Belatrix, an Ice 52 keelboat captained by Jun Villanueva, topped the 20th edition of the Punta Fuego Yacht Club Regatta, one of the country’s longest-running yachting tournaments, held recently in Nasugbu, Batangas.
Co-helmed by tactician Sean Mitchell, the 52-foot long sailboat is a perennial winner of several tournaments, among them the BPI Busuanga Cup and the Corregidor Cup Regatta, both held in 2022.
The two-day sailing event gathered the country’s top sailors-business executives who competed in the windward leeward routine and the exciting Fortune Island Race which tested the participants’ sailorship.
“The Regatta, which resumed last year despite many challenges due to the pandemic, is an indication of the return to normalcy of leisure and tourism activities in the country,” says Edgar Krohn, general manager of Club Punta Fuego, the event’s main presentor.
The sailfest is organized by Club Punta Fuego and the Philippine Inter-Island Sailing Foundation (Phinsaf) and co-presented by property conglomerate Landco Pacific Corp.
The sailfest is supported by MG Grand Hotel Subic, Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar, Anya Resort Tagaytay (managed by AHG), and Unioil as major sponsors; and Asahi Beer, Niyama Wellness by AHG, Azumi Boutique Hotel, Bali Pure, Winedrop, German Club Manila, and Rambla Restaurant, Teresa Marble, as other sponsors.