Boracay is a tiny island that nestles in the midst of the Philippine Archipelago. On a map it looks innocuous, almost too small to deserve attention – yet this "tiny island" is developing a reputation around the world as an awesome windsurfing destination. A fringing reef protects a tropical lagoon where on-shore winds blast palm tress into bows of submission. And every January there is the Boracay International Funboard Cup now on its 15th year, where windsurfers from across different shores come to join the competition and the parties. It is this mix that makes the Funboard Cup such a legend – days of hard racing are followed by fun nights, parties and more.
This year 66 competitors have gathered from 13 countries to be in Boracay at the Funboard Cup and the conditions that have greeted them are perfect. The winds blew all day today, peaking at 19 knots. In such conditions the lagoon off Bulabog is a perfect race track for the downwind slalom event.
Downwind slalom is all about speed over the water. Racers all cross the line together and travel downwind around a series of buoys. The first windsurfer to cross the line is deemed the winner of that race. The fleet is divided into heats with 12 heats making a single round of racing. There were 16 heats runs today (Tuesday) and with wind speeds reaching 19 knots, the windsurfers were sailing at speeds of 40-50kph.
Defending champion at the Funboard Cup is Australian sailor Robbie Radis who arrives fresh from victories at the three previous events on the Adecco Asian Windsurfing Tour in Taiwan, Malaysia and Indonesia and he’ll be hard to beat. Challenging him will a large fleet of Filipino sailors, led by Kinetic team rider Manny Cabili and Lava Eyewear-Maui and Sons team rider Xavi Gonzlez. Korea also has a large team of sailors entered and previous champion Suh Yong Kuen will be in the hunt together with Phanuthat Ruamsap of Thailnd, currently ranking 3rd in the Adecco Asian Windsurfing Tour.
As the sailors gathered on the beach for the morning skippers briefing by World Tour Race Director Klaus Michel, the wind was blowing a steady 17 knots. But sailing would have to wait until after midday when the tide had come up in the shallow lagoon. By 1:03pm all the sailors were flying across the water and racing was under way.
Radis quickly established himself as a formidable favourite by winning the first round of racing – but Ruamsap and Guam’s Conrad Kerber pushed him hard and close while Filipinos Visegrip Fajermo, Manny Cabili and Bingo Moreno held the 4th, 5th and 6th positions after the first round of racing. There are 5 rounds scheduled for the week-long event.
After a short pause to re-seed the fleet, the second round of racing got under way. The beach was alive with action and excitement as music rolled out across the water, chasing the sailor around the course. Four heats of Round 2 were run as the tide came down, ending the day’s races at 5pm. A full evening program followed in Outer Space with a fashion show featuring clothes from Ticket Boutique at D’Mall de Boracay.
Simultaneous with the downwind slalom is the speed trials held in the southern end of Bulabog Beach where participants speed through a gate one at a time and is clocked with the use of an electronic speed gun. The fastest time of the day was clocked by Robbie Radis at 50.5kph while Philstar.com featured athlete Filipina Nenette Graf and Korean Yun Hee Lee tied with a speed of 38.6kph.
Racing continues until Saturday. In addition, there will be an endurance event – the Winduro – and a Foster’s Forward Loop event on the waves that break on the reef.
The Adecco Asian Windsurfing Tour is presented by Foster’s with official magazine Action Asia and on-line partner Philstar.com. The Boracay International Funboard Cup is supported by Asian Spirit, Neil Pryde, Maui & Sons, Philippine Airlines, The Philippine Department of Tourism, and Green Yard Funboard Center. Each event on the Adecco AWT is filmed for international broadcast to an audience in excess of 170 million in over 100 countries worldwide.
For more information on the event, visit the Cup website at www.windsurfingphilippines.com/bfc/.