Philippines·November 18 - 26 2024
Beautiful sailing chaos on the high seas for non-sailors.
Welcome to the Philippines Challenge, the sailing adventure holiday for non-sailors. Aboard a locally skippered ‘paraw’ tri-maran you’ll embark on a voyage over the turquoise oceans and across pristine, uninhabited islands around Boracay. If you can sail, great, but if not, your skipper and crew will take care of the navigational stuff for you. It’s just up to you to make sure they’re going the right way. There will be challenges in the Philippines Sailing Challenge – think fishing for your dinner, climbing coconut trees and generally using your cunning and resourcefulness to outsmart the other teams – and there will be chaos. It’s Castaway, minus Tom Hanks. BYO Wilson. The challenge is split into several legs, each slightly more awesome than the last and there will be a combination of sea based and Island based challenges. You’ll be challenged physically, mentally and sailingly (that’s a new word), but a little slice of island paradise will never be far away. And the whole thing is designed to make meaningful contributions to the communities and cultures you’ll visit along the way, so you can rest assured that your epic adventure has impacted the Philippines positively. So grab a team of 2 or 3, sign on the dotted line, and join us for the Philippines Sailing Challenge. It’s chaos on the high seas. And it’s all you ever dreamed of!
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Training and sailing lessons on arrival day.
Hire and use of ‘paraw’ tri-maran for the duration of the Challenge.
A local ‘paraw’ skipper and crew of 2 for the duration of the Challenge.
Accommodation for 2 or 3 people – 5 nights in double, twin or triple rooms & 3 nights of rustic beach life with hammocks (provided) and homestays.
Half Board – delicious locally-made breakfasts and dinners along the way.
Challenge logistics & legal (medical & support team, luggage boat, permits).
Welcome Pack (walkie-talkie, map, t-shirt, event bag, phrase book, navigational sheets).
Awards ceremony & farewell party.
5% contribution to our Meaningful Travel projects
Flights, visas, airport transfers.
Paraw pimpin
Day to day costs (approx. £30 per day for lunch and drinks)
Philippines Challenge
Think white sandy beaches, uninhabited tropical islands and crystal clear turquoise waters. All of which you’ll be navigating while sailing your very own traditional tri-maran. But even though we’ve swapped land for sea, this is still a Large Minority challenge. There will be strangeness, surprises, near misses and much eating of food. Welcome aboard.
Well, to start with, you’re going to need sun cream as it´s going be pretty warm (say what you like about pirates, they had epic tans). For everything else we will send you a Sailing challenge kit list before you depart. There’s nothing too technical on there, just some travel essentials and some dry bags will do the trick.
Don’t worry, you don’t have to strap suitcases to the sides of your boat. Each day your bags will be transferred from point to point on a dry boat meaning if all goes to plan (it will go to plan) then you will have a nice and dry set of clothes to put on every day and night. It’s the little things.
These tri-marans are unique to the Visayas region of The Philippines. It’s sort of like an outrigger canoe with a sail on top. Light, fast and very sturdy. They were originally used by the locals as fishing boats.
Warning: Remember, the sea is a cruel mistress. These waters can be a very dangerous and unpredictable place. Adverse weather conditions may also affect the dates, route and activities of this challenge.
Specifications
On the first day of the event everyone is required to attend a mandatory sailing induction and safety training session. You will get an introduction to sailing from a local sailing expert.
This is a sailing challenge – emphasis on the sailing and on also the challenge. Emphasis all ‘round really. Which means participation and speed will play a role in deciding who wins.
Think of it as kind of a sailing regatta. Minus the masses of ultra competitive sailors, plus the masses of competitive non sailors, minus the huge list of rules and regulations, plus the amount of time you actually WON´T be sailing. Each day’s leg will be timed but the difference is, your team will also get time deducted for participating in awesome team and individual challenges throughout the entire event.
Like our terra-firma challenges, the Philippines Sailing Adventure is broken up into different legs. Every teams gets a daily navigational sheet, which they’ve got to use to get from Point A to Point B each day. The winning team is the one that reaches the day’s end point the fastest, combined with the total accumulated Challenge points* from the various crazy things we make you do. You’ve all seen Amazing Race, right?
*Challenge points collected are converted into units of time. The more points, the more time we take off your day. Win.
A team is made up of either 2 or 3 people. Apparently there is no ‘I’ in it. You get one paraw per team.
Unfortunately, no. Only because each leg will start from the hotel / over-night stop and the idea is to share our challenging travel experience together. Most importantly you wouldn’t want to miss out on each night’s social gatherings…
Yes, you’ve got to be at least 18 years old in order to compete. We don’t have a maximum age, but if you’re over 65 we definitely recommend checking with your insurer to make sure you qualify for the medical insurance you’ll need to take part.
No – each team will have a local skipper and a minimum of 3 local crew on board. The better sailor you are, the more the crew will let you take over the helm, the less of a sailor you are the more chilling you get to do.
Not really – the boats we will be sailing really are quite fast, which means there wont be too much bobbing up and down (…and up and down, and up and – okay we’ll stop there.) The paraw’s design also means that you’ll be quite close to the water, making the causes of sea sickness less effective.
It’s a sailing adventure by name, but not always by nature. We wanted to mix things up and include lots of land-based activities too. You’ll usually be sailing for between 3-4 hours each day. The rest of the time you will be on terra firma (probably sipping on something with rum in it).
As much as Boracay island itself is very touristy, the surrounding areas/islands are not at all. Some of the places we’ll be visiting don’t get too many tourists at all and are very sleepy towns/villages to say the least. Facilities on some of the homestay locations are basic as are the availability or services and activities. As with all LM trips we will do our utmost to make sure everyone is safe and comfortable at all times but considering the relative remoteness of some of the overnight spots, it’s best you come well prepared.
Most of you will have to fly to Manila first and then either fly to Caticlan on Cebu Pacific or Kalibo on Air Asia. Caticlan airport is a 5 minute ride to the Caticlan ferry port plus a 15 minute ferry to Boracay, whilst Kalibo Airport is approx. 1 hour ride to the Caticlan ferry port plus a 15 minute ferry to Boracay. From Boracay there’s a 25 minute ride to the starting hotel.
Well, to start with, you’re going to need sun cream as it´s going be pretty warm (say what you like about pirates, they had epic tans). For everything else we will send you a Sailing challenge kit list before you depart. There’s nothing too technical on there, just some travel essentials and some dry bags will do the trick.
Don’t worry, you don’t have to strap suitcases to the sides of your boat. Each day your bags will be transferred from point to point on a dry boat meaning if all goes to plan (it will go to plan) then you will have a nice and dry set of clothes to put on every day and night. It’s the little things.
Not really. We’re not sailing in the Bermuda Triangle or the Drake Passage. Having said that, there is definitely going to be an element of danger because, after all is said and done, you will be on the high seas. Of course if you’re sensible, cautious and responsible (and don’t run with scissors) you should be fine. We’ve got an expertly trained crew looking after you every step of the way.
Caution: Sailing will depend on weather conditions. Naturally we will not be heading to sea if the conditions do not allow and it’s not safe to do so, meaning there may be some time spent on the islands waiting for the right weather. As you may have seen already, the distances we’re traveling each day are by no means far, however traveling on non-motorised boats means we are at the mercy of the wind and the weather. The short answer is, bring a good book or be very happy in the company of each other and or ones self.
Travel insurance is a must-have on all our Adventures; in fact it’s a condition of entry.
Please ensure that you have appropriate travel insurance which covers Emergency & Medical insurance for the duration of the trip as well as ensuring that you have cover to navegate. It is also advisable to have cover for things such as luggage loss and flight cancellation etc.
We can suggest you take a look at Campbell Irvine or SafetyWing.
Nope, you won’t need any specialty paraw insurance because you won’t be directly in charge. The skipper will take responsibility for his/her boat.
Definitely! We love to see teams going the extra mile to raise money for charity. Just be aware that the paraws we use have limited branding space (we take up some for our own branding purposes). If you need more info on this, just let us know.
Once you’ve done all that successfully, we’ll send you an email with lots of exclamation marks confirming your team’s availability.
Once your registration is locked and loaded, we’ll email you and ask you to provide us with:
We’ll double check all these docs on the ground, so please bring copies with you.
30 days before the Challenge starts.
Nope. We’ll provide the sleeping bags and the marshmallows as necessary. However it might be good to bring a torch.
Ah visas, our old nemesis. You can find all the info and apply online here.
We try to stick to the original route and accommodation as much as possible, but they can be subject to change from time to time. We’ve got more info in our Ts & Cs.
Not really. Some luxuries can be a little pricey (hence the ‘luxury’ bit), but for the most part it’s super reasonable. Food for lunch will typically cost you a few bucks and beer generally under a buck or 2. You can check out more money matters right here.
Nope. Not surprisingly open water in The Philippines doesn’t have a super sweet WiFi connection. So put those phones away, unplug and enjoy it! If you can’t, the start and finish hotels do have internet and there will be a couple along the way that will let you check-in.
Roman Catholicism is practiced by approximately 83% of the population. Christian, Muslim and Buddhist round out the set. If in doubt, just smile and be friendly.
There are two national languages spoken in the Philippines; Tagalog and English. With that said, don’t get us started on the over 100 different island dialects. Don’t worry too much – your crew will all speak English.
Pretty good, if warm is good that is. It’s really hot between March and May, a little bit cooler from November to February and it’s the rainy season from June to October. But a good traveler knows that off-peak season means lower rates in airfares, and maybe the beer too! Just be forewarned that the months between July and September have the odd typhoon.
This is completely up to you (and your doc), but generally it’s a good idea to be up-to-date with standard vaccinations like Tetanus, Hap A and Polio. Other jabs to consider are Tuberculosis, Meningitis and Typhoid. Anti-malaria meds might also be a good idea. If in doubt, check with your GP.
For more information please refer to our Booking Terms & Conditions.