Negrense teen at the helm

Bacolod teenager, Robert George Harland, celebrated his 15th birthday a few days early this year by participating in the Puerto Galera Yacht Club’s renowned sail training program.

Robert, who took up dinghy sailing this year during a holiday in England, underwent two days of intensive training with the club’s top instructors in an Oz-Goose dinghy.

Puerto Galera, in Oriental Mindoro, is one of the top spots in the Philippines for sailing, The yacht club organizes the annual All Souls Regatta, the largest yachting event in the country.

Dinghy sailing is not a popular sport in Negros Occidental. But said Robert George: “I hope this will change in time so that other local teenagers can experience the thrill of wind and sea under sail.”*