Bigiw Bugsay regatta and SUP races get going in Moalboal

ALL IS set for the Bigiw Bugsay 2017 today at the Seaside Park of Moalboal town, 88 kilometers southwest of Cebu City.

The bigiw regatta and stand up paddling (SUP) races will feature 50 paddlers from the municipality and its neighboring towns such as Ronda, Badian and Alcantara. Participants from the islands of Mactan and Olango will also join.

The race will have different categories like the bigiw paddling open-single, open-mix double and kids-single and Bigiw Sailing open-single.

It will also have the SUP 1km marathon, males’ 300m sprint and females’ 300m sprint.

Returning for action is defending big baruto race champion Fredo Pocong.

“For the existing sailors, we will give them a chance to be recognized as sailors themselves and travellers and paddlers and voyagers,” said Island Buzz Philippines founder Buzzy Budlong.

Oceana, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and revitalizing the world’s oceans, and Pioneer Epoxy provided 50 free sails for the participants, giving opportunities for paddlers to participate.

“The fisherman were overjoyed upon knowing this, because their children and grandfathers can now join,” said Budlong, also an instructor of various paddling sports for 20 years.

“We would like to revive our traditional canoe culture in the Visayas specifically in Tañon Strait and in the Philippines. We have the sea breeze here, but we haven’t identified the sailors themselves. They’ve been existing, but why are we covering the potential?”

According to Island Buzz Philippines, the Bigiw is a traditional dugout outrigger sailing canoe used since previous generations by fishermen and travellers in the Tañon Strait, a 161-km strip connecting the Visayan and Bohol seas.