Filipinos Set Sail in a ‚Balangay‘

In the Philippine capital Manila, a blessing for one of Southeast Asia’s most ancient of boats.

The Balangay can be traced back to Viking times.

Now a group of Filipino adventurers are preparing to set sail in a replica of the boat. The voyage is set to last 4 years.

The crew is made up of the same team of Filipinos that conquered Everest.

They’re hoping the boat will carry them around Asia and onto Africa.

The expedition is being led by Art Valdez.

[Art Valdez, Expedition Leader]:
„This boat, while we built it here in Manila, in the Philippines, is a Southeast Asian boat. It’s a regional boat. We can not totally claim that it is a Filipino boat, but it’s a way again of showing what the Malayo-Polynesians or the Indo-Malays have accomplished. They were known as great ship builders and seafarers. As a matter of fact, they were the equivalent of the Vikings of Asia.“

It took 10 men just 44 days to complete.

With no plans to work from, the men relied on help from tribal craftsmen, flown in especially to work on the project.

Using only traditional methods of building, not a single nail was used.

Archaeologists say the boats were orginally used to transport families, up to 50 at a time.

[Rey Santiago, Archaeologist]:
„By using this kind of watercraft, they were able to reach other places, far places, especially in Southeast Asia. And exchange of technology, language, other cultures, and beliefs spread out in Southeast Asia through these boats.“

The boat will visit every major port in the Philippine archipelago, covering more than 2,000 nautical miles before reaching Africa next year.

(NTDTV)