Old boats to China: Philippine fleet retraces Sultan of Sulu’s historic passage to Xiamen

Expected any day now in Hong Kong (and perhaps already berthed at the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, in Causeway Bay, as you read this), the Sultan Sin Sulu, a traditionally built balangay sailing vessel, recently embarked on a goodwill voyage from the Philippines to Fujian province, commemorating a journey first undertaken in the early 15th century. As the boat and crew prepared to leave Manila, this reporter took a sail with them, to find out what it takes to cross the open ocean with very little in the way of modern maritime aids.

With the crew hauling on the halyards and a gentle breeze filling three brightly coloured cotton sails, the Sultan Sin Sulu glides gracefully across Manila Bay, silhouetted against an impeccable sunset.

“Seafaring is in our DNA – my forefathers sailed these oceans long before the Europeans arrived,” shouts Arturo Valdez, the 69-year-old mountaineer and former vice-minister of transport who is leader of the Philippine Balangay Expedition.

Valdez has an irrepressibly sanguine spirit and he explains his mission to inspire young Filipinos by highlighting the nation’s proud maritime heritage while tourists snap photos of the distinctive vessel from the shore.

“A nation that does not produce trailblazers, explorers and discoverers can never be a great nation,” he says, speaking with unrestrained enthusiasm on the foredeck. “Nations are built out of dreams.”