Image courtesy Martyn Willes

The Philippine Independence Day Regatta 2011 will be held in Subic Bay to celebrate the Philippines' declaration of independence from Spanish Rule on 12th June, 1898. The regatta will attract racing and cruising yachts from around the country for two days of sailing in one of the most notable of Philippine sailing venues.

The actual Act of the Declaration of Independence was read in public for the first time at the residence of General Emilio Aguinaldo - the self-proclaimed leader of the Filipino revolutionary forces - in Kawit, Cavite. The act of reading the Declaration consolidated the power base that he had amassed by virtue of removing other notable Filipino revolutionaries such as Andres Bonifacio – hailed by many as the true hero of the revolution – by accusing him of

Image courtesy Jeremy Simpson

Under the auspices of the Philippine Sailing Association, the Saturday Afternoon Gentlemen's Sailing group (“SAGS”) plus the Subic Bay Yacht Club & the Lighthouse Marina Resort Hotel, will organize a yacht race from Subic Bay Freeport to the world-famous, white sand beach resort paradise of Boracay Beach.

The 205-mile race is different from anything that has gone before insomuch as the yachts will have a choice of courses to get to Boracay Beach. The traditional route to Boracay from northern Luzon is: South along the Batangas coast, through the Verde Island Passage past Puerto Galera and then along the East coast of Mindoro Island before (frequently) surfing down the Tablas Strait to Boracay. This year the race organizers are offering the option of taking the route along the West coast of Mindoro Island – a 30-mile longer route that avoids the sometimes mast-breaking Verde Island Passage and the infamous “hole” off Dumal

Image courtesy Girlie Cervantes

Competitive sailing flourishes in Subic Bay in August with two weekend regattas: the Lighthouse Marina Resort Ninoy Aquino Anniversary Invitational Regatta; and, the Philippine National Hero's Day Invitational Regatta. The best of the racing and competitive cruising sail boats will be in Subic Bay for these events.

Organized by the Saturday Afternoon Gentleman Sailors (SAGS), supported by The Lighthouse Marina Resort Hotel and the Subic Bay Yacht Club, these two regattas will feature races around Subic Bay and possibly (weather permitting) to some of the nearby islands outside the bay area. Winds in August can be somewhat unpredictable so courses will be set on-the-day to suit the forecast con

Photo courtesy John Smart

Following the success of the Independence Day Regatta in June, Subic Bay Yacht Club and the Saturday Afternoon Gentlemen Sailors (SAGS) sailing group have chosen their next big event to be on the National Hero's Day – the traditional August Holiday – weekend, 29 - 31 August, 2009, which will follow the Ninoy Aquino Anniversary Day Regatta 21 - 22 August, at the same venue. Nineteen boats competed in the June event, making it the largest sailing event in Subic Bay for Philippine club boats in more than a decade; more are expected in August.

The National Hero's Day Regatta in Subic Bay will attract all sizes of sailing boats. If you do not have a boat but want one then there will be boats available for rent and for hire; if you want to

Photo by Martyn Willes

The 2009 Independence Day Commodore's Cup Regatta offers you the chance to GetWet sailing in the Philippines and see Subic Bay from a totally new perspective. The 2009 Independence Day Commodore's Cup Regatta is organised by the Subic Bay Yacht Club, the Saturday Afternoon Gentlemen Sailors (SAGS) and The Lighthouse Marina Resort Hotels.

From 12-14 June the waters of Subic Bay will be filled with sailing yachts of all shapes and sizes and apart from being a great spectator sport, with exciting on-water sailing action photography opportunities, if you have any prior sailing experience at all then you can join in the 2009 Independence Day Commodore's Cup Regatta because there are always boats looking for e