The replica of 1,700-year-old “balangay” sets out to tour Asia. Adventurers who conquered Mount Everest successfully launched a replica of an ancient Philippine boat Saturday that they will use to sail around Southeast Asia and possibly to Africa to promote Filipino pride and unity.

The replica of the balangay – a wooden-hulled boat used in the archipelago about 1,700 years ago was built in 44 days by native Badjao boat-builders from the southernmost Philippine province Tawi-Tawi using traditional skills handed down through the generations.

About 300 spectators counted down to the launch, cheering and applauding as the bow hit the water in Manila Bay.

The 20-member expedition includes five coast guard personnel who were the first Filipinos to reach Everest’s summit. The boat will leave Manila in mid-July after training at Sangrey Point, a former US naval base in Cavite province.

The expedition is expected to make 75 port calls from the northern to southern Philippines in seven and a half months, covering a distance of more than 2,000 nautical miles.