Subject: Manila
Manila Bay is huge. We sailed around Corregidor Island which is in the mouth of the bay and a full 15 miles from Manila itself. Mount Batan on the Batan peninsula closes the north end of the Bay. Corregidor is a large island and now heavily overgrown.
The Batan death march, known to all for its infamy. Manila Bay is a cess pool. We were welcomed at the YC. Past Commodore Butch and his Japanese House chairman "Bong" have gone overboard for us. Yesterday Bong took us to his favorite Jap restaurant and afterwards gave us a tour of old Manila. Old Manila is within the walls of the Spanish fort built in the 1500s. He has given us his car and driver for the rest of our stay necessary for re-provisioning. He is also giving Donna a B-day party.
Manila YC does have a relationship with BBYC and I have exchanged burgees. The BBYC flag flies in the MYC bar. I am spending a few days at the Pan Pacific hotel. The Nances and I will move back aboard on the 2nd and depart to sail north along the coast of Luzon on the 3rd. Today the first of May is Labour Day here and one of the biggest holidays.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Jeff's Log ~ Sunday, April 27th, 2008
I lost track of days because my back went out and between the pain and stretching and sleeping, things became a blur. Yesterday, after anchoring for the night, I jumped in the water and just floated around while trying to get straight. Finally after a while, there were a couple of good pops and a clunk, and I was almost as good as new. It is still very tender, though, so I am moving slowly and carefully. Today we stopped for lunch and snorkeling at a remote island that looked like a real find on the chart. It turned out to be nothing spectacular, so I just floated around again, while Mark, Bill, and Donna took the dink to try to find something spectacular.
After a short while, they came back, we reloaded the outboard and the dink, and were under way in short order. Scott came in swimming with me and put on a mask to check the bottom. He was very pleased with what he saw except of course for the damage. I found a couple of areas that my bottom cleaning helpers were a little lazy on, so I got the brush and quickly cleaned those areas up. The swimming helped my back some more, and right now I am resting comfortably as I write this. Bill is on watch, and Mark is in the process of preparing lunch. Provisioning in the Philippines is not easy. Almost everything on the shelves has tons of sugar in it, and the vegetables and fruit are almost too ripe in the store, so they do not keep long. In Roxas and Coron, supermarkets were unheard of, so everything had to be purchased from roadside vendors. We still had some meat from Port Au Princessa in the freezer, and there is enough other staples on the boat to last a few more days, so I’m sure we won’t starve.
After a short while, they came back, we reloaded the outboard and the dink, and were under way in short order. Scott came in swimming with me and put on a mask to check the bottom. He was very pleased with what he saw except of course for the damage. I found a couple of areas that my bottom cleaning helpers were a little lazy on, so I got the brush and quickly cleaned those areas up. The swimming helped my back some more, and right now I am resting comfortably as I write this. Bill is on watch, and Mark is in the process of preparing lunch. Provisioning in the Philippines is not easy. Almost everything on the shelves has tons of sugar in it, and the vegetables and fruit are almost too ripe in the store, so they do not keep long. In Roxas and Coron, supermarkets were unheard of, so everything had to be purchased from roadside vendors. We still had some meat from Port Au Princessa in the freezer, and there is enough other staples on the boat to last a few more days, so I’m sure we won’t starve.
Jeff's Log ~ Friday, April 25th, 2008
Just north of Cabuluan Island
We are proceeding north east again after spending a calm night at anchor. We were visited by some of the natives last night after dark and Scott bought some dried squid. It was mostly a charity gesture, as the man said he could not buy rice. The same fellows returned in the morning to sell us some coconuts. All of the small change we had which was about 35 pesos went to buy a coconut which he readily split open with his machete. They wanted more beer, but we told them no more, so they left.
I had gotten a good start cleaning the bottom yesterday afternoon, so I jumped in and completed it after the natives left. It was not too bad, considering that it had not been cleaned since the boat went back in the water in Thailand. The keel has taken a beating already from the mooring getting wrapped back in the park at one of our stops. Our hitting the bottom on the way out of Roxas did not do much for it either. The rest of the bottom is still very smooth and easy to clean.
The last couple of nights were spent off of club Noah Isabelle, which we happened on quite by accident. Scott picked an island on the chart that offered good protection, and we were all surprised by a nice little resort. The crew came to meet us and we got permission to use a mooring so as not to do any damage to the coral with our anchor. We made arrangements to be picked up for dinner, and they came and picked us up at the appointed time. We were introduced to the security detail at the outer bar and Fredrick and Anthony escorted us to the restaurant where we were seated on the beach. The tables had all the linens and silverware, and we were treated to a buffet dinner that was quite good. After dinner and a couple of beers at the bar, we were all ready for a good nights sleep, and returned to the boat.
Pipe Dream’s keel is shaped like an airplane wing to provide lift. The wind was light, but there was considerable current. The water flowing over the keel made the boat go forward until the mooring ball came up alongside. Then she would turn and roll with the waves, until we were all the way off of it, then the process would start over again. I found it very soothing and it lulled me to sleep, but Bill and Donna were uncomfortable the whole night and did not sleep well. They both had coffee after dinner, and I personally think that might have been the reason.
Mark and I got up early and spent a good amount of time snorkeling on the beautiful reefs which were all around us. There was a cross on the hill above, and we found a statue of an angel praying in about twenty feet of water between two patches of coral that faced the cross perfectly. We saw yellow fin tunas and a large grouper that would have fed us all four or five times. He wasn’t timid either. He came up out of his hole and just kind of hung there watching us. What a time to not have a spear gun! There was a large amount of stag horn coral too which changes color repeatedly. Some times it was purple, some times it was red, sometimes it was a greenish tan. There was just too much life to mention, and the reef quickly dropped away to the depths on the sea-ward side.
After dinner both nights, a group of employee/soldiers got together and made music in the beach side bar. One fellow was 17 years old, but he could play almost every Beatles song that there is. The second night, Mark and I stayed after dinner and had a little party going on. Our waitress Charity joined us as did Fredrick, Anthony, and the head waiter Gilbert. Charity had been in the show the night before, so we convinced her to sing a couple of numbers with the boys. She is quite a pretty young lady, and fairly shy. We had to work on her to get her to let out what she could do. For her last number, she did a duet with Lando, and really did a fabulous job. We got Fredrick to sing e few songs too, and Gilbert took a guitar and sang solo with our relentless urging. Anthony is a talented dancer, so we got him to do a couple of artistic renderings as well. A fun night was had by all, and on the way back to the dock, Fredrick took us up the hill to show us their lodgings. It was a single room lean-to with a hammock, a single light bulb, and a fan. He gave Mark a piece of bird nest from which bird nest soup is made, and in the morning, brought me a club Noah ash tray as a remembrance. After coffee, I took them back to the dock, and also got rid of our trash. Charity was there, as she wanted to say good-bye to the crazy Americans that made everyone laugh. I am very glad that all of their memories of us are good. That is the one part of my job that is completely unforgettable. I sure have met a great deal of wonderful people, and I truly hope that somehow I’ll be able to cross paths with all of them at some point in the future.
We are proceeding north east again after spending a calm night at anchor. We were visited by some of the natives last night after dark and Scott bought some dried squid. It was mostly a charity gesture, as the man said he could not buy rice. The same fellows returned in the morning to sell us some coconuts. All of the small change we had which was about 35 pesos went to buy a coconut which he readily split open with his machete. They wanted more beer, but we told them no more, so they left.
I had gotten a good start cleaning the bottom yesterday afternoon, so I jumped in and completed it after the natives left. It was not too bad, considering that it had not been cleaned since the boat went back in the water in Thailand. The keel has taken a beating already from the mooring getting wrapped back in the park at one of our stops. Our hitting the bottom on the way out of Roxas did not do much for it either. The rest of the bottom is still very smooth and easy to clean.
The last couple of nights were spent off of club Noah Isabelle, which we happened on quite by accident. Scott picked an island on the chart that offered good protection, and we were all surprised by a nice little resort. The crew came to meet us and we got permission to use a mooring so as not to do any damage to the coral with our anchor. We made arrangements to be picked up for dinner, and they came and picked us up at the appointed time. We were introduced to the security detail at the outer bar and Fredrick and Anthony escorted us to the restaurant where we were seated on the beach. The tables had all the linens and silverware, and we were treated to a buffet dinner that was quite good. After dinner and a couple of beers at the bar, we were all ready for a good nights sleep, and returned to the boat.
Pipe Dream’s keel is shaped like an airplane wing to provide lift. The wind was light, but there was considerable current. The water flowing over the keel made the boat go forward until the mooring ball came up alongside. Then she would turn and roll with the waves, until we were all the way off of it, then the process would start over again. I found it very soothing and it lulled me to sleep, but Bill and Donna were uncomfortable the whole night and did not sleep well. They both had coffee after dinner, and I personally think that might have been the reason.
Mark and I got up early and spent a good amount of time snorkeling on the beautiful reefs which were all around us. There was a cross on the hill above, and we found a statue of an angel praying in about twenty feet of water between two patches of coral that faced the cross perfectly. We saw yellow fin tunas and a large grouper that would have fed us all four or five times. He wasn’t timid either. He came up out of his hole and just kind of hung there watching us. What a time to not have a spear gun! There was a large amount of stag horn coral too which changes color repeatedly. Some times it was purple, some times it was red, sometimes it was a greenish tan. There was just too much life to mention, and the reef quickly dropped away to the depths on the sea-ward side.
After dinner both nights, a group of employee/soldiers got together and made music in the beach side bar. One fellow was 17 years old, but he could play almost every Beatles song that there is. The second night, Mark and I stayed after dinner and had a little party going on. Our waitress Charity joined us as did Fredrick, Anthony, and the head waiter Gilbert. Charity had been in the show the night before, so we convinced her to sing a couple of numbers with the boys. She is quite a pretty young lady, and fairly shy. We had to work on her to get her to let out what she could do. For her last number, she did a duet with Lando, and really did a fabulous job. We got Fredrick to sing e few songs too, and Gilbert took a guitar and sang solo with our relentless urging. Anthony is a talented dancer, so we got him to do a couple of artistic renderings as well. A fun night was had by all, and on the way back to the dock, Fredrick took us up the hill to show us their lodgings. It was a single room lean-to with a hammock, a single light bulb, and a fan. He gave Mark a piece of bird nest from which bird nest soup is made, and in the morning, brought me a club Noah ash tray as a remembrance. After coffee, I took them back to the dock, and also got rid of our trash. Charity was there, as she wanted to say good-bye to the crazy Americans that made everyone laugh. I am very glad that all of their memories of us are good. That is the one part of my job that is completely unforgettable. I sure have met a great deal of wonderful people, and I truly hope that somehow I’ll be able to cross paths with all of them at some point in the future.
Jeff's Log ~ Monday, April 21st, 2008
Roxas, Philipnes
Yesterday turned out to be a good experience. Scott invited the English lady named Rose Marie to come along with us for a sail up the coast a ways. She readily agreed and Mark picked her up from her “palace” as we nicknamed her houseboat at about 7:30AM. After they were aboard, we loaded the outboard and the dink and pulled up the anchor, leaving Port Au Princessa behind us. Unfortunately, we did not have any sailing breeze, so Rose Marie got just a plain old boat ride. She didn’t seem to mind, however, and we all had a good time chit-chatting while we motored along. Scott decided that our planned destination would be too rolly, so we went on to Roxas (pronounced row hawz).The dink got launched and I took Rose Marie ashore to meet her friend and catch the bus back. I met her friend David who is the charcoal supplier for the area. I had also taken the fuel cans, as there was a gas station 30 meters from the sea wall steps. David helped carry the fuel to the dingy and invited myself and Mark to have a couple of beers. I took the fuel back out to the boat and brought Mark with me upon my return.
We sat in a little ocean side bar and had a couple of beers with Rose Marie and David. While we were sitting there, you could just tell that we were the talk of the town. Lots of people kept strolling past the door and peering in. There were even a couple of real old guys who could barely walk that went back and forth a couple of times. I was feeling like a celebrity. We had calamari and some chips, as well as several beers and did not have to pay. David picked up the check for us. It started getting late and we didn’t want to be late for Donna’s spaghetti dinner, so we thanked him and said goodbye. He gave me his number and told me to call if we needed anything at all.
Donna’s spaghetti was great, with lots of meatballs and sausage in a slow cooked home made sauce. It made a nice end to a good day. Today we left about 8:00 with the dingy in tow, rather than lifting it on deck. Our charts proved to be unreliable, and the water was very murky, so reading the bottom was impossible too. We did hit the bottom, and the grinding noises were very disturbing to me because of all of the work that had been put into the bottom in Thailand. The bottom was rock or hard coral, and I am pretty sure there will be no paint left on the bottom of the keel. I really felt worse for Scott because things like that really frustrate him. Later in the day, we came through another shallow area, but the water was clear, and we could easily read the bottom and avoid the coral heads. Scott and Mark picked a great spot to anchor for the night in a secluded cove.
There is a nice breeze, and absolutely no roll or swell. If I didn’t know better, I would think we were tied to a dock behind a sea wall. The native Filipinos are stripping the trees from the island, though, and that really is too bad. The islands for the most part are very lush and green, but if they continue their slash cutting, it won’t be long until this place looks like Haiti. On the way into this area, I could see a couple of places where the land was sliding into the sea because of that. The Filipinos that we have met are very genuine people. The crime rate here is very low. David told us that the people are poor, but content, and I added happy as well. David looked me in the eye and told me I was right.
Yesterday turned out to be a good experience. Scott invited the English lady named Rose Marie to come along with us for a sail up the coast a ways. She readily agreed and Mark picked her up from her “palace” as we nicknamed her houseboat at about 7:30AM. After they were aboard, we loaded the outboard and the dink and pulled up the anchor, leaving Port Au Princessa behind us. Unfortunately, we did not have any sailing breeze, so Rose Marie got just a plain old boat ride. She didn’t seem to mind, however, and we all had a good time chit-chatting while we motored along. Scott decided that our planned destination would be too rolly, so we went on to Roxas (pronounced row hawz).The dink got launched and I took Rose Marie ashore to meet her friend and catch the bus back. I met her friend David who is the charcoal supplier for the area. I had also taken the fuel cans, as there was a gas station 30 meters from the sea wall steps. David helped carry the fuel to the dingy and invited myself and Mark to have a couple of beers. I took the fuel back out to the boat and brought Mark with me upon my return.
We sat in a little ocean side bar and had a couple of beers with Rose Marie and David. While we were sitting there, you could just tell that we were the talk of the town. Lots of people kept strolling past the door and peering in. There were even a couple of real old guys who could barely walk that went back and forth a couple of times. I was feeling like a celebrity. We had calamari and some chips, as well as several beers and did not have to pay. David picked up the check for us. It started getting late and we didn’t want to be late for Donna’s spaghetti dinner, so we thanked him and said goodbye. He gave me his number and told me to call if we needed anything at all.
Donna’s spaghetti was great, with lots of meatballs and sausage in a slow cooked home made sauce. It made a nice end to a good day. Today we left about 8:00 with the dingy in tow, rather than lifting it on deck. Our charts proved to be unreliable, and the water was very murky, so reading the bottom was impossible too. We did hit the bottom, and the grinding noises were very disturbing to me because of all of the work that had been put into the bottom in Thailand. The bottom was rock or hard coral, and I am pretty sure there will be no paint left on the bottom of the keel. I really felt worse for Scott because things like that really frustrate him. Later in the day, we came through another shallow area, but the water was clear, and we could easily read the bottom and avoid the coral heads. Scott and Mark picked a great spot to anchor for the night in a secluded cove.
There is a nice breeze, and absolutely no roll or swell. If I didn’t know better, I would think we were tied to a dock behind a sea wall. The native Filipinos are stripping the trees from the island, though, and that really is too bad. The islands for the most part are very lush and green, but if they continue their slash cutting, it won’t be long until this place looks like Haiti. On the way into this area, I could see a couple of places where the land was sliding into the sea because of that. The Filipinos that we have met are very genuine people. The crime rate here is very low. David told us that the people are poor, but content, and I added happy as well. David looked me in the eye and told me I was right.
Jeff's Log ~ Sunday, April 20th, 2008
9 57.309N 119 06.268E Enroute to our next anchorage, which is undecided due to weather.
Port Au Princessa was an interesting stop. We proceeded past the commercial shipping area to a basin that contained some fish farms and the yacht club. The housing along the shore line is quite remarkable in the fact that it stays standing. Almost all of the homes are constructed of a woven bamboo over a bamboo frame. The roofs are palm fronds. The yacht club was constructed this way. The dingy dock was also constructed of bamboo platforms that were floating, and in some spots, additional flotation was provided by plastic barrels under the dock platform. All in all, things were built with what is available locally and with methods that have come down through the generations.
Once we were anchored and put the dink in the water, things happened quickly. There was a boat just off our port side from New Zealand called the “Charioteer”. When we arrived ,they were waving, so Mark and I stopped to say hello and get information about checking in with the authorities and so on. They introduced themselves as Bryan and Carol. After a small chat, there was a squall approaching so we had to get moving. They were so nice that they lent us 3700 pesos, so we could get our legal chores done.
Upon entering the yacht club by dingy, we met the manager Nanette, a tiny little lady who can weigh no more than 85 lbs. dripping wet. We told her of our needs, and she promptly made the necessary calls to set us up with transportation. Her cousin “Boots” was there before the second beer was finished. Before we left on our mission, we radioed the boat and asked if anything else was needed. Bill and Donna decided that they wanted to go to town, so Mark went and picked them up while I visited with the people in the bar. There was a fellow named David who walks everywhere he needs to go, and an English lady named Rose Marie who is putting together a small houseboat so she and her husband have an inexpensive place to stay when in town. They also have a house in Manila. Everyone was very impressed with Pipe Dream, and no one could believe that she is 12 years old. They all were saying that they never had a race boat in the anchorage before.
Mark and I took off for town and the first stop was the ATM. I figured that it would be less aggravating to have the boat’s money to work with than to have to keep track of an odd amount of some one else’s money. Then came immigration. The office was entered by going around the back of a small ,wood building, and up a flight and a half of rickety steps. Inside the office was a young lady amidst a bunch of forty to fifty year old office furniture, most of that being stacked full of old boxes of records. The forms were all hand written because the ribbon in the forty year old smith-corona had worn out back in about 1973. We had to pay her 1500pesos. There are about 42pesos to the dollar. Next it was a three-wheeler trip across town to the customs office. No typewriters here, either. They took us into a small office and went to find the guy who was supposed to check us in. Nobody knew where he had gone, so another guy had to do the job. After lots of forms and official stamping over signatures, we were told that now we had to get port clearance from the port authority.
We got back into the three-wheeler and went down there. The port is a secure port, so we were questioned at the gate by a guard who spoke no English. He let us into the secure port with no identification what so ever. At the port authority, they took us right to the inner sanctum and asked us for the exact paper-work from our last port as the customs guy had taken from us and said we wouldn’t need. I went out and got back in the three-wheeler and went back to the customs office. The gentleman that had checked us in was trying not to be found, so I went in and rustled him up. He told me that he would not give me the forms for the harbor master. I went to see the boss lady who then pulled them out of her drawer and sent one of their men to have copies made as they have no copy machines in government offices. He returned shortly, and I went back to the port authority where Mark had finished filling out about a ream of paper-work telling them that we had no live-stock or explosives or heavy machinery, etc., We then had to wait for several people to all put their signatures and stamps on every document before getting our port clearance. Their fee, including a charge for anchoring came to 158pesos…..less than $4.00!!
We went back to the boat and by then every one was getting ready to go to dinner. I was really tired, so I chose to stay on the boat and made a nice dinner from left-over’s that were in the fridge, took a shower, and turned in early.
Port Au Princessa was an interesting stop. We proceeded past the commercial shipping area to a basin that contained some fish farms and the yacht club. The housing along the shore line is quite remarkable in the fact that it stays standing. Almost all of the homes are constructed of a woven bamboo over a bamboo frame. The roofs are palm fronds. The yacht club was constructed this way. The dingy dock was also constructed of bamboo platforms that were floating, and in some spots, additional flotation was provided by plastic barrels under the dock platform. All in all, things were built with what is available locally and with methods that have come down through the generations.
Once we were anchored and put the dink in the water, things happened quickly. There was a boat just off our port side from New Zealand called the “Charioteer”. When we arrived ,they were waving, so Mark and I stopped to say hello and get information about checking in with the authorities and so on. They introduced themselves as Bryan and Carol. After a small chat, there was a squall approaching so we had to get moving. They were so nice that they lent us 3700 pesos, so we could get our legal chores done.
Upon entering the yacht club by dingy, we met the manager Nanette, a tiny little lady who can weigh no more than 85 lbs. dripping wet. We told her of our needs, and she promptly made the necessary calls to set us up with transportation. Her cousin “Boots” was there before the second beer was finished. Before we left on our mission, we radioed the boat and asked if anything else was needed. Bill and Donna decided that they wanted to go to town, so Mark went and picked them up while I visited with the people in the bar. There was a fellow named David who walks everywhere he needs to go, and an English lady named Rose Marie who is putting together a small houseboat so she and her husband have an inexpensive place to stay when in town. They also have a house in Manila. Everyone was very impressed with Pipe Dream, and no one could believe that she is 12 years old. They all were saying that they never had a race boat in the anchorage before.
Mark and I took off for town and the first stop was the ATM. I figured that it would be less aggravating to have the boat’s money to work with than to have to keep track of an odd amount of some one else’s money. Then came immigration. The office was entered by going around the back of a small ,wood building, and up a flight and a half of rickety steps. Inside the office was a young lady amidst a bunch of forty to fifty year old office furniture, most of that being stacked full of old boxes of records. The forms were all hand written because the ribbon in the forty year old smith-corona had worn out back in about 1973. We had to pay her 1500pesos. There are about 42pesos to the dollar. Next it was a three-wheeler trip across town to the customs office. No typewriters here, either. They took us into a small office and went to find the guy who was supposed to check us in. Nobody knew where he had gone, so another guy had to do the job. After lots of forms and official stamping over signatures, we were told that now we had to get port clearance from the port authority.
We got back into the three-wheeler and went down there. The port is a secure port, so we were questioned at the gate by a guard who spoke no English. He let us into the secure port with no identification what so ever. At the port authority, they took us right to the inner sanctum and asked us for the exact paper-work from our last port as the customs guy had taken from us and said we wouldn’t need. I went out and got back in the three-wheeler and went back to the customs office. The gentleman that had checked us in was trying not to be found, so I went in and rustled him up. He told me that he would not give me the forms for the harbor master. I went to see the boss lady who then pulled them out of her drawer and sent one of their men to have copies made as they have no copy machines in government offices. He returned shortly, and I went back to the port authority where Mark had finished filling out about a ream of paper-work telling them that we had no live-stock or explosives or heavy machinery, etc., We then had to wait for several people to all put their signatures and stamps on every document before getting our port clearance. Their fee, including a charge for anchoring came to 158pesos…..less than $4.00!!
We went back to the boat and by then every one was getting ready to go to dinner. I was really tired, so I chose to stay on the boat and made a nice dinner from left-over’s that were in the fridge, took a shower, and turned in early.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Captain Scott's Log ~ Sunday, April 27th, 2008
11:46 PM
Subject: Mindoro-Sunday
On sat we had an easy sail to Tara Island and found a perfect anchorage off
a happy village nicely laid out among the coconut palms. Many canoes
arrived packed with the entire family. This is the local hot spot for sat
night. By sunset children played in the surf with chatting adults watching.
A single dish fed a TV set that played a movie after sunset. Today we left
at first light headed for APO reef half way across the Sulu Sea. Its a
national park and looks much like Hogsty Reef in the southern Bahamas. We
felt our way 4 miles deep into this coral maze--anchored and snorkeled for 2
hours. A little disappointing but fun. Then on to the NW tip of Mindoro in
flat calm. We arrived a few minutes before sunset. 13 25n 120 19e After
dark the stars were especially bright. Something from space blazed across
the sky--very large and very bright with colorfull flames. Even as it passed
out of sight behind a mountain ridge, it lit up the sky. Anything in the
news about this? As an aside the autopilot has worked perfectly since
changing the board. Stu Hebs tip on the depth sound is logical and we will
work on it. Heading for a marina on Luzon tomorrow
Subject: Mindoro-Sunday
On sat we had an easy sail to Tara Island and found a perfect anchorage off
a happy village nicely laid out among the coconut palms. Many canoes
arrived packed with the entire family. This is the local hot spot for sat
night. By sunset children played in the surf with chatting adults watching.
A single dish fed a TV set that played a movie after sunset. Today we left
at first light headed for APO reef half way across the Sulu Sea. Its a
national park and looks much like Hogsty Reef in the southern Bahamas. We
felt our way 4 miles deep into this coral maze--anchored and snorkeled for 2
hours. A little disappointing but fun. Then on to the NW tip of Mindoro in
flat calm. We arrived a few minutes before sunset. 13 25n 120 19e After
dark the stars were especially bright. Something from space blazed across
the sky--very large and very bright with colorfull flames. Even as it passed
out of sight behind a mountain ridge, it lit up the sky. Anything in the
news about this? As an aside the autopilot has worked perfectly since
changing the board. Stu Hebs tip on the depth sound is logical and we will
work on it. Heading for a marina on Luzon tomorrow
Captain Scott's Log ~ Saturday, April 26th, 2008
4:38 AM
Subject: Coron Harbour
12 00N 120 12E Yesterday off the beach filled with coconut palms, the
natives who sold us the died squid returned wanting to sell us coconuts. I
guess they figured that if we'd buy died squid we would buy anything. They
also had some "coconut wine" in a 20 year old Clorox bottle that we passed
on. They were not inclined to leave so Donna was left on deck to chat with
them. Pointing to the coconuts she asked "So, where did you get these?" They
gave up and left us alone. A great 10kt sail at times brought us north into
the lee of Coron Island. Magnificent sheer cliffs and caves made for good
photos. Crystal clear lakes are in the center. Coron town is larger than
anything else around except Porto Princessa. Still it’s a rural sleepy
village. They got electricity 10 years ago and there is one ATM machine.
Anchored we watched life ashore---men working on their fish nets, children
swimming off the back porch, cock fights. A 100ft steel Vulcan War Bird
anchored so close to us that I was uncomfortable all night. All boats have
outriggers. There is a large Coast Guard boat nearby white with the red
stripe. It looks silly with outriggers. I had planned an extra day here but
there is not much to hold us and we will move on.
Subject: Coron Harbour
12 00N 120 12E Yesterday off the beach filled with coconut palms, the
natives who sold us the died squid returned wanting to sell us coconuts. I
guess they figured that if we'd buy died squid we would buy anything. They
also had some "coconut wine" in a 20 year old Clorox bottle that we passed
on. They were not inclined to leave so Donna was left on deck to chat with
them. Pointing to the coconuts she asked "So, where did you get these?" They
gave up and left us alone. A great 10kt sail at times brought us north into
the lee of Coron Island. Magnificent sheer cliffs and caves made for good
photos. Crystal clear lakes are in the center. Coron town is larger than
anything else around except Porto Princessa. Still it’s a rural sleepy
village. They got electricity 10 years ago and there is one ATM machine.
Anchored we watched life ashore---men working on their fish nets, children
swimming off the back porch, cock fights. A 100ft steel Vulcan War Bird
anchored so close to us that I was uncomfortable all night. All boats have
outriggers. There is a large Coast Guard boat nearby white with the red
stripe. It looks silly with outriggers. I had planned an extra day here but
there is not much to hold us and we will move on.
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