He is one of the many paraw or sailboat operators in Boracay but Varill Sausa says he is different from the others because he built his own double outrigger sailboat that is his main source of livelihood.
An Aklan local, the grizzled sailboat veteran is proud of his sailboat which he claims to be “Class A.” He shares that his boat earned this category because of its size and the quality of materials he used for the sails.
The paraws and their colorful sails often dot the main beach of Boracay island giving the beach a tinge of postcard-perfect colors. The sails of these boats are made primarily of woven mats, cloth, canvas and sack cloth, reinforced by a thick, strong bamboo poles making up the main mast.
Varill used canvas and several layers of sack cloth for the sails of his paraw. One sail serves as the main sail, while another much smaller sail complements the main sail. He says he takes care of his sailboat, using marine paint to make it sturdier.
Varill no longer captains his own ship, employing a crew of three to four instead to man his sailboat. He says there are now a lot of paraw operators in the island offering their services. However, Varill laments that some are only middlemen, and as such offer exorbitant prices.
These middlemen are only out to make an honest buck, but Varill says sometimes, there are unscrupulous people pretending to be members of an association of paraw operators in the island. He says there was a case when several American tourists had to file a formal complaint with the police, after finding out that they were grossly “overcharged” by a “colorum” paraw operator.
Varill was quick to say that these operators were not locals. As a member of an association of sailboat owners and operators on the island, he can offer significantly lower prices to tourists who may want to sail around the island and make pit stops in several areas for snorkeling and swimming.
Interestingly, Varill shares that his boat now has a “sister.” The boat was ordered and commissioned by a Japanese national who married a Filipina in Subic. He shyly declined to say the price for the boat, which he also built like his own.
Varill says he had to sail for five days to deliver the boat to the Japanese buyer in Subic. He has no plans yet of building and selling more boats but if the opportunity comes, he says he will more than welcome it.
— Joel D.
