Each heat of the slalom race at the shoreline in Barangay Santo Niño Sur, Arevalo District, Iloilo City provided strong feelings of excitement and exhilaration.

The activity was part of the 52^nd Iloilo-Guimaras Paraw Regatta Festival.

Over 40 "paraws" (traditional small to medium-size sailboat with two outriggers) from different places in Panay Island and the island-province of Guimaras joined the race morning on February 27, 2025. 

Competitors showed adeptness and supreme skills in maneuvering the paraw such as tacking that involves shifting directions to catch the perfect wind for the boat to move rapidly.

The competition has three categories. Paraws with a length of 25 feet were classified under Category A, 30 feet under Category B, and 40 feet under Category C.

Jade Tañagras, one of the crew members of the Arevalo team, said that in 2025 he would want to recover from the loss they experienced in 2024 after their paraw was destroyed during the race.

“Nagdadasal rin ako kasi bawat isa ay nagsisikap rin. Para makabawi sa pagod,” Tañagras said.

The team from Boracay Island in Aklan has been joining the event in 12 years, so the preparation gets more intense each year.

“Ang diskarte namin, mabalanse ng kapitan. Gano’n din ang experience at teamwork at pray na safety first. Syempre ang crew dapat alisto talaga,” Joriel Prado, a boat crew, said.

A foreign tourist named Steve Hadwiger who is on a visit in Iloilo City is struck with awe at the competition.

“I love watching the design of the boats and the narrow haul, so they slice through the water. And it really depends on how much you can hold the wind and the sails,” Hadwiger said.

According to Roberto Somosa, chairman of the Sailing Events of the 52^nd Iloilo-Guimaras Paraw Regatta Festival 2025, slalom race is an obstacle course with a shorter race route compared to the main paraw race.

“Pag sinabi nating slalom, it is an obstacle course. Nag-deploy tayo ng apat na boya o marker buoys. So yan ang nagsi-serve sa kanila na obstacle sa race,” Somosa said.

The main paraw race is set on Sunday, March 2, 2025.

The race route will start at Villa Beach, on to the Municipality of Oton, to the Iloilo Strait and portion of the waters in the vicinity of Guimaras before going around Fort San Pedro in Iloilo City back to Villa Beach.