President's Cup Regatta 2002
Manilla Yacht Club - Philippines

Day 1 - Hi-Fidelity, Karakoa rule regatta so far

NASUGBU, Batangas – It’s fast turning out to be a two-way battle between HK/NZ sailing ace Neil Pryde on Hi-Fidelity and top Filipino yachtsman Ray Ordoveza on Karakoa.

Pryde and Ordoveza dominated the opening races of the President’s Cup Regatta 2002 which officially set sail on Wednesday at the scenic coastal waters of Maya Maya and Punta Fuego Resorts in the Philippines.

Hi-Fidelity the history breaking 4 regatta champion this year a Sydney 46 ruled the Maya Maya Yacht Club kickoff race with a corrected time of 2:15:07, pipping Filipino entry Karakoa by a mere two seconds (2:17:27).

The Ordoveza-skippered Karakoa, however came out strong in the afternoon San Miguel Beer/Coca-Cola race with a corrected clocking of 2:25:44 and shoved Hi-Fidelity (2:29:13) to the backseat by four seconds.

The 1-2 switched finishes of Hi-Fidelity and Karakoa in the two races catapulted the two race favorites to a joint share of the lead with 3 points a piece.

Stella, a Sydney 38 skippered by British Fred Kinmoth who topped last year’s edition, garnered 6 points after placing third in both the first two races of this premier sailing event backed by major sponsors Smart, Nokia Philippines and the Philippine Sports Commission.

Jelik Frank Pong's Hong Kong entry ranked fourth in the overall standings with 9 points, placing a surprising 5th in the morning race (2:32:03) and then a 4th in the afternoon event (2:35:06).

Maligaya Philipinnes industrialist Andres Soriano III, finished fourth in the Maya Maya race but managed only 6th place in the SMB race, to rank 6th overall behind Balangjai of Filipino Federico Garcia.

A passage race from here to Manila Bay is set today, heading for the Manila Yacht Club, before a final races are held in Manila Bay.

Participating sponsors of this four-day regatta are Nestle Philippines, Coca-Cola, Philippine Airlines, Tanduay, San Miguel Corp., Nike, ABS-CBN, Manila Harbour Centre and Neil Pryde.

In the Cruiser Racer division, Jo de Ros of American George Hackett shows the way with two points after ruling both the morning and afternoon races. Vivaldi of Claudio Altura and Sandoway tied for second with 5 points.

The regatta also drew the support of government agencies Philippine Navy, Department of Tourism and the Philippine Coast Guard.

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Day 2 - Defending champion Stella makes move

NASUGBU, Batangas Defending champion Stella finally made its presence felt with an impressive torrent of speed in the Open Racing Class, ruling both the morning and afternoon races of the President’s Cup Regatta 2002 around Fortune Island here.

The Fred Kinmoth-skippered Stella, after being unusually silent during the event’s first two races, topped the Thursday morning Nestle Philippines race with a corrected time of 2:02:11, before showing the way again in the Punta Fuego Fortune Island dash with a 1:56:33 clocking.

Immediately Stella, which boasts about being a Sydney 38 design, felt the impact of its aggressive move, joining first-day winners Karakoa and Hi-Fidelity at the top of the leader board with similar 8 points.

Hi-Fidelity skippered by this years sailing ace Neil Pryde and Manila Yacht Club's Commodore Ray Ordoveza's Karakoa did not fare to badly, this time pulling of a switched 2-3 finishes in the two races held today backed by major sponsors Smart, Nokia Philippines and the Philippine Sports Commission.

Karakoa placed third in last year’s event may be one to watch was second to Stella in the first race by only a few seconds before finishing close on the heels of Hi-Fidelity in the afternoon chase.

Andres Soriano III’s Maligaya, riding high on a fighting fourth place showing (2:15:25) in the morning pursuit, jumped to fourth spot overall with 19 points, two points ahead of the Federico Garcia-owned Balangjai, which placed 4th in the afternoon race (2:06:34).

Yesterday’s 38-mile "passage" race, billed the James L. Gordon Trophy, took the 28-boat field all the way to Manila Bay, the stage for the event’s final two races.

Participating sponsors of this four-day event are Nestle Philippines, Cova-Cola, Philippine Airlines, Tanduay, San Miguel Corp., Nike, ABS-CBN, Manila Harbour Centre and Neil Pryde, with support from the Philippine Navy Department of Tourism and the Philippine Coast Guard.

Cruiser racer reigning titlist Jo de Ros of American George Hackett remained entrenched at the lead after ruling race nos. 3 (2:05:58) and 4 (2:01:59), while Philippine entry Margarita of Juan Miguel Zosa rebounded from a 4th place showing by topping the Cruising Class Race 2 with a corrected time of 3:16:47.

Rounding out the top 10 in the Open Class are Jon Wardill’s Australian Maid (27 pts), Frank Pong’s Jelik (28), Bill Rawson’s Helsal II (31), Gerry Daughton’s Outregeous (34) and Sam Chan’s Free Fire (38).

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Pre Race Report - All eyes on Stella, Karakoa

NASUGBU, Batangas – All eyes where on Fred Kinmoth’s Stella and Ray Ordoveza’s Karakoa as the President’s Cup Regatta 2002 set sail yesterday with a morning and an afternoon open racing class race in the scenic coastal waters of the Philippine Riviera.

Stella and Karakoa are the odds-on picks to dominate the country’s premier sailing event this year which has drawn the participation of 28 of the world’s best keelboats and multihulls.

Kinmoth’s Stella, a Sydney 38 design, ruled last year’s regatta with a 12.75-point performance while Ordoveza’s Karakoa placed third with 15.5 points. Second placer DK40 of Johannes Waimer is not suiting up this year.

Also keenly watched will be local businessman Andres Soriano III Maligaya, Neil Pryde's regatta winning Hi-Fidelity and China Sea Race line Honours winner Frank Pong’s Jelik.

Major sponsors of this premier racing event are Smart, Nokia Philippines and the Philippine Sports Commission while Nestle Philippines, Coca-Cola, Philippine Airlines, Tanduay, San Miguel Corp., Nike, ABS-CBN, Manila Harbour Centre and Neil Pryde are participating sponsors.

After two days of racing at the pristine waters of Nasugbu, a passage race kicks off in Manila Bay on Friday, before the regatta ends with a double morning race, also in Manila Bay on Saturday.

"This year’s President’s Cup regatta will really be quite unique. Rather than start in Manila or Subic as we have done in the past, we will start at the beach resorts of Batangas’ rugged west coast," said Manila Yacht Club Commodore Ordoveza, who also lauded the participation of China Sea Race entries into the Philippine event.

"We have a strong participation in both local and international entries," said Ordoveza. "The President’s Cup also comprises part of the ‘CSR Series’ further encouraging China Sea Race entries. We are thankful to our very own sailors and happy to see such a favorable turnout."

Club sponsors are Club Punta Fuego, Maya-Maya Yacht Club and the Taal Lake Yacht Club while government agencies such as the Philippine Navy, Department of Tourism and the Philippine Coast Guard also had a hand in the organization of the event.

Results of the Maya-Maya Yacht Club morning race and the San Miguel Beer and Coca-Cola race in the afternoon, were expected to be completed late yesterday as they still had to be double-checked and confirmed to be official by principal race officer Tony Denham.

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