The Balangay Marina Sailing and Yacht Club (BMSYC) was launched last May 26th 2019 at the Saint Joseph Institute of Technology (SJIT) Maritime Academy in Nasipit, Agusan Del Norte.
The program included some talks from Dr. Ligaya Lacsina a Museum Curator of the Philippine National Museum about the history of boat building during pre-colonial period, Zedrik Avecilla the Executive Director of Subic Sailing Club and Vice President of Philippine Sailing Association discussed sailing as a sport and career and lastly Dann Diez the National Convener of Lets Do It Philippines spoke about protecting our oceans. "BMSYC is about promoting maritime heritage, sailing as a sport and the protecting our seas. The forum today shows just that," said Patrick Ruiz, OIC for the sailing development at the SJIT Maritime Academy.
Through the joint effort of TeeKay Shipping Philippines, Saint Joseph Institute of Technology, Municipal of Nasipit, The Philippine Home Boatbuilder’s Yacht Club (PHBYC), and The Subic Sailing Club, the BMSYC hopes to introduce sailing and boat building into the school curriculum of SJIT to eventually replicate it to all the maritime schools nationwide.
“Boatbuilding and creating sailors is the thrust of the BMSYC for better appreciation on the Filipino maritime history and heritage,” said Capt. Gilbert Maturan, Co-founder of BMSYC. They have solicited the assistance of Roy Espiritu, Executive Director of PHBYC and Michael Storer, Designer of the OZ Goose to help educate the 15 TeeKay scholars at the SJIT on how to build the OZ Goose. Moreover, the said scholars were also taught to sail at the day of the launch by Mr. Espiritu and Mr. Storer, together with the assistance of the SSC members who were there that day.
"I was amazed but not surprised at how these kids learned to sail so quickly. I suppose since this area is the birthplace of the Balangay, it is most likely that the people from here have ‘sailing’ in their DNA," said Zed Avecilla, Vice President of Philippine Sailing Association. "It was really heartwarming to see the enthusiasm of these young cadets and their eagerness to learn how to sail. We are thankful for the support of all the organizations who made this happen and for allowing sailing to continue to grow in our country," Avecilla added.
There are a total of 20 Oz Goose boats that will be available for training in SJIT Maritime Academy. For more information on their sailing program, please visit their Facebook Page.
For more information on how you can support this campaign, please email us at contact@subicsailing.com.