Published 14 years ago, updated 6 years ago

Here are the latest updates for the new series of yacht events in SE Asia designed to help cruisers enjoy the delights of BIMP-EAGA.

Sail BIMP-EAGA is a series of four annual cruises which focus on the attractions, venues, communities and activities in those parts of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines which are included in BIMP-EAGA [BROKEN LINK].

The first Sail BIMP-EAGA cruise operated from December 2009 to March 2010 and took participating yachts from north Borneo along the west coast of Palawan, where the pristine anchorages, friendly communities, and spectacular scenery made a great cruising experience. The 2010/11 Borneo-Palawan cruise will have departures in early December and late January, to link with yacht owners with different Christmas/New Year plans.

The next Sail BIMP-EAGA event is the Equator Asia cruise – with multiple start dates from Darwin in June and July 2010. This is a four to a five-month event taking in areas of all four BIMP-EAGA nations, finishing in Brunei in mid-November 2010. This is a Signature Event for BIMP-EAGA tourism.

Sail BIMP-EAGA events are limited to fleets of 15 yachts, so we do not overload shore facilities, to minimize potential environmental impacts, and to make it possible to visit small communities, islands, and anchorages.

Sail BIMP-EAGA events facilitate Community-based Ecotourism initiatives and environmental preservation programmes – such as whale monitoring and turtle preservation projects – in BIMP-EAGA. BIMP-EAGA includes a large part of the Coral Triangle and all of the Heart of Borneo protection areas. The BIMP-EAGA Tourism Council has officially adopted sustainable Community-based Ecotourism as a key goal for the protection and preservation of the biodiversity of the region.

The attached map [BROKEN LINK] shows the event routes and the attached document [BROKEN LINK] has information about the events. The website www.bruneibay.net has more details, including schedules.

Yacht owners interested to participate should use the online inquiry form accessed from the bottom of each Sail BIMP-EAGA webpage.

Allan Riches

Director