addition of ramps and slides, will challenge even the best wakeboarders and wakeskaters.

With this mobile wakeboard cable system it is theoretically possible to set–up a wakeboard event across any short stretch of river, lake or bay. How about a Pasig River Wakefest?

When not at Bohol Wakefest 2012, the Philippine branch of The Board Shop can be found at the Deca Wake Park in Mintal, Davao City. If you are traveling around Asia you can also find The Board Shop in Singapore, Batam Island (Indonesia) and Phuket (Thailand).

Getting to the Bohol Wakefest 2012 presents a small challenge. The island is part of the municipality of Getafe, northern Bohol, accessible by road from Bohol’s Tagbilaran airport, but perhaps the fastest way is actually from Mactan Island, Cebu – if you are flying in from overseas then you can probably fly direct to Mactan, Cebu. Either way you will take a motorized banka boat to get the final destination: Pandanon Island is approximately 70 minutes from Mactan or 25 minutes from Getafe by banka boat.

For more information about this event you can contact The Board Shop through the Deca Wake Park website

Santa Ana Yacht Club burgee

It is not often that a new yacht club opens in Asia, even less often that one opens in the Philippines. The Santa Ana Yacht Club has this month announced its opening in the northeast corner of Luzon, in Santa Ana, Cagayan.

If you are a cruising yacht or power boat owner, and you have previously wondered where to tie–up in the North of the Philippines, the Santa Ana Yacht Club has the answer: tie–up in Cagayan. The facilities are a little bit limited at the moment but it is just a question of time before moorings, a clubhouse, restaurant and a bar will be finished to satisfy everyone’s needs. In the meantime an anchorage and partner beach resorts will more than satisfy.

Why Santa Ana? Rikk Price, the Santa Ana Yacht Club Commodore, explains: "if you were arriving in the Philippines from across northwest Pacific then there was nowhere to stop that was guaranteed to understand your needs".

In fact, prior to this day, the first city you would sail to, that may offer any sort of expectation of assistance at all, is Laoag, Ilocos Norte, and that is a long haul to sail after entering Philippine territorial waters. Also, if you are leaving the Philippines to the northeast, the same challenge would present itself. So Santa Ana is the logical choice for a yacht club that will understand what you are talking about and be interested enough to find answers to your questions.

The objectives of the Santa Ana Yacht Club are two fold. First, they want to be the first and last place in the Philippines where sailors can enjoy a cold beer, a hearty meal and replenish ship’s stores of fresh vegetables, meat, fish and water. Second, they want to encourage local enthusiasm for the sport of sailing and plan to have a small fleet of sailing dinghies on the water next year. If there is a third objective it is to have a good time, exchanging sailing stories with like minded folk, while enjoying beautiful Cagayan sunsets over the West Philippine Sea and spectacular sunrises over the Pacific Ocean.

The Santa Ana Yacht Club is perfectly positioned to achieve its objectives, on the side of Luzon’s northeastern peninsula sheltered from the mighty Pacific Ocean. The long, gently shelving sandy beach will provide easy access to concrete block moorings – to be laid during the coming few months. Sheltered from the Pacific Ocean, the welcome relief it will offer to arriving boats will be matched by the welcoming smiles ashore. For departing boats, the chance of a last jolly tale ashore before braving the timeless Pacific swells will surely make Santa Ana the fondest memory of the Philippines for countless hundreds of crews over the coming decade.

For outward bound voyagers, becoming a member of the Santa Ana Yacht Club will provide immediate reciprocal rights at the famous Hawaii Yacht Club. For inbound voyagers, the same facility is planned with the Puerto Galera Yacht Club – the Cruising yacht club of the Philippines. And, according to Rikk, "it you sign up for a life membership now it will cost you only US$200. . . . inclusive of ten days free mooring and a club burgee".

If you have not been to Santa Ana before then you should know that it is a growing tourist destination, offering a wide variety of attractions for anyone interested in the history and ecology of the northern Philippines. From the old Spanish lighthouse, atop the nature reserve of Palaui Island, to the rolling foothills of the Sierra Madre mountains; Santa Ana is packed full of places to explore and indigenous wildlife to capture in pixel memory.

You can scuba dive, kayak, snorkel, whale watch, sail and catch some of the largest game fish in Asia, here on the waters off Santa Ana. You can trek, climb and watch forest birds or, marvel at the soaring white–bellied fish eagles and Brahminy kites that are resident in these parts; in the Fall, you can observe migrating birds of prey as they enter the Philippine skies above Santa Ana, from Siberia and Mongolia, on their way to winter hunting grounds on the islands of Mindanao, Indonesia and beyond.

Unquestionably, Santa Ana has a lot to offer and now offers the first and last yacht club in the Philippines.

Go to Santa Ana now and experience a way of life that has been interwoven with the sea for centuries. Join the Santa Ana Yacht Club and become a part of an international sailing community that reaches out to Hawaii, Guam, Vladivostok, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and Shanghai.

For more information about the first and last yacht club in the Philippines you should visit Santa Ana Yacht Club website

Ryan Binidel and Sam Chan (left) match racing Flying Fifteens in Subic Bay

Subic Bay, 12th April 2012 – The first two of five Flying Fifteen class sailing yachts were launched at Watercraft Venture today for exhibition match racing event between international sailing champions Sam Chan and Neil Pride. The Flying Fifteens were donated to SAGS (Saturday Afternoon Gentlemen Sailors) by the Hong Kong Flying Fifteens Association in order to encourage young sailors from around the country to embrace the spirit of yachting and, in particular, to prepare them for competition in the Flying Fifteen Worlds, to be held in Hong Kong, 24th October to 7th November, 2013.

According to Ricky Sandoval of Watercraft Venture, these donated boats will provide the foundation for a reinvigorated Philippine Flying Fifteen Association fleet, with more boats to be added as soon as sponsorship from government and industry can be secured.

The exhibition match racing was umpired by an international jury and it was the jury’s decision that Sam Chan (with crew, Ryan Binidel) were the winners (see photograph) of the best-of-three race series. Despite Neil Pride’s post-race protestations, the jury remained firm that Neil Pride was deemed to have broken the Racing Rules of Sailing by “pumping sails”, which gave his boat an unfair advantage. After stepping ashore however, both Sam Chan and Neil Pride were seen to congratulate each other for only just remembering how to sail a Flying fifteen in the first place – both are more frequently seen sailing their much larger and faster TP52 class yachts in international regattas around Asia.

Flying Fifteens have been around for a long time as a one-design class boat, for match racing and fleet racing. Since 1979, when the first Flying Fifteen World Championship was held in Perth, Australia, a biennial regatta has been organized somewhere around the World, its location alternating between the northern and southern hemispheres. Hong Kong has hosted two previous Flying Fifteen World Championships and it is hoped that one year soon, Subic Bay may be in a position to host such a prestigious event.

There are thirteen National Flying Fifteens associations around the globe plus an uncounted number of individual sailing club fleets. With almost 4000 boats officially built and sailed since the design was first finalized in 1947, the 20–foot (15–foot at the waterline) Flying Fifteen has become one of the most popular keelboat racing classes in sailing clubs around the World. Designed to be raced by two sailors (male and/or female) of 15–75 years of age and above, the Flying Fifteen is one of the first choices for keelboat racing because it is safe, fast and relatively inexpensive boat to buy and maintain.

This Flying Fifteen exhibition match race was a side-event during the 2012 Commodore’s Cup Regatta competition, held every year sometime just after Easter. Participants from around Asia come to Subic Bay to compete in the annual Commodore’s Cup. Along with the Boracay Race & Boracay Cup Regatta the Commodore’s Cup is a qualifying events in the Asian Yachting Grand Prix series.

For more information about upcoming Flying Fifteens events in Subic Bay you should visit Subic Sailing

Engineers off to survey wind turbine site

During the month of March, PhilCarbon has had a team of engineers in the field (literally) surveying for sites for Mindoro’s first wind farm in Bulalacao. An estimated 20MW wind power capacity may be installed in 2014 if the famous Bulalacao breezes check out.

Twenty sites are being surveyed in Bulalacao from which three will be chosen for a eighteen month wind analysis. A anemometer will be installed at the three best sites and the analysis of the wind data will dictate how many wind turbines can potentially be installed. According to Bulalacao Mayor Villas, “the wind turbines will be one of two renewable energy resources for Bulalacao . . . we are also seeking funding for a small hydro electric plant in one upstream location.”

Mayor Villas, an engineer by profession, has been a pioneer in community development projects that are designed to have the least impact on the environment at the same time as generating the maximum income benefits for his people. Other projects include the Bulalacao Technical Training College and the promotion of Bulalacao as a prime scuba diving, kayaking and wind sports destination (sailing, windsurfing and kiteboarding).

The technical college has trained 240 welders in the past two years of which 60 have found employment overseas. As Mayor Villas asserts, “these welders now remit their earnings to their families here improving lives without draining resources”.

The subject of tourism development is more challenging. For example: scuba divers need to have their tanks refilled and the nearest refilling stations are in far–away Puerto Galera and San Jose. If Bulalacao generates funding to install a scuba tank refilling station then the scuba divers will come. The mayor is currently seeking funding for a tank refilling station that will enable divers from Puerto Galera, San Jose and Boracay (less than two hours away by boat) to more easily come and explore the largely uncharted corals and wrecks around Bulalacao. He is convinced that once the scuba divers experience the excellent water clarity and wide variety of marine life in Bulalacao then the resort dive shops will come and the number of resort rooms will grow to accommodate the influx of tourists. This will generate income for the community through increased employment opportunities and consumption of local produce.

Bulalacao is famous for rice (delicious long–grain rice, that actually tastes like rice), garlic, onions, egg-plant, succulent native–tomatoes & peppers, and a wide variety of seafood.

Bulalacao is uniquely located at the apex of the Boracay–Mindoro–Palawan Triangle and offers superb infrastructure to enable tourism growth. Consider this, since the recent completion of a concrete road from the North to the West of Mindoro: the journey time North to Calapan (with connecting ferry services to Batangas) and Puerto Galera has been cut from twelve hours to around four; an air–conditioned bus service is now running daily from Metro Manila to Bulalacao; the journey time West to San Jose airport has been cut from five hours to just one hour!; there is already air–conditioned transport direct from San Jose airport to Bulalacao, that meets all incoming flights from Manila; and, a Ro–Ro (roll–on–roll–off ferry) port is now complete and ready to accept vehicle / passenger ferries from Palawan and Boracay.

Mayor Villas has done an outstanding job in preparing the infrastructure of Bulalacao for the coming decades of tourism, all that is now required is to get the first few social–network–connected scuba divers to come and explore the thirteen islands & the miles of white sand beaches, and to “like” and tell their friends.

By 2014, when the waves of tourists are already washing Bulalacao’s shores, the PhilCarbon wind turbines will start providing clean power to keep the air–conditioners running, without power interruption.

If you have not yet visited Bulalacao then now would be a good time to come and explore its thirteen islands, still pristine and many of them are just like mini–Boracays . . . as Boracay was in the 1970s – virgin.

Note: If you need mobile communications through cellular networks when you travel then you need to know that most of Bulalacao does not enjoy good Globe signal.

To discover more about Bulalacao visit the Travel Bulalacao website

Tri Bird airplane before sinking off Boracay Beach

Some three years ago a three–engine jet airplane suffered a heavy landing (only the airplane was hurt) at Caticlan airport – the closest airport to Boracay Beach. Unable to repair it with the facilities available at Caticlan and being unable to fly the aircraft out again without repair, the airplane waited patiently at the airport for a solution.

The Boracay Island Scuba Diving Association – an organization made up of all of the dive shops on the island – acquired ownership of the aircraft with the intent of sinking it off the reef, so that it may become a subterranean attraction for both marine life and scuba divers.

For surely, Boracay Island needs some other underwater attractions . . . as one dive shop operator told me, “Boracay is for beginners . . . we train them here and then they go elsewhere to discover the true beauty of Philippine diving”. That is not to say that experienced divers will find nothing of interest in Boracay; Boracay just lacks the variety and quality available at scuba diving destinations such as Busuanga/Coron and Puerto Galera. Hence the creation of the Tri–Bird dive site.

On the morning of 1st March 2012, the floatation devices – large blue, plastic drums strapped together with bamboo – were removed, piece by piece and the jet gently descended into the crystal clear waters, just outside the reef that encircles much of the West side of Boracay Island. Attending were the Philippine Coast Guard, the Philippine Navy and a whole bunch of divers intent on being one of the first to enter the “wreck”.

You will find the Tri–bird wreck approximately one mile West of Victory Divers, Station 2, Boracay White Beach, outside the reef in about 60 feet of water.

Exotic Red Breasted Bird Spotted In Cagayan

UPDATED 5 March 2012

This bird has been positively identified as a sub-specie of Purple-throated sunbird, indigenous to the area around Cagayan and the Babuyan Islands: Leptocoma sperata henkei

original article

This red breasted bird was spotted while walking a forest trail in Santa Ana, Cagayan, Philippines, in early February 2012. It was one of a pair that were heard calling to each other from the treetops of a remote, lowland forest area near the seashore, facing the Pacific Ocean; the other of the pair was not seen before they both flew deeper into the forest cover.

Searching the Internet we can find only the red-breasted blackbird/blackbill (Sturnella militaris) that apparently has a close approximation to the general shape and size of this bird but: the beak of our bird is much longer and thinner than that of the blackbird/blackbill; the red plumage extends to the legs whereas the blackbird’s red plumage stops a long way short of the legs; and, this particular specimen is a little smaller.

If there is another distinguishing element it is that the red breasted blackbird/blackbill ranges throughout Central and South America and the Philippines is rather a long way from there.

We do not know the sex of our bird but presume that it may be the male, if only because the male of bird species is typically the more colorful than the female.

We would be pleased if someone could assist us in identifying this bird as we believe it to be somewhat unique as nobody in the vicinity recalls such a bird before.

This bird is just one of many scores of birds that inhabit Cagayan from time to time. Cagayan is the first stop for many East Asian birds that follow the migratory route North-South, using the forests and wetlands that run the length and breadth of the Philippine archipelago, connecting East Asia to the tropical regions of East Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

Superyacht TV photographed in Subic Bay January 2012

A few years ago “the Philippines” was the whispered word in the world of superyacht destinations, now it seems everyone wants to come and check out the Philippine islands, from the perspective of the bridge of their own superyacht. Could it be that the Wow of the Philippines is even more fun for the ultra–rich?

Superyachts that used to come here did so in secret; privacy and seclusion was the objective. I recall when one such superyacht arrived off Puerto Galera in 2007, just long enough to dive the famous Canyons dive site off Escarceo Point. Staff at Asia Divers, who supplied the divemaster, were sworn to secrecy; the next morning the yacht was just a memory.

Built by Lürssen Yachts of Germany, the latest superyacht arrival is the 78.5–meter, motor yacht TV, photographed here in Subic Bay, in January 2012. With an overall length of more than 257 feet to play with you might be surprised to learn that motor yacht TV is designed to carry a maximum of only twelve guests. These twelve will be cossetted in six berths and served by up to 32 crew. Such is the luxury of space that superyacht owners expect.

Superyacht TV dwarfs other recent arrivals in Subic Bay: the 51–metre Double Haven, and the 40–metre Mirragio, both beautiful motor yachts but small by comparison. There are other yachts in Subic Bay at the moment that are classed in the superyacht category but none quite as striking as TV.

It is generally accepted that any private luxury yacht with an overall length of 45 metres (around 150 feet) or more is classed as a “superyacht”; elitism requires that any luxury yacht above 100 metres (around 328 feet) is now referred to as a “megayacht” (or sometimes a “gigayacht”).

Philippine Windsurfing Championship, Puerto Galera

Every year in February, Puerto Galera traditionally hosts the second leg of the Philippine Windsurfing Championships on the waters off Boquete Beach. In 2012 the event will be expanded into the Puerto Galera water sports festival, to include all manner of wind–powered and human–powered water sports.

In addition to the windsurfing championships there will be competitive kite–boarding, dinghy racing and paddle banka racing and potentially dragon boat racing. The goal is to make February the on–water eco–water sports tourism festival month in Puerto Galera and to provide a vacation–extension for windsurfers and kite–boarders who usually travel to Boracay for the Funboard Cup in January and then have nowhere else to go.

The core event at the Puerto Galera water sports festival is the windsurfing championships, organized by the Philippine Windsurfing Association in conjunction with the Sandbar Resort on Boquete Beach. In 2012, the Department of Tourism and the Puerto Galera Yacht Club have pitched in to organize the extension activities to make the overall water sports festival event larger and more interesting to a broader water sports audience.

The breezes off Boquete Beach are superb for all wind–driver water sports in February and most frequently deliver successive days of 15–knot breezes, under almost clear skies . . . great for windsurfing, kite–boarding & sailing, and the waterfront will be peppered with camera–people trying to capture that perfect action–shot on their treasured, long–lens Nikon or Canon.

The Philippine Windsurfing Championship is an open competition where as many as one hundred windsurfers, from all around the World, participate. Although only local windsurfers can have their performances accrued for the national title, there are plenty of prizes on offer for every competitor, and that is why the event is so popular. If you are novice, intermediate, advanced, man, woman or youth there are divisions for you and of course there is the overall open division for the best overall performance at the event.

The kite–boarding competition largely follows the windsurfing divisions format while the dinghy competition divisions are either, under/over–16 years, in two–person, Mirror–class Lawins or, one–person, Olympic class Optimists. The kite–boarding and dinghy competitions are open to everyone.

The paddle banka racing is primarily designed to encourage the participation of the local fishermen’s associations but there will probably be opportunities for anyone with a bit of muscle power to compete for the paddle banka racing.

If the dragon boat racing happens this year it will be because boats have been donated for the event by the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Dragon Boat Federation. If it does not happen this year then it will surely happen in 2013. Stay tuned for confirmation of the dragon boat racing, which would be the first ever such event in Puerto Galera.

Whatever your interest in on–water sports action the Puerto Galera water sports festival aims to satisfy you from 17th – 19th February. Book your hotel and resort rooms early to avoid disappointment.

If you do not know Puerto Galera well then follow this link to find out where to stay in Puerto Galera.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author – Martyn Willes – based upon his own experience and do not necessarily reflect the experience of all people. If you have other experiences you would like to share then email them to The Editor – philippines@getwet–asia.com – for possible inclusion here