Welcome to the "2005 All Souls Weekend Regatta" and the "2nd Puerto Galera Jazz Festival" which features boats from all over the world and musicians from different parts of the globe.

Witness as sailors, sailboats, musicians and musical instruments are all meshed together in one of the most beautiful bays on this earth.

Last year, the Puerto Galera Yacht Club, Manila Yacht Club, Subic Yacht Club and Taal Lake Yacht Club staged the first “All Souls Weekend Regatta” in Puerto Galera.

This year, the event was a double event. The All Souls Weekend Regatta was combined with the 2nd Puerto Galera Jazz Festival that brought here by the Foreign Correspondents Club of Hong Kong.

The regatta showcased some of the most highly regarded skippers, competitors and boats in the Philippine and Asian yacht racing scene while the Foreign Correspondents Club of Hong Kong brought five of the club’s regular jazz musicians counted among Asia’s top jazz artists, all of whom jammed with our top Pinoy jazz headliners for the festival.

A colorful regatta around and along the blue waters and coastline of Puerto Galera is a sailor’s euphoria while the top jazz artists from here and around Asia jamming was provided superb music to everyone’s ears.

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Soon after we got to Puerto Galera, we changed into some clothes that could get wet and were shuttled out back to the sea to meet our skipper and the rest of the crew that we were to sail and compete with on the boat called "RAGS" owned by long-time sailor Allan Burrel.

RAGS was a few hundred meters from shore and we were very eager to get together with our sail mates whom we were meeting for the first time.

After quick introductions our skipper, Kelly Zaldariaga took control and assigned us our positions and roles on the boat. Like an orchestra that must play beautiful music together Kelly said we needed to try and get our moves somewhat smooth and moving as best we can.

Our very international team had quite a practice run.

Weather changed from sunny to cloudy and windy and wavy and suddenly our planned light workout turned into pretty heavy action on the boat.

Many times we tilted so far on one way we had to put all our weight on the other to try and stabilize.

Hey, in sailing, a heavy weight or two is very much needed.

We tried to get familiar with terms and the instructions that would be prompting us to do a task. We each had different sailing experiences.

Except for Kelly and our companion Simon and the two Pinoys on board, Marc Nelson, myself and the rest of the guys were pretty much novices in sailing.

But this was our motivation. We were joining a regatta the next day.

We wanted to do well, no injuries, no mishaps, just good team work and good sailing.

We got so carried away with our practice, and getting to know each other before we knew it we got caught in the dark pretty far out from the Puerto Galera shores.

It was getting chilly as well so we headed back.

Action and adventure from the start, that was our practice run experience.

We had fun but we knew in our hearts we better follow what we are told to do or else…

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We got to the Puerto Galera yacht club very early.

Skippers got together for the race instructions. Thank God it was a sunny day compared to the rainy conditions during our practice.

We went out with RAGS more than an hour earlier that our start time and did some more practice before our start time of 11:40 a.m.

Staggered starts meant we would be alone at the start.

The order was determined by the handicap system. We were at No 13 out of 20 boats but our start turned out to be so the most eventful.

After that wakeupper of a start we tried to pick up the pace, we had a lot of catching up to do.

Kelly was giving orders and we the crew tried our best to follow.

We moved as fast as we could when we had to, switched sides, tied and untied ropes. It’s fun but you have to really be aware of what’s going on and of course listen to the skipper.

We seemed to get some good speed, we changed sails a few times and we were following the race course that would take us around the beautiful Puerto Galera area.

No wonder sailors from all over the world come here. Aside from the excitement of racing and being on a sailboat with a fun bunch of people, the natural beauty of the island is captivating.

The wind condition changes and with that comes a change in strategy. The idea really is to manage the boat that will make it take advantage of the wind to the fullest.

We found some good wind. We managed to pass many boats.

Kelly was always in control sometimes switching our roles on board all very interesting new and fun for us, but we were in a race so we also had to go as fast as we could without sacrificing the safety off all crew.

At the halfway point we had to go around a couple of buoys not once but twice a lot of turns so with that some action.

It is a different feeling trying to pick up the pace but no gas pedal to step on.

Here you rely on the wind and position of the sails.

On slow times we got some good laughs chatting and getting to know each other. On the return route we saw a few boats going back to finish line direction but we weren’t too sure of what position we were in.

The nice thing about sailing is that conditions are always changing so you’re doing something new. Always thinking.

Its kinda like golf it’s a different course all the time. Seas are never the same. The key is to enjoy the variety.

We were so thrilled to be able to see the finish line boat, the end to our 15-mile race and a great feeling to have participated in a regatta thanks much to our team. They were awesome”

There are many things that can go wrong while you’re sailing, which can be a cause of delay. Hitting rock bottom, getting tangled up in a mess and two words sailors dread to hear: NO WIND.

But there are perks, great perks and reasons why sailors say, “The sport of sailing is a WINNER....sailing is about UNITY OF THE WORLD.

It’s about traveling through and discovering the waters that connect one continent to another.

Sailing celebrates the abundance of the beauty that’s out there. No need to put on your thinking caps to figure out that being on a boat is so much more that just about sailing it.

We instantly figured out that sailing on a boat in the most beautiful bay in the world.

Puerto Galera is a privilege.

Sailors have had a “whirlwind” romance with Puerto Galera for quite some time now.

Although it’s a small bay compared to many other sailing destinations, Sailors find themselves wanting to come back to Puerto Galera over and over again.

Bottom line: when you’re out here and you take it all in, you can’t help but say to yourself…. WHAT A PRECIOUS PLACE PUERTO GALERA IS TO SAIL.

By the way, we finished 5th out of 17 boats overall.

For first timers, we were very satisfied with our result.