Slow, windless day for surfers

BORACAY — Competitors in the Cutty Sark Boracay Funboard Cup, so eager to compete after the cancellation of Monday’s schedule, were finally flagged off Tuesday only to get stalled anew later in the afternoon due to lack of winds.

Only five heats involving 60 participants representing 12 countries were completed shortly before noon before organizers from the Asian Windsurfing Tour called it a day at around 3 p.m. after failing to get the minimum wind requirement of 12 knots.

Morning races in the 3.6 km, 5-turn course were held under perfect sailing conditions with the wind hitting the meter at 18 to 20 knots.

First-day action last Monday was also scratched due to lack of winds. A check with the International Weather Station in the Internet showed stronger wind forecasts starting Thursday.

The first four heats raced Wednesday featured 15 riders from the five different classes – ladies, men’s (29-under), junior masters (30-39), masters (40-above) and open. The top seven finishers from each heat advanced to the winners’ bracket and the rest to the losers’ bracket.

So far, the five-man Cutty Sark team, led by 1991 Manila SEA Games gold medalist Eduardo "Visegrip" Fajermo, is in good shape with just one entry – youthful architect Ian Bautista – failing to make it to the top seven in heat 4 where he raced with Fajermo.

Aside from the 34-year-old Fajermo, who owns a surfing school in Anilao, Batangas, Filipinos who advanced into the winners’ bracket were businessman Manny Cabili (heat 1), RFM Corp. employee Rico Cumayas (heat 2) and German Paz, a two-time SEAG campaigner (heat 3).

The foreign favorites, including reigning back-to-back champion Robbie Radis of Australia and 1992 Barcelona Olympics veteran Suh Yong Keun of Korea lived up to expectations. Radis finished second behind compatriot Mike Nelson in heat 4 while Suh topped heat 2.

The top seven finishers in heats 1 and 2 made it to heat 5 topped once again by the 34-year-old Suh, who finished 22nd out of a field of 56 in Barcelona. He came to Boracay shortly after Christmas together with the Korean youth team undergoing training here.

In heat 5, Suh, sporting a military haircut and armed with the top-of-the-line sailing equipment, was followed by Dave San Agustin of the US, Koreans Yoon Sung Soo and Lee Jae Cheol, Cabili, Fil-Am George Gesner and Jjimmy Cedullo, a Filipino entry.

Suh and company will now wait for the top seven finishers in heat 6, hopefully including the other members of the Cutty Sark team for heat 9. It will be a very crucial one because it could determine the division champions if the winds fail to pick up the rest of the week.