The highlight of the Balai Isabel Round Taal Volcano Regatta, supported by the Philippine Inter Island Sailing Foundation (PHINSAF), and organized by the Taal Lake Yacht Club, is the actual race around the Volcano. Monchu and Bianca rounded Taal Volcano in 2 hours and 5 minutes.
The regatta results count as part of a the PHINSAF Travellers Series, which is sponsored by Aboitiz Power’s CLEANERGY division. Cleanergy produces clean electric power from Wind generators and is exploring other Clean Energy Technologies.
The event was covered by Action Boating and Watersports, and the Hyper Channel under Cignal Cable TV.
Originally conceptualized by Noel Lim, the event is now on its 14th year, and for the last 6 years, it has been held in cooperation with Balai Isabel. There are usually 8 races, one of which is the “Governors Cup” the actual “Round Taal Volcano” or RTV race. The race is part of the whole regatta, and even if there is an option to drop one race, for a competitor’s final score, the score of that race cannot be dropped.
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Photos courtesy of Johnny Martinez.
Rex Puentespina and Art Pascua came second in the Round Taal Volcano race, but they still hold the record, with a time under 2 hours, which they achieved in 2012. This year they won the overall RTV regatta trophy.Maria Vidoeira and Louis Placed First Overall in Masters Class
Aidan Hilker in the SmartKat surprised everyone by showing off how fast an inflatable sailboat can go, and won the Overall PY in the process. The SmartKat was given the same handicap as a laser.Brent and Jason Chamberlain earn their stripes by moving up in Hobie 16 B-fleet to capture both the Governors Cup, as well as the overall B-Fleet trophy.
Joaida Pablo sails away with all the top honors in the Topper class.Roy Espiritu and Joaquin Casal won the Homebuilt division in Maldita.Mike Ngu leads the Hobie 16s on the second leg of race 1 race 1.One of the best friendly rivalries in the Hobie 16 class, Alex Chen and Ed Legarda have been battling it out literally for years, Both keep getting better, and moving up in the fleet, but they always seem to be neck and neck. This time Alex prevailed in the overall standings, by a hair. both tied at 23 points, but Alex had a 4th as his best score, and Ed had a 5th, so Alex beat him… this time.Hobie 16’s line the beach at the annual Balai Isabel Round Taal Volcano Regatta.Pierre Henri Berard and Raphael De Colinet, a new team on the scene that is a definite threat to the current crop of “Good Sailors” in the Philippine Hobie Fleet based at Taal Lake Yacht Club. Sponsored by Four Winds, we expect to see some podium photos of these guys.Alex Chen and Jason Lin
Special Thanks to Thai Yangco and Randy for going rescue duty. The guys you rescued really appreciated your presence!
Photos by Noel Lim
Photos below by Aidan Hilker with Sony Experia
The wind died on Sunday, so Aidan went a shore, got a cooler of beer, and we started the party early! Raftup!
Click here to see more photos of the Round Taal Volcano Regatta.
