11th Hobie Challenge sets sail

MANILA, Philippines –  It will be a week of earth-friendly extreme adventure and sports tourism as the Cleanergy Philippine Hobie Challenge sails from Sariaya, Quezon to the resort island of Boracay from Feb. 14 to 19.

Now on its 11th staging, the sailing event is organized by the Philippine Inter-island Sailing Foundation (Phinsaf) and Aboitiz Power. The Challenge will see 12 teams of the best local and international sailors compete in one of Asia-Pacific’s most extreme Hobie Cat regattas.

The 250-nautical mile 5-leg race kicks off tomorrow from Blue Bay Waters Resort in Sariaya to Maniwaya Island in Sta. Cruz, Marinduque, then to the Bellaroca Island Resort in Buenavista.

Racers sail across to Romblon island on Feb. 16, followed by the in-shore series at Romblon Bay the next day. Leg 4 sails to Cajidiocan in Sibuyan island then culminates in Boracay on Feb. 19.

In between races, the sailors will do community outreach work by donating useful materials to remote schools in coastal villages.

According to Phinsaf chair Monchu Garcia, the Hobie Challenge aims to promote awareness of sailing as an environmentally sound way of discovering the country’s rich seas, beautiful islands and pristine beaches.

Romblon Cathedral one of the stops in the regatta.

In addition, by interacting with coastal communities, the group hopes to increase interest in sailing among local fishermen as a clean alternative to engines. He said that in pursuit of this goal, Phinsaf has partnered with Aboitiz Power whose “Cleanergy” brand promotes alternative energy and lifestyle choices. This way, the Philippines will be promoted as one of the world’s top sports tourism and sailing destinations.

For details, visit www.philhobie.org. and follow the daily updates through Twitter.com/philhobie.