SHE was in waist-deep waters but, at 17, stood out among all things
beautiful that bright and sunny morning in Alona Beach, Panglao Island.
Named after the color, not the film, my hands tingled with electricity
as my fingers ran through the outlines of her delicate figure, wet with
spray from the approaching tide.
The lovely Scarlet (you may get your head out of the gutter now) is a
boat; a Hitia 17 that my friend Andy Smith pro-built in his Junction
Boatworks yard in Bolod, Panglao, Bohol.
She was put to water only last month and I, together with Skipper Andy
and Veco’s Marvin Ponce, were honored to be her crew during a run to
Balicasag Island two Saturdays ago.
Hitia is the Polynesian word for sunrise and the number correspond to the boat’s overall length.
The original design is from Andy’s fellow Englishman and one-time
mentor, James Wharram, who, in turn, is recognized the world over as
among the pioneers of multi-hull boatbuilding and sailing.
Hitias are transportable catamaran day-sailors rigged with a spritsail.
The overall appearance is heavily Polynesian-inspired and its size and
rigging make it perfect for coast trekking and camping.
According to Andy, the Hitia is also the perfect boat to learn sailing from.
In fact, Andy built Scarlet with the hopes of using her to teach people how to sail.
Resorts, he said, have cheaper hobie cats that people can learn from but the hobie design make it tippy and prone to capsizing.
The Hitia’s hulls are placed further apart, making it almost impossible to tip over.
Being at sea with Scarlet is indescribable.
Try as hard as I might, words simply aren’t enough to convey the
experience of how she rode the wind and brought us to Balicasag, 10
kilometers southwest of Panglao, the serenity of being aboard amidst
the soothing sound of waves lapping at her hulls and the specter of the
sails filling up to the rhythmic swaying of the sprit.
Andy wants to build a fleet of Hitias and, with the support of other
boat owners and resorts, organize a coastal trek around the Visayan
Sea.
When that happens, I hope I can once more be reunited with the beautiful Scarlet in a sea of deep blue.
 | ssssssssssssssssiiiiiiiiiighhhhhhhhhhhhhh... What I would do to be on the beach today vs trudging through 8 inches of snow and yucky slush. |
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