Philippine Independence Day 2010 Anniversary Regatta Subic Bay
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Image courtesy Girlie Cervantes
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The Philippine Independence Day Anniversary Regatta in Subic Bay started as a very local sailing affair organised by and for members of the Saturday Afternoon Gentlemen Sailors (SAGS) – a motley band of sailing enthusiasts who wanted to sail in Subic Bay despite the challenges posed by fickle yacht club rules and the weather. They just went out and did it.
Significantly supported by Jun Avecilla’s Lighthouse Marina Resort Hotel, the Philippine Independence Day Regatta is now the best off-season competitive sailing event in the Philippines, and possibly the best in Asia in June.
We refer to an “off-season” but the sailing never really stops in the Philippines – it’s just a question of which way the wind is blowing and the potential for rain? And, if you are going to have a potentially-wet Independence Day Regatta, then there are few better places to hold it than in Subic Bay. Subic Bay opens to the sea to the southwest and, during June (through to early September), the southwest monsoon (locally = Habagat) is building its power over Equator Asia and pushing northeast, with moisture laden clouds. If the southwest monsoon has not yet set in (quite possible in mid-June) then the alternative is sunshine over the rice fields of Pampanga almost guarantees local on-shore sailing breezes throughout much of the day.
When the sailing is done each day, crews repair to the Lighthouse Marina Resort Hotel or the Subic Bay Yacht Club for well earned refreshments and prize giving. After the refreshments many migrate to the plethora of new Barrio Baretto and Baloy Beach restaurants and bars, where some say Sirens await to lure the unwary sailor to his doom . . . or at least to miss the crew roll-call for the next day of racing.
The Subic Lighthouse Marina Resort Independence Day Anniversary Invitational Regatta 2010 will be held on 12th–13th June, 2010, in Subic Bay.
If you have access to a sailing boat, come join in the fun in Subic Bay and celebrate the spirit of independence with those who have made it their choice; if you want to rent a boat for the event then there are sailing yachts for charter, including four-person Platus. If you do not have a sailing boat on which to crew then come along anyway as there are usually crew paces available for visiting sailors who know their ropes. If you are instead a photographer then the best sailing action pictures are usually obtained along the beach of the Moonbay Marina or on the pier of the Lighthouse Marina Resort Hotel.
Links:
The nearest webcam to the Subic Independence Day Regatta is Lighthouse Marina Resort Hotel, Subic Bay