INQUIRER Sports

BOHOL, Philippines ? Having a good sense of wind direction became key for German Paz and Johnder Austria in winning the 125-kilometer Red Bull Kayak Explore Cebu-Bohol Crossing, the final leg of this year?s Philippine Kayaking Series.

Cousins Paz and Austria, who hail from Anilao, Batangas, won against local teams in the tandem division clocking in a total time of 11 hours, 33 minutes, and 13 seconds.

Bohol?s Jerome Abuyador and Jerwin Castro, meanwhile, managed to finish second despite incurring a 30-minute penalty, while Irene Quisido and Lito Lapure, the only mixed duo in the field, finished third place.

?My experience as a wind surfer helped a lot in knowing the direction of the wind and the waves, and from there we relied on which direction to paddle,? said Paz, a founding member of the national windsurfing team.

The race started last December 4 (Friday) at the Tambuli Beach Club in Mactan, Cebu and ended two days later at the Bohol Beach Club in Panglao Island in Bohol.

A windsurfer for two decades now, Paz took up kayaking after looking for another sport to cross-train. Paz admitted that they were challenged to paddle in unfamiliar waters.

?The first leg was the most difficult because we didn?t know which direction to take,? said Paz, who trained with first-time kayaker Austria, for only three days.

Austria, meanwhile, sustained a minor injury during the first leg, which started in Mactan Island, passing by Pandanon Island, Buenavista and ending at the Tubigon, where the group spent the night to rest.

The second leg, which covered a distance of 30 kilometers, began at Tubigon Port area and ended at Punta Cruz Watchtower in the municipality of Maribojoc. The last leg, from Cortes until Bolod village in Panglao, covered a distance of 25 kilometers.

In the singles division, Doyet Dumaluan topped with a total time of 13 hours, 11 minutes, and 58 seconds despite being slapped with a 30-minute penalty. Dumaluan, a doctor by profession who owns 50 kayaks, initiated kayaking in Bohol.

Cebuano engineer Dondon Dimpas came in second (14:04:10) while Buzzy Budlong of Team Habagat finished third (14:17:10).

Incidentally, Budlong paddled around the country for 88 days from Mindanao to Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte with Singaporean adventurer Khoo Swee Chiow.

The Philippine Kayaking Series, promoted by the Department of Tourism, aims to identify kayaking trails in the country.

Aside from promoting kayaking as an adventure sport, the event also aims to establish sustainable eco-tourism programs in different provinces.

?Since we?re running in coastal areas, the purpose there is to really transfer the developments that we could pick up or introduce to the community that we pass through,? said Val Camara, race director of PKS and president of the Philippine Kayaking Association.

?We are introducing kayaking as part of local tourism development programs that can generate livelihood for locals in these areas,? Camara said.