Water Sports News Philippines - Puerto Galera, Subic Bay, Boracay, Siargao, Taal Lake, Manila Bay

COMMODORE’S AND CLUB NEWS

The last edition mentioned the imminent ACTION DIVERS EASTER REGATTA AND LINDEMAN’S CUP. Well, it’s been and gone and what a great time was had by all. We had boats register, including visiting Kiwi/Scot husband and wife team of David and Elaine on their yacht up from Brunei. I joined them for the event and really enjoyed myself and the racing. I don’t have time at the All Souls to get on the water, so I took the chance to get out and do it (in a half-boat i.e. only one hull, too). I was also canny enough to make sure that the Lindemans' representative - Eric Kahn - was aboard for the first two days. After all - any fool can sail sober!

The hot showers were up and running and appreciated by all who had cause to make use of them. Perhaps our race officer, Bill Moore, should have stuck to the cold ones to get rid of the hangover before setting the day’s handicaps! Actually he did a great job and there were some close races and exciting finishes. The conditions and courses favoured the boats with longer waterlines, with ARAGORN, KALAYAAN and CHINA ROSE enjoying great sailing in near perfect conditions. It was no surprise then, that they took the overall silverware (actually very nice wooden carvings from Baguio way) as well as their fair share of great Lindeman’s wines. In fact, we all enjoyed our share of the sponsors largess, including our benefactor from ACTION DIVERS, Roscoe Thomson and his wife Florrie, who joined us for the main awards on Sunday night. Roscoe is a red wine fan and can be found at the top end of the table at most Classic Club lunches surrounded by empty bottles and like-minded friends (myself included). Thanks to all who made the event so successful and to all who came along to join in. Next year could be bigger and (if possible) better as there are no conflicting events within weeks of the regatta. So put APRIL 10 - 13th in your sailing and partying diaries right now. Bill is already talking about more interesting courses and more marks.

In the week or so before the regatta, and during the weekend, we were selling raffle tickets to raise funds to send our scholarship sailors off to the President’s Cup regatta. As it happened the dinghy element of the event was cancelled but we went ahead anyway to start a fund for future events. We didn’t really give ourselves enough time to hit the target of 150 - 200 tickets at P450 each and were stuck at 71 until Gundolf got things going on the last evening and managed to convince, cajole and castigate the crowd into a buying frenzy. He sold another 75 tickets in very short order, with our good friend and ASR sponsor, Lukas Marquart stepped up to the plate for an astonishing 43 tickets. The final total was 146, just 4 short of our minimum target. In addition to this Ian Flanders of HYDE SAILS in Cebu pledged P15,000 to the fund but didn’t want any tickets. A very generous gesture guys, thanks. Their sails can be seen powering our whole dinghy fleet. The total cash raised was around P78,000, which is fantastic. Thanks to everybody who contributed.

The draw was duly completed and the winning ticket holder was our own Mel Morrison, residing on Boquete Beach. The dinghy now lives over there and his girlfriend, Jelyn, has been taking sailing lessons. In the enthusiasm of the moment (ably assisted by free beer and red wine and the after-glow of victory on the water), another of our ASR sponsors, Klaus Koppenhöfer announced that he would buy another dinghy to raffle at the ASR! Brilliant!

Other sailing activities include, of course, the normal Wet Wednesday outings. We are alternating weekly between full-day and half-day events, with the former proving very popular. Thus far it’s been around Medio Island and a stop on a beach for a bbq, followed by a leisurely meander back to Boquete in the afternoon. We’ve had up to 11 boats take part in great conditions. It’s a tight beat from the Sandbar up to the entrance of the Batangas channel, followed by a flukey run down it until opposite Coco Beach, where the full force of the Amihan kicks in from astern as you head down the Verde Island Passage. The fun on this leg is surfing down the swell without broaching. Then it’s a gybe round the point at Long Beach and a looping broad reach to stay in the wind as you head for the Manila Channel. Those of you who have sailed in our regattas know only too well how strong the wind can be as it funnels out of the bay here, so it’s a challenging, dead-upwind, beat to the finish. Lots of short tacking is the order of the day (and try not to fill the boat up with water). First to the beach at the far end of the channel wins. There we relax, exaggerate our prowess (or lack thereof), drink beer and eat BBQ chicken, sausages and potato salad, before heading out into the bay again for the race home via a mark in Delaruan. A terrific day for the amazing price of P500 for members and P600 for those unlucky enough not to be members of our great club.

When the season changes from NE to SW how about a Wet Wednesday excursion to Whitebeach or Lexys place in Aninuan? It’d be a long beat/reach there but a great run back with our new spinnakers. Sounds like a plan to me. Come and join us.

Other sailing events include a trip this weekend down to Sombrero Island (Sunday 26th) and, perhaps, a summer cruising rally to Lubang Island, and, of course, the ALL SOULS’ REGATTA in October/November.

Non-sailing activities at the club have been happening thick and fast, under the captainship of our manager, Steve Lada and with support from a proactive board. Firstly we extended the roof over the restaurant to cover the similar extension made to the deck last year. We took the opportunity to re-do the roof too and replaced the cracked, semi-opaque sheets with rather smart green-tinged ones. Thanks to Bill Moore for letting us use his carpenters.

Then yours truly was over at the Sandbar for the windsurfing championships a few weeks ago and spotted a couple of friends playing PETANQUE in the carpark. This is also known as BOULE or BOCCE and involves the aerial bombardment of a little wooden ball (Cochonnet) with much bigger, heavy metal ones. Closest to the Cochonnet (Little Pig) wins. I was invited to play and was instantly hooked. I also learned that there was an active group of Petanque-playing Frenchmen around town. I called upon the expert opinion of Eric, our club Frenchman, and Michel, a former Board member and well know restaurateur (and self-proclaimed Petanque champion!) and within a week or so we had a full-sized, international standard, petanquery (or is it a bouladrome?) built between the boat-building shed and the buri tree (which is now no more). I believe it may well be the only custom-built one in the Philippines. It’s been very popular, with late afternoon games several times a week, and a regular Sunday afternoon crowd getting together at 3pm. We’ve stocked up on the obligatory pastis and are thinking about ordering striped T-shirts and berets. So, if you’re around, or play in other places, then come over and join us, no balls needed, as we have six sets in stock, donated by Dutch Tony (who has a playing area in his house in France).

On the subject of balls, we also have a brand-new BRUNSWICK PRO pool table waiting to be assembled in the bar. It was financed by cash donated around the bar by regular members and cost P50,000 (in fact we’ve paid a 25K deposit to secure it and still need a few more to settle the bill - please). Siting it upstairs is a temporary arrangement until we have funds to build a place downstairs in which to play. It’ll need some rearranging of the current bar, for which purpose I am, in few minutes off to the club for a bar-moving party. In fact, I’m off right now. More to follow………..

Here I am, back on Monday afternoon. The bar move was fun. It’s amazing how many folk will turn up for free beer. There were a large number of Chiefs and just the odd Indian. Eventually we rotated it 90 degrees and moved it a couple of metres to the right to make room for the pool table opposite the entrance to the kitchen. Not surprisingly the floor’s a bit of a mess beneath where the bar used to sit, but a touch of sandpaper and some paint and it’ll be fine. The table will be erected later this week. Bear in mind that this is a temporary arrangement until we find the funds to build a pool bodega downstairs. The table will be covered on BBQ nights and used as a buffet table. The majority of the gang then retired downstairs for a few games of petanque and a sip of pastis.

This morning I was at as meeting with the Mayor about the town fiesta on 10th - 13th May. It’s his intention to make this the biggest event of the year and an attraction for tourists, with lots of cultural events. I’ll post full details on our website when it’s been finalised. As far as the YC is concerned our contribution will be an inter-school regatta on Monday 12th, at the Sandbar, and representation in the Fluvial Parade on the morning of the 13th. There are also all sorts of parades and presentations that, I’m sure, most of us will be involved in at some point. I’ll certainly be at the Mayor’s Cup shootfest Sunday 11th at 0800hrs. The 4 days of fun will culminate on the Muelle on Tuesday 13th, with live music and entertainment.

Mike Tucker and his team have started the moorings inspection and hope to complete it in a couple of weeks. The latest edition of Cruiser News has hit the streets so look out for it in your normal haunts. If you want your very own copy delivered to your door contact Martyn Willes through the website (www.pgyc.org).

The question of membership is still high on our list here. If you are not a member, and would like to support what we’re trying to do here, please think seriously about joining. We are working hard to improve benefits for members, including deals with hotels, dive shops, and transportation, as well as improving the club and grounds with the pool table, petanque, quiz nights, special events and the best kitchen in the town. Don’t forget, too, the benefits of our contacts with reciprocal clubs, to which I’m pleased to add the latest, The Royal Brunei Yacht Club. There is also serious talk here about introducing a Corporate Membership category. It’ll cost more to join than normal membership but the corporation would get, say, one regular, named, member, plus 3 non-named membership cards for it’s own distribution. Everybody gets full benefits, (except discount on only one mooring for the corporation). We are negotiating with nearby hotels and resorts for conference facilities for team-building packages etc etc. Some feedback from all of you out there would be very useful before we finalise the proposal. Emails to info@pgyc.org please.

Finally, another cautionary tale. The CR in the manager’s accommodation has never really worked properly, it was always backing up. Steve eventually got so fed up that he called in the plumbers. What they found was that the hole in the floor on which the contraption sits was 50% blocked with cement. This was duly chipped out and the bits reassembled, surprisingly to no great effect. There was still a decided reluctance of the thing to empty itself. It was stripped again, upturned and shaken. Guess what it produced? Eric’s cell phone! He had wondered where it went. So if he acts a little flushed when you next call him, you know why (and definitely do NOT buy a 2nd hand phone from him!).

Ta ta for now.

Pete

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