8 brave Filipinos just rode an ancient boat, called The Balangay, its maiden voyage took place in CCP by the bay last September 1, 2009, the historic voyage will journey through out the Philippine Seas. The Balangay is an ancient boat that our ancestors built to travel the seas hundreds of years ago, and this historical voyage will show that The Balangay's legacy of our ancestors being carried by the new generations and symbolizes the Filipino people's ingenuity, resiliency, strength, courage and unity.
The mighty team and crew of the Balangay will organize coastal clean up, tree planting, lectures on Philippine maritime history, and mini-fiestas to rekindle the glorious days of the Filipino seafarers. It was an exciting site that the boat really works and they are now in the sea near Luzon island. The 2009 Balangay boat is crafted and built by master boat builders from the Island of Sibutu and Sitangkay in Tawi-Tawi, boat masters skill has been handed down through generations. (more article and photo below)
The sailing route of the Balangay
2009 The Philippines
2010 Southeast Asia
2011 Micronesia and Madagascar
2012 Sail across the Pacific onward to the Atlantic, all the way around the world
2013 Back home to the Philippines
The Crew
The core of the crew will be the Philippine Everest Team:
Leo Oracion
Erwin “Pastour” Emata
Noelle Wenceslao
Carina Dayondon
Janet Belarmino-Sardena
Dr. Ted Esguerra
Fred Jamili
Dr. Voltaire Velasco
The rest of the crew will be composed of master sailors, academics and scientists whose selection will be based on the Three C’s:
CAPABILITY to accomplish the task at hand
COMMITMENT to the team and its undertaking
COMPATIBILITY with the team’s core values
The Voyage of Balangay project is expected to revive maritime consciousness in the
country by successfully building the ancient boat, a historic proof of the Filipinos’
ingenious skills in shipbuilding and maritime navigation, and sailing on Philippine seas.
Completed in June 2009, the Balangay was presented by the Kaya ng Pinoy Foundation and was later launched into the waters of Manila Bay with the ngandahig, the rope-cutting ceremony which eased the ancient boat into the sea.
Kaya ng Pinoy Foundation is a non-stock, non-profit Filipino organization that pushes for projects that uphold national pride and promote the Filipinos’ unique traits and world-class skills. The foundation was formed by members of the successful first Philippine Mt. Everest Expedition.
They also have their GPRS gadgets and you can Visit the GRPS live tracking map to see the Balangay's location at
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0yGuCarO5FZQVvh
W7hQ2JZNkXtH4HsWcB
as of now they are in Ternate, Cavite (September 2, 2009)
more photos in my album at historic event : The Maiden Voyage of the Balangay
