Hi Fi wins Boracay Cup & Karakoa the combined trophy...
By AsianYachting MultiMedia
22:02:2013 Boracay, Philippines: Constant overnight and early morning rain, turned the race course into a millpond compared to yesterday and when suitable visibility returned, there were light wind ripples on the surface, so the waiting crew were dispatched to the anchorage and busily prepared themselves for the final day of racing. The entire fleet started with a windward/leeward race and as the day wore on, the sun broke through and breeze picked up, allowing PRO Jerry Rollin to select the Round Boracay course for IRC Racing and a shorter passage race for the IRC Cruising class. Despite a day cancelled due to interference from Tropical Depression Crising, the entire race program has been completed, be it in a different format to what was initially prescribed.

Going into the final day, only one point separated the overall leader, Ray Ordoveza's Excel 53 Karakoa and Neil Pryde's Welbourn 52 Hi Fi, with Frank Pong's Reichel/Pugh 75 Jelik one point behind Hi Fi. A three way battle for the title was on the cards and being held in much softer conditions, could anyone come from behind and ruin the party, by wedging themselves in and provide some points separation at the top.

As it turned out, Neil Pryde's light weather optimised Hi Fi, came into their own and as much as the other skippers tried to draw them into a tacking duel or stay on top of them, Pryde's Hi Fi came through it all to narrowly triumph in both races and win the Boracay Cup series. Ray Ordoveza's Excel 53 Karakoa enjoys the heavy going and has led the pointscore right from the beginning but struggled in the first race today and ended up in third place, after Ernesto Echauz TP52 Standard Insurance Centennial wedged themselves into second. They then rebounded on the round the island race, held in stronger wind especially on the windward side, to miss out on the title by one minute. Perennial Line Honours champion Frank Pong's Reichel/Pugh 75 Jelik finished with a fourth and third to secure third overall.

By winning the Subic Bay to Boracay Race and added onto the Boracay Cup score, Ray Ordoveza's Karakoa wins the specially designed perpetual trophy for combined events, sponsored by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority and the provincial government of Aklan. The combined scores for all boats will also be used to tabulate points in the ongoing 2012-13 AsianYachting Grand Prix Championship.

In the IRC Cruising class, Martin Tanco's Sydney 46 Centennial II has preformed a clean sweep by winning the Subic Boracay Race and five of the six races in the Boracay Cup. Although Jesus Avecilla's Beneteau First 36.7 Selma Star Cl Calibre ROX kept getting closer, they just couldn't get up and match Centennial II's pace and had to settle on second place. As Peter Sorensen's chartered Irwin 37 Sorcerer suffered mechanical problems, Jesus Avecilla made a kind gesture by replacing half his crew with Sorensen's crew for the day. As Centennial II withdrew from the final race they were rewarded with a win and consolation prize for coming so far to compete.

The only entrant in the PY Class, Danny Batac's Serenity 1 successfully rotated around the courses each day at their own pace and earned themselves "Bragging Rights" for completing the toughest Boracay Cup in history.

Summary
Without a doubt this is consistently the windiest regatta in SE Asia and as Boracay is now one of the top 10 tourist destinations in the world, what more is needed to turn it into Asia's best racing venue. Jonno Rankine summed it up with "This regatta is on par with any regatta in the Caribbean and needs to be supported to reach its rightful place on the Asian calendar". Although the quantity of yachts is low compared to other regattas, the quality is the best of the best in the Asian region. Cruisers tend to shy away from the potential boat breaking conditions and stick to more conventional destinations. The duel committees running both events has increased the number of officials, sponsors and ensured the high quality of race management for the future. So if your a serious sailor or running a serious racing team and want to embark on an Asian campaign, mark February down in your diary for the combined Subic to Boracay Race and Boracay Cup, with all the trappings of world renown Philippine hospitality.

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