Centennial III finally finds way to beat rival Jelik

MANILA, Philippines - Centennial III finally found the way to beat perennial rival Jelik in the eighth Standard Insurance Subic Bay-to-Boracay Race then looked forward to yet another show of force in the Boracay Cup Regatta this coming week.

Judes Echauz skippered the all-Filipino Centennial III crew to victory, beaching in the island paradise of Boracay 11 hours, 33 minutes, 14 seconds after the race was flagged off in Subic Saturday noon.

Echauz, president of the Philippine Sailing Association and the man behind the staging of this annual event among topnotch sailors, is hoping to ride the momentum of the victory in the coming Boracay races.

Another impressive performance in Boracay in the days ahead will give Centennial III its third straight overall title.

Jelik, owned by Hong Kong steel magnate Frank Pong, finished second to Centennial III with a time of 11:50:02 or under 17 minutes behind.

Centennial III, a TP 52 Davidson built in 2002, finished second to Jelik in the same race for the past five years.

Jun Avecilla, chairman of the organizing committee, announced the results yesterday from Boracay.

“This is the first time that Centennial III beat Jelik on the line in the SBBR since the competition started seven years ago,” said Avecilla.

Geoff Hill’s Smith 72 Customs Atipodes came in third in 12 hours, two minutes, 46 seconds.

The event is sanctioned by the Philippine Sailing Association and is part of the Asian Yachting Grand Prix. Among the major backers are the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, Watercraft Venture Corp., the Lighthouse Marina Resort and Subic Sailing Club.

Others that vied in the Racing Class I (RCI) are Excel 53 Karakoa of businessman Ray Ordoveza and the seasoned Black Baza of Anthony Root and Steve Manning.

From Subic, the race covered the Bataan Peninsula, Batangas beaches, Mindoro, Tablas and Carabao Island in Romblon before reaching the tip of Boracay Island.

Scallywag, the highly fancied 100-footer of billionaire Seng Huang Leng, failed to erase their previous record, arriving in Boracay after nine hours, 26 minutes, 31 seconds.

Scallywag is the former Ragamuffin 100.

The four-day regatta in Boracay is a combination of point-to-point and windward/leeward courses, and is also part of the Asian Yachting Grand Prix season. Captain Tom Sheppard is the main judge.

The Boracay Regatta Cup also offers precious points for the coveted Asian Yachting Skipper and Yacht of the Year awards.

Overall winners in each of the three class of the combined Subic-Boracay race and the Boracay Cup Regatta series bring home the handcrafted solid brass trophy replicas by multi-awarded Filipino visual artist Fernando Cacnio.

The Philippine Coast Guard provided escorts for the participants during the race.