Hi Everyone,

Look through any door, window, or porthole on Doramac and you will see racing sail boats and green and gold ROLEX flags.  It is the time for the President’s Cup Regatta that comes with all of the trappings of any high priced sporting event.

“The 16th President’s Cup Regatta (PCR) organized by the Manila Yacht Club and hosted by The Lighthouse Marina Resort and Subic Bay Yacht Club will unfold in Subic Bay in the Easter summer week in 2008 for 7 glorious days of sailing competition. It will be in two parts. The first from March 21-24 will run races in the one design class (Platus), dinghys (mirrors, lawins, optimists and hobies) and the second from March 25-29 for the keelboat class.

This prestigious annual regatta  which is very much part of the Asian Yachting Circuit draws participants not only from the Philippines but from all corners of the world, attracting great global media attention owing to the big names who take up the challenge, as well as the exciting and adventurous races it offers. It immediately follows the China Sea Race (CSR) which is now included in Rolex’s distinguished portfolio of offshore races along with Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and the Rolex Fastnet Race, both considered the pinnacle of ocean racing. The Rolex China Sea Race, is 565 nautical miles long and will start in Hong Kong on Thursday, 20 March 2008 and finish in Subic Bay. The CSR and the PCR attract and bring in the international yachting fraternity of grand prix keel boats and sailors and participants from all over the world and highlight Subic Bay as a popular sailing arena in the Philippines in the week long activity.

          Because the participants and the hordes of personalities they attract have been distinguished by their own affluence and predisposition to high life, sailing being an expensive sport, the event has become a great launching pad and showcase for many interests that cater to and purvey to their expensive tastes.”

It really is not only quite a sight, but with all of the Brits and Aussies, it sounds very different than our American Diesel Duck contingent.  We definitely didn’t arrive with flags waving and bagpipes playing.  But that is exactly how the Imagine did arrive.  She is tied up directly across the way, Fortis Mandrake is to our left and MoonBlue  to our right. 

I did take lots of photos.

  The Jelik arrived yesterday with very little fanfare.

  The Fortis arrived a bit earlier to a fairly large crowd and camera crew.  She was the first to arrive.

  Imagine’s bagpiper.  He looks a bit the Curt Schilling of the Red Sox!

Here she is backing into the slip.  Not so easy at all.

  So different in shape from Doramac.

I am sitting in our pilot house taking this photo.  I think this works because most folks are ready to turn in early and know what is the expected Marina behavior.  No radio blaring at midnight or that kind of thing.

  She was a crew member on Imagine and I just liked her hair!

  Guess who the big sponsor is?

  Lots of boats and crews.  Most crew members look to be between 30 something to 60 something. 

Oddly with all of the arrival hoopla and the increased number of boats, the marina is very quiet this morning as I finish up this email.  I stopped writing yesterday when our friend Audrey came to collect us for our “scuba diving introduction.”    That will come next email. 

PS for Bob.  Audrey says that you will be sorry to have missed the sailing boats.  I think you will be sorry to have missed our scuba lesson!