Team Karakoa, skippered by Ray Ordoveza, emerged as the overall winner in the IRC Racing Class at the eighth BPI Busuanga Cup, which doubled as the exhilarating second leg of the 2023-2024 BPI Private Wealth Signature Yacht Race Series.

Team Karakoa won the BPI Busuanga Cup Doni Altura Perpetual Trophy and clinched line honours in the Punta Fuego to Busuanga Race, with a record elapsed time of 16 hours 2 minutes and 2 seconds.

A 135nm overnight race that ended in Black Island, the Punta Fuego to Busuanga Race presented gruelling conditions, with 40 knots of true wind speed gusting to a high of 52 knots and wave heights of almost 3m along the Calavite Passage.

BPI has been a long-standing partner of the BPI Busuanga Cup. The regatta started in 2017 with three participating boats with the vision of reintroducing sailing to Filipinos, recalled Maria Theresa Marcial, President and CEO of BPI Wealth.

“BPI proudly continues its steadfast support of the BPI Busuanga Cup, a legacy that takes an extraordinary turn this year as we unite it under the banner of the BPI Private Wealth Signature Yacht Race Series,” Marcial said.

“When we launched the BPI Private Wealth Signature Experience last year, we promised to take innovative strides and breathe new life in the way we do banking by being more relevant in the lives of our clients. This event marks a celebration of rebirths, as we breathe new life into private banking and reignite the sailing spirit in the Philippines, positioning our nation as the coveted sailing mecca in Asia.”

Over the years, the BPI Busuanga Cup has grown into a much-awaited event in the sailing calendar, with 14 yachts participating in the racing and spectator fleet this year.

Ordoveza said: “I can now see that this regatta will be equal to the international regattas in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. I’m sure that this will be very well known around the region. Thank you for elevating sailing in the Philippines.”

The four-day race was designed to test the skill, agility, determination and team work of the participating yachts with the Punta Fuego to Busuanga offshore race and the Doni Altura Memorial Inshore Races around the picturesque landscape of Busuanga, north of Palawan.

The Punta Fuego to Busuanga offshore race victory on corrected time was claimed by Hurricane Hunter skippered Albert Altura for the IRC Racing Class; by Isabelle, skippered by Allen Yotoko for the Cruising Class; and by Cariño, skippered by Monchu Garcia for the Ocean Multihull Class.

Overall winners were determined by a scoring system that combined the results of the offshore race and inshore races based on corrected time. The Cruising Class saw Papaya, skippered by Renie Ticzon, emerge on top, with Isabelle securing second place, and Despacito skippered by Pablo Lobregat taking third place.

In the Ocean Multihull category, Cariño claimed the top spot overall, followed by Poco Loco skippered by David Sutton in second place, and Tutu Tango skippered by Roman Azanza in third.

For the IRC Class, Team Karakoa once again emerged victorious, claiming the overall win. Belatrix skippered by Jun Villanueva secured a commendable second place, while Hurricane Hunter rounded out the top three.

The BPI Busuanga Cup showcased outstanding talent and sportsmanship, with participants demonstrating exceptional prowess in their respective categories. The event proved to be a testament to the spirit of competition and camaraderie within the sailing community.

Monchu Garcia, President of the Philippine Inter-Island Sailing Foundation (PHINSAF), which is co-organising the series with ORCP and Subic Sailing, said: “This is what Philippine sailing needs – a shot in the arm from a company that shares the same vision of creating a great sailing culture in the Philippines, with 7,100 islands and a rich sailing history.”

The third and fourth legs of the 2023/2024 BPI Private Wealth Signature Yacht Race Series are in Boracay from February 22-27 and Subic from April 2-5.

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