Penelope's Inter-Active Arts

Clueless About Paraw Sailing at the Island of Boracay

One of the most popular aquatic sporting activities in the island of Boracay is referred as the Paraw sailing while a minute or a small water vessel which is native to the Philippine culture is called the ‘paraw’. A paraw is an aquatic vessel which is commonly made from bamboo and wood which is usually has a single shallow hull. In order to assist balance the boat and to avoid it from being capsized or overturned, there are two logs or floaters that act as outriggers and these should be placed on both sides of a paraw. The sail of a paraw is definitely a sight to take a look at since these marine vessels have creative and colorful sails that denote several facts or realities with regards to the owners; for this reason these wonderful sails are all about expression of their very selves.

Appreciating the Island of Boracay Through These Paraws

Around four to six passengers can be accommodated by a single paraw. These local sea vessels were derived from the locals of the ancient Borneo who happened to sail or explore the islands of the ancient Philippines particularly the region of the Visayas group of islands way back the 1200′s for commercial and trading purposes. The island of Boracay is commonly connected with the colorful and unique photographs of tourists involved in paraw sailing. Even before this island paradise was discovered during the 1970′s for tourism purposes; locals were noted to have been using paraw or doing paraw sailing around the island of Boracay and its neighboring coastal or seaside provinces. As a matter of fact, paraw sailing for these locals is a method of transportation for them and using paraw as a way of transportation is a proven to be a very environment or eco-friendly method.

The International Paraw Cup Challenge in the Island of Boracay

The annual event of the International Paraw Cup Challenge is being held during the month of January on the island of Boracay. During this time of the year, the northern monsoon wind is very favorable for the event because this wind movement or current gives the strong winds that serve as the vessels power or energy source. Believe it or not, windsailing is often compared with the Paraw sailing in the island of Boracay. However, sailing using paraw is very local and can be said as very Pinoy or Filipino in terms of its cultural value and significance as well.