COLOR and excitement overflowed from the Iloilo Strait once again as this city hosted the Paraw Regatta, the annual sailboat race in the waters that divide Panay and Guimaras.  

The beaches and shorelines that line the strait were crowded with people who wanted to witness what has been billed as every photographer's dream event and the longest running sailboat race in the country.  

The crew of the 62 participating double outriggers in the three-category 27th Iloilo-Guimaras Paraw Regatta last Sunday awed spectators with their skills, stamina and teamwork as they steered their paraws (sailboats) to the finish line.  

Covering a total of 36.5 kilometers, the sailboats took an oval route in the strait that started and ended at the shoreline of Tatoy's Manokan in the district of Villa.  

At a blast of a firecracker lighted by Honorato Espinosa, owner of Tatoy's Manokan, Iloilo's most popular restaurant, competitors speeded north to this city's Fort San Pedro area, then east to Sto. Rosario in Buenavista, Guimaras, south to Puting Balas and Morobuan in Jordan, still in Guimaras, and back to where they started.  

The sight of the colorful sails fluttering in the breeze, braving the treacherous sea and defying the furious summer sun were a colorful reminder for adults of how they played with miniature boats when they were young.  

For Ilonggos, there was no show more exciting than the display of paraws trying to outrace each other in a contest of speed that dares one to command both the wind and the boat.  

The Paraw Regatta was conceptualized to remind every Ilonggo that they descended from brown-skinned men and women who settled in the island of Panay and its neighboring small islands, according to Edwin Trompeta, director of the Department of Tourism in Western Visayas.  

''These native outriggers faithfully copy sailboats which carried to Panay the first settlers from Borneo who fled a tyrannical ruler,'' he explained.  

According to the Maragtas legend, the 10 Bornean datus (chieftains) led by Datu Puti came to Panay in 1212 A.D. to escape the despotic Sultan Makatunaw.  

The datus then negotiated with the local Aeta ruler, Haring Marikudo, to barter with the lowlands of the island for a golden salakot (native hat) and a necklace.  

Trompeta said the Paraw Regatta also reenacted what had been an entertainment for Ilonggos since the late 16th century--sailboat race.  

''The primary objective of the regatta is to help develop the local tourism industry and preserve the paraw as a legacy from the earliest period of Ilonggo history,'' he said.  

Iloilo Rep. Augusto Syjuco, guest speaker in the opening program of the regatta, said the race should also remind the people of the sorry state of the country's marine environment.  

While he called on participants to uphold the spirit of sportsmanship, he also asked them to help protect coral reefs to ensure the people of the steady supply of food from the sea.  

Most of the participants in the regatta were fishermen from coastal towns in Iloilo and Guimaras.  

The Paraw Regatta featured participants in three categories --category A was for sailboats with waterline length ranging from 16 feet and below; category B, 16.1 feet to 22 feet; and category C, 22.1 feet and above.  

In category A, only indigenous materials were used in boat-making while in categories B and C, the use of aluminum for outriggers was allowed.  

The winners in the race were sailboats ''Sea Blazer'' (owned by Lemuel Tañagras) for category A, ''LM Express'' (owned by Henry Tañagras) for category B, and ''Colmenares MB Resort'' (owned by Eduardo Colmenares) for category C.  

There were also added features in this year's Paraw Regatta like the Optimist Sailboat Race and Pinta Paraw.  

The Optimist Sailboat Race featured a six-lap contest among soapboxes (sizes ranging from 4 feet-by-3 feet to 3 feet-by-5 feet) that were converted into sailboats and were manned by boys below 15 years old.  

The winners in the sport were Patrick Mata, 13 (champion); Lester Troy Tayong, 9 (first runner-up); and Arjay Millan, 13, and Julius Sealsa (tied as second runners-up).  

The Pinta Paraw is a painting contest where instead of canvases, artists render their work on gigantic sails.  

Pulgencio Zuluaga's ''Si Kataw at Bulalakaw'' (The Mermaid and the Fireball) won the top prize. It was rendered on the sail of the boat ''J-Ann,'' an entry in category B. Zuluaga is a popular artist in Iloilo.  

Second placers were Jo Amora and Fred Orig for their work ''Bayanihan sa Kadagatan'' on sailboat ''Marnie'' while Richie Condesa's work titled ''Diyos, Tao'' on sailboat ''Miss Higante'' took third place.  

Cash prizes amounting to P189,200 were awarded to the winners in the various categories in the race and in the added features of the Paraw Regatta.  

Since its conception in 1973, the Paraw Regatta has evolved into a summer water sport complete with rules, umpires and kibitzers.  

As the excitement continues, so does its evolution.  

And as Ilonggos take pride of their history and culture, so do the sailors and the boatmakers who have inherited a legacy that became synonymous to the birth of a province and the Hiligaynon-speaking region of the country.