Ilonggo seafarers to show mettle in 38th Iloilo Paraw Regatta
The seamanship of Ilonggo seafarers will once again be tested in the 38th Iloilo Paraw Regatta sailboat competition this coming Sunday, February 21. Iloilo Paraw Regatta is one of the city’s well-placed tourism events after the Dinagyang festival.
The yearly event organized by the Iloilo Paraw Regatta Foundation Inc. chaired by Manny Villa Jr. has gained recognition from the Association of Tourism Officers in the Philippines as second best tourism event in the country.
The contest of the outrigger boats has been part of Ilonggo history. The native sailboat was used as means of transportation. The sailboat contest started in early ‘70’s. The winner in the 1973 paraw regatta competition under category A was Teodoro dela Cruz.
The competition using engineless paraw starts at Tatoy’s Manokan and Seafoods in Sto. Nino Sur, Arevalo. There are two categories for participants, mostly fisher folks from the towns of Jordan and Nueva Valencia in the nearby province Guimaras, towns of Leganes, Tigbauan in Iloilo province and Hinigaran and Valladolid in Negros Occidental.
In previous contest, there was also a participant from Boracay. The participants have mastered the skills on how to make their paraws be in unison with the waves.
In Category A, the sailboats have the waterline length ranging from 16 feet and below. The organizers strictly impose the use of indigenous materials for the paraw’s hull and outrigger.
Paraws with waterline length of 16.1 feet up to 22 feet are classified under the Category B. The organizers strictly impose that hulls should be made of wood though they allow the use of aluminum for outriggers.
The paraws are also classified into two, the painted and unpainted. There is a contest of painted paraws aside from the race itself. The Pinta Layag event organizer will determine the painted paraw.
The race course for both category A and B will cover an approximate distance of 23.8 kilometers which has its starting point at Tatoy’s Manokan and Seafoods in Sto. Nino Sur, Arevalo.
The paraw race also covers Iloilo City to Fort San Pedro to Sto. Rosario Buenavista to Nagba Point Jordan and Bundolan Point. They will return to Tatoy’s Manokan and Seafood as its finish line.
Cash prizes await the winners. Initially, there are some 75 participants who expressed their intension in joining the yearly paraw competition.
Aside from the main event which is the paraw sailing contest, the foundation has also lined up several activities to add more color to the event. The event is expected to draw crowd in the long stretch of Arevalo beach.
