Sailboat Hire on Boracay Beach

Story by Ramon and Sherwin, Philippines

The beach of Boracay in the Philippines is one of the best in the world. The white sands and bright sunshine are beautiful, but they are a sunburn hazard to those who work there all day long. We always cover up in light clothes to stay safe.

Sailing boats take visitors to different beaches or nearby islands. When we sail off or arrive at a beach we go into the water fully clothed to manoever the boat safely. In the sun our clothes dry off quickly, but we hide in the cool shade as much as possible. It is a relaxed lifestyle.

Sailing Trip

Early in the morning we sail off before the sun gets too hot. After an hour or two we arrive at some secluded beach or island, and jump into the water fully clothed to pull the boat ashore. There is no time to change into swimwear when you're sailing, and we don't like to get sunburned.

Upon arrival on a beautiful beach, we sit in the shade of the sail and enjoy a nice picnic lunch.

While the guests enjoy their food, we clean and tidy the boat. We wash the deck and sort out the ropes. Then we jump into the sea and scrub the hull underwater. Keeping our clothes wet helps us stay cool. It gets quite hot in the midday sun, but this is the only time we have to do this work. In the mornings and evenings we're busy taking guests out on sailing trips.

Sun Ponchos

One day a visitor from Germany brought a few lightweight hiking ponchos for a photo shoot. Apparently they are becoming fashionable as beachwear. They allowed us to come out from the shade and stay in the water longer with less risk of sunburn, and keep us cool when wet.

Since then we've ordered many sun ponchos for our guests who are surprised how comfy and airy they are. We now have over a dozen of them because they are so popular with our guests during sailing trips and on the beach.

Swimming?

After lunch and getting a bit hot in the afternoon sun, our guests usually ask if it safe to swim here. We always explain that sunburn is the main hazard out on the beach and in the water. When the guests ask what the solution is, we bring out more swimshirts and sun ponchos.

Swimming Lesson in Sun Ponchos

For safety reasons we always show our guests how to swim in sun ponchos. It is easy, but they have to learn how to use the hood and avoid the ponchos going over their head. There is a little strap at the bottom hem that secures the ponchos.

We always wear the red ponchos so we can be seen by passing boats. Our guests wear the darker blue ponchos which offer better sun protection. They are worn over your swimwear or beach clothes. Some guests only wear the sun ponchos, which is naughty but nice. Who cares on a secluded beach?

It's always great laugh when we help our guests put the ponchos on for the first time. Sometimes their head comes out of a sleeve on the side. Often they get lost inside, or wear it back to front, or forget to put the hood up. We also make sure it doesn't come up over their head by securing the strap between the legs.

Once properly dressed we wade into the sea and splash each other. These soft nylon ponchos feel so nice in the water and cover us all over. Now we can stay in the sun much longer.

We like these sun ponchos a lot.


Splashing around is huge fun!


Chilling out in the midday heat.


Ramon and Sherwin enjoy a happy wet lifestyle on the beach.