The next edition of the Paraw Regatta Festival is set to welcome school-based crews, including all-female teams, following a successful training workshop for junior sailors.

Roberto Somosa, chair of the Paraw Regatta sailing events, said the workshop held 23-25 February at John B. Lacson Foundation Maritime University in Arevalo is part of a grassroots initiative to develop the next generation of competitive sailors.

“This is our grassroots training for sustainability. I’m confident the junior category will be fully launched next year to support long-term talent development,” Somosa said in a phone interview on Tuesday.

Somosa expects three or four all-girl teams and 10 to 12 boys’ junior teams to compete in the 2026 sailing competition. The program aims to cultivate skills and foster interest in sailing among secondary school students.

The recent sailing competition was also hailed as a success, with no capsizing incidents reported. For the first time in the festival’s history, nearly all participants returned to the finish line in front of Tatoy's Manokan and Seafoods in Arevalo by 10 a.m.—a significant improvement over previous years when races extended until nearly 2 p.m.

Spectators along the shoreline from Arevalo to Oton and back to the Iloilo Fish Port were able to enjoy the entire race, highlighting the growing popularity of the event.

The Paraw Regatta Festival, considered the oldest in Asia and the largest sailing event in the Philippines, continues to celebrate Iloilo’s maritime heritage while nurturing young talent for the future of sailing.