STANDARD Insurance Centennial III captured line honors in the 500-nautical-mile race of the recent Hong Kong to San Fernando Race in La Union.
Skippered by Standard Insurance Group Chairman Ernesto “Judes” Echauz, Centennial III won the race with an elapsed time of two days and seven hours.
The all-Filipino crew, with national team members Allan Balladares, gold medalist in keelboat match racing event at the 2015 Singapore Southeast Asian Games, and Emerson Villena, 470 class silver medalist as helmsmen, also won the top IRC 0 class.
Together with Echauz was Standard Insurance computer engineer Stephen Tan, who served as tactician and team manager.
Standard Insurance, with the assistance from the Chinese Sailing Association, meanwhile, donated to the Philippine Sailing Association six Far East 28Rs, rated as the world’s best racing yacht for its class, to develop competitive keelboat sailing in the Philippines.