ABW March 2024

avoided. The last part of the briefing was the boat draw
which was recorded by the secretariat Miss Pen Avila.
As the sailors rushed down towards the race course at
Subic bay, we were greeted by ENE wind direction with an
average strength of around 6-8kts and from time to time,
gusting up to 10-15 knots.
The first horn of the day, my team, Standard Insurance PSA
1, got ahead of the fleet as we started at the pin and tack
right away on port tack as the horn blasted because pin
end was really favored. Race officer Rye Lee had to blow
again the horn for the individual recall and 1 boat had to
go back to the starting line and restarted. Meanwhile, while
my team was leading the pack rounding the Windward
Leeward course stretched up to 0.8 nautical mile from
committee boat to windward mark, team Bela Trix lead by
Maria Vidoeira and team Standard Insurance PSA 3 helmed
by Alaiza Mae Belmonte, an all women team, exchanging
their lead until such time they approached at the finish line
behind me, but team Standard Insurance Global City M1
of Seymour Saldavia sneak in for the 3rd place over Maria
Vidoeira in 4th place and Alaiza Mae Belmonte got 2nd place.
A close fight between Emerson Villena’s team and my team
on the 2nd race just before rounding the leeward mark on
the second leg, as Emerson sailing downwind on starboard
tack while I was sailing downwind on port tack, passes
behind Emerson and claimed that our spinnaker touches
their boat. That incident didn’t bother my team and
eventually overtook them on the last upwind and still gives
us a convincing lead, as we crossed the finishing line first.
Emerson Villena came in second but only to find out that
they were over the line at the start after hearing no horn
when they crossed the finish line. This gives Maria Vidoeira,
Alaiza Mae Belmonte and Seymour Saldavia a chance to
climbed up one point of their finishing position at 2nd, 3rd
and 4th place respectively.
Words by RIDGLEY BALLADARES
Photographs as Credited
rance FE28R
al l Regatta
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