The Palau Sailing Association (PSA) extends sincere thanks to the community for supporting our recent fundraising activities ahead of the 3rd Annual Palau – Japan OP Dinghy Friendship Race, to be held on Saturday 30 March at Skojio boat ramp. The money raised has enabled the PSA to purchase essential items needed to host a safe and successful event. Three young sailors are coming from Japan to participate in this event, and we warmly invite the whole community to come along and cheer for all the kids. We extend our special thanks to Blue Bay Petroleum Palau, Cove Resort Palau, the Technical Mission of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in Palau, Koror State Governor Mr. Eyos Rudimch and Japan Ambassador Mr. Hiroyuki Orikasa for their support to make this event possible.
Learning to sail and enjoy life on the seas is an amazing experience, and the PSA is preparing to open registration to more youth ages 9-15 yrs. We encourage parents whose children may be interested in learning to sail to come and observe some of the activity on 30 March. Everyone is also encouraged to follow the Palau Sailing Association on FaceBook for more details about this event and our upcoming “open day”.
Besides the youth race, there are two other very exciting sailing events underway.
On 10 March, the Japan – Palau Goodwill Yacht Race began in Yokohama, as three boats with 12 sailors embarked on a 1,726-mile voyage from Japan to Palau. The journey is expected to take 10 days, and the yachts will likely arrive at Malakal on 21 March. The event is part of the commemoration of 30 years of diplomatic relationship between Japan and Palau, and the people-to people links which are so important to the people of both countries.
Trailing behind the three yachts is a sailing ship named the “Miraie” which translates to “to the future” in Japanese. For two weeks, this ship is home to 20 youth from around the world, and as they travel to Palau they are learning about life on the sea and the importance of protecting our marine environment. Included in this group of sailors are two young boys from the Palau Sailing Association; Zenryu Idip and Saku Niro,12 and 13 years old respectively. The boys are having an experience of a lifetime, as they study about microplastics and their impact on the marine environment. The Miraie is scheduled to arrive in Malakal on 23 March – keep watch for the tall three-masted ship; it’s not to be missed!