SunShine to Cebu

[fenixrises]

Hi All,

SunShine and I depart for Cebu tomorrow AM, Thursday the 12th. I expect abot a 25 day passage cause its 2900 miles.

It has been a pleasant stay here in Majuro. But the rainy season has started. There has often been strong trades as well.

The cruisers here have been welcoming and helpful. I met Russ again. We last met in whangarie, NZ in 2006~7. Hes has been here 3years on a teachjng contract.

Enjoy your summer.

Take care,
Fred

[bgephart]

ShipTrak shows that Fred and Sunshine have left Guam, and appear to be heading for the Phillipines. That guy is a true cruiser!

[fenixrises]

Hi all,

After a quick stop in Guam SunShine and I finally made it.

I bongeda reef pretty good trying to get in but all is well.

Will be here a while.

Need to do some things for me and boat.

May head to west coast next year and then through the s.Pac again.

Take care,
Fred

[tartansailor]

Greetings Fred,
Following your journeys with great enthusiasm, and a bit of envy.
Pray tell, do you make your position report on local time, or Universal time.
Thanks in advance, and the very best of good fortune.

Dick

[fenixrises]

Hi Dick,

The positions reports are made to the Pacific Seafares Net @ 0300 GMT.

Here in the Phils that's 11:00am

Take care,
Fred

[chase]

Hey Fred, that looks like a great place to spend some time, have you been there before? How's your spanish?

The Philippines are very appealing but it seems that many bypass...

Hope your boat is OK and you have some great times-

Chase

[fenixrises]

Hi all,

Its Thursday morning May 12, 2011. I wanted to get off as early as possible this morning from Majuro on my way to Cebu(Seeboo) Island in the Philippines. The weather here has entered the rainy season and this morning shows why. I got up at my normal time, around sunrise, then potterd around below for a bit. Most of the pre departure routine I had done yesterday. I had only to get up the dingy and prepare the sails for leaving. Since I was on a mooring, anchor rerieval wasn't necessary.

In between rain squalls I got the dingy up and stowed. The genny was unbagged and hanked on, ready to go. The main sail cover was off and it's halyard attached. The AP was set. I only needed to start the motor, hoist the 2r main then drop the mooring line and head out downwind. If only the rain would stop! Finally about 10AM the cloud cover lifted a bit and rain ceased at least for the moment. SunShine and I were starting a 2,900 mile passage to Cebu.

Majuro has a big lagoon. The anchorage area near the main settlement is 12 miles from the pass. Fortunately this time for us, it is down wind. It looked to be a blustery day with low clouds and squally rain. The wind was ENE from 10~25 k in the gusts. That's why I started out with only the 2r main. As soon as I threaded my way through the anchored purse seiners I went forward and hoisted the genny. Then I set the AP to hold a good compass course. For the first two hours or so the going was pretty easy and the rain held off.

But for some reason the AP wouldn't hold to the course line. What's with that I thought? DOH!! I forgot to untie the line that holds the aux rudder tiller, so the aux rudder could only move a couple of degrees. Even we "Professional World Class Single Handers" do dumb stuff too. Although good ol' Joe Smith from Pago Pago said he is a double hander. "After all I got two hands, not just one, right?" he often stated from his bottomless well of puns and one-liners.

The blustery conditions continued as we neared the pass. The wind got up a bit more as I brought SunShine closer to a beam reach. We zipped through the wide pass and went off to the NW to clear the nearby motus. Then we headed west to a WP between Majuro and the next island, Ailinglapalap to the west. As the day progressed the wind eased and shifted more to the south. I was concerned about being able to hold to the south in order to be able to clear Ailinglapalap as night was approaching. Off to the SE I saw the lights from a couple of fishing boats thought they didn't get uncomfortably near.

Throught the night the wind goes back NE and then slowly East. I am heading to a WP west of Ailinglapalap in order to then head NNW paralleling the western Marshalls. By Saturday afternoon with a light ENE breeze we are heading about 300*, right on course to the next WP at 10*N x 160*E and about 500 miles distant. For the next number of days the wind holds mostly E~ENE at around 15 knots. The sailing is great and the tradewinds weather fantastic.

By about midnight Wednesday we should reach the WP and then be able to head off near due west towards the Philippines. I hold off the course change until after sunrise Thursday morning. At noon we have been one week at sea and crossed into another time zone, now GMT+11. Week one sees 815 miles under the keel. A05 10N30 x 140E00, just north of Ulithi Atoll is my next WP. It is 1,100 miles distant. As we are skirting the north edge of the doldrums I let our course drift more to the north to hold onto the wind.

There is usually about 50% cloud cover and often rain showers skattered around. Once in a while some rain falls on SunShine and I as we make westing. At 20:00 Tuesday we are half way distance wise and also knock off one hour to +10GMT. Each time zone is 15* of longitude and would be 900 miles at the equator. At only 13* N it is still nearly that far between each time change. As we near Guam, a couple of degrees N of the rhumb line course, the wind is getting lighter and more fitful. On the PacSeaNet I hear warnings of a hurricane to the west and north of the Phililppines.

Thursday morning and no wind. I start the motor and keep heading WNW thinking I will make a stop at Guam as there is no wind and after two weeks at sea a short break in the trip would be nice. In the wee hours of Friday we are powering along to the north in the lee of Guam. Because of the land the wind is redirected to the NNE and of course just about dead on the nose as we make the final miles to enter Apra Harbor. That we do just as the sky shows us the predawn lightening to the east.

Inside the harbor at 06:00 I pick up a mooring in a small bay tucked inside the fringing reefs and a couple 100 yards from the Mariana Yacht Club.


Daily Runs: 104,93,123,124,109,130,132,130,77,128,120,129,110,115,30 = 1354 90/day

Take care,
Fred

[Sea Hunt Video]

Hello Fred:

Sounds like an interesting transit. I always enjoyed my times on Majuro. I remember a really good Chinese-Asian restaurant.

My cousin is stationed on Guam with NPS. She has been there about 3 years. If you need assistance with anything, let me know and I will send you her contact information. I think she rents her apt from someone who is a member of the YC. One of her co-workers owns a sailboat that they keep at Agat Marina. That place has a really nice bar and they stock Guinness

[fenixrises]

Hi all,

After I got secured to the mooring in the small bay a couple 100 yards from the Mariana Yacht Club I went below to have some breakfast. Afterwards I went up into the cockpit to relax and have a look around. I noticed someone rowing their dingy over for a visit. Bill introduced himself. He was a long termer living aboard a 34'er a bit deeper in the bay. After exchanging pleasantries he started to fill me in on the yacht club and Guam in general.

After a few minutes Mike, the owner of Felix moored just in front of me, rowed his dingy over as well. I noticed that Felix had a much reduced rig and a full sized mizzen. After a brief dicussion we agreed to meet up at the yacht club a little while later. As it turned out Mike was on his way to California from Kwajelan atoll back in the Marshalls. Kwaj is a bit north and some miles west of Majuro. Up near Wake Island Felix's mainmast colapsed. Mike was able to save the mainsail and much of the rigging but had to cut the mast loose. Being a single hander he was unable to retrieve the mast. He and Felix limped into Apra harbor from the north, Thursday night, just as I was rounding the southern end of the island.

Even though it was Friday no one was about at the yacht club. Since this was Memorial Day weekend the members had sheduled a race up to an adjacent island to the north and wouldn't be back until late Sunday afternoon. Since the members weren't about the club manager wasn't opening the club for most of the weekend. This really didn't matter too much except the club is miles away from town and there really isn't anything nearby, within easy walking distance that is.

Mike spent much of the time cleaning and refolding his sails and gear ashore while asking the few people who showed up about getting his boat repaired. As it turnred out there was a fairly new aluminum mast and boom available in the very rundown marina area a few miles away.

Felix is a 50 year old Belgin built steel ketch with tabernacled wooden masts. Mike thought that the glue joints in the main mast had given up therefore allowing the mast to collapse right at the top of the tabernacle. I went over to his boat the next day to look at the remaining stump of the mast. A brief inspection showed the cause of the failure. It was rot. I would estimate the 70~80% of the cross section of the mast was rotten. From the outside the mast looked perfect with a bright shiney coat of varnish and paint. The bad area was inside right where the upper hinge pin for the tabernacle was. Over the many years in the tropics water had entered the pin hole in the mast and caused the rot.

We also went and looked at the replacement mast. I was a newer LeFill section thas was made for a Colmbia 34', now being used as a floating apartment. The boat was owned by a non-sailor who was happy to sell the mast, boom and spinakker pole for $1,000. Mike was very fortunate to find this deal out here in the middle of the n. Pacific ocean.

With only minor modification it would fit his boat almost perfectly. I told him that other than the hassle and anxiety of his interupted trip this was a most fortunate happening. The aluminum mast would be much better for the boat and he was getting it for alomost nothing. I told him it was too bad I wasn't planning to stay longer as I would have been happy to help with the refit. There was a mobile crane available and an area in the marina where the work could be done. I suspect by now(mid July) he is well on his way to California.

This was the second dismasting I had heard about. On the PacSeaNet there was a boat reporting in that arrived two days after I left Majuro. They had been partially dismasted down around Tarawa somewhere if memory serves. They were also under juryrig as they made their way to Majuro. Fred's two basic rules: 1.Keep the water out. 2.Keep the mast up. In the middle of a 9,000 mile wide ocean these are very important!

After the holiday weekend was over Mike and I arrainged to rent a car for a day. One of those rent a wrecks. For $25/day and gas it was a good deal split two ways. We hit the bank and Home Depot(yes really) the Cost You Less(same as Samoa) and a pizza place before heading back to the club. I was amazed by Guam. It was just like being in any city in the U.S. There was a five lane highway running the length of the island. Stores and traffic jams abounded. I guess after the U.S. military pulled out of the Philippines they retrenched here.

The next morning we checked the mast out and I assured Mike that it would work just fine for his boat. It was now Wednesday so I stopped by to get my port clearance for the next day. After arriving back at the yacht club and spending the afternoon there I returned to SunShine to get ready for departure the next morning.

Since it was now the begining of June I was a bit concerned about hurricanes. This area and on west to the Philippines can have these storms anytime of the year. And they are usually bearthed in the area I was about to cross. I remember seeing reports on the news in Samoa about one earlier in the year, January to be exact. There was another I heard about on the way to the Marshalls and another just after I left the Marshalls. This last one turned out to be bad for one small boat. Many of these storms are very quick to form and fortunately small in diameter. Even so I have no desire to test myself and SunShine against one.

After arriving in Guam the people there heard about the small boat, a 24'er. That boat left Guam about 2~3 days after I left Majuro. The owner put out a distress call, EPIRB I think, and was rescued by a Japanese ship somewhere NNE of Manila. As sometimes happens the boat itself was later salvaged by a Philippine fishing boat. Perhaps better not to abandon ship until the top of the mast is three feet under the water!

WP A06 for me was somewhat east of the entrance to the Surigao Straight and 1,100+ miles
at 263* true. After that we had to go another 170 miles snaking through the different islands on the way to Cebu. At 08:30 I dropped the mooring and SunShine headed out of the harbor on the same course that would take us to the straights. The cloud cover was more than 50%, the breeze about 10k from the east and the seas small. Later in the day I saw a big water spout off on the horizon.

Friday conditions remain the same with the wind increasing to 15k. Early Saturday morning I see a big lightening storm to the north and the wind increases again to 20K. Through Sunday the wind is up and down a bit but the easy sailing continues. It is now getting difficult to reach the PacSeaNet, except for one operator down in NZ.

Monday dawns with an increase in the cloud cover. Later in the afternoon the wind shifts to the south and a Big Black Nasty forms to the south. I'm thinking it will be a big squall so I drop the genny and keep going slowly west under 2r main. When the squall finally hits there is little wind with pouring rain. Good time for a rainwater bath. After the rain stops the wind slowly goes to zilch. By midnight it's on with the motor.

Tuesday morning finds us still under power and now that we are far enough west another time zone change, it's now +9 GMT. By 10:30 the light east wind fills in and SunShine heads west under sail again. Sometime in the wee hours of the morning we have reached the 1/2 way point to Cebu, distance wise. On Wednesday conditions remain the same with the wind now up to 15k. I have been drifting a bit too north of the course line so now head a little more south at about 260*.

Throughout the day on Thursday I start seeing signs of life. In the morning I saw a ship up on the northern horizon. In the afternoon I saw a big LPG tanker and numerous fishing boats. That night squallyness starts to increase. By Friday morning I go back to the starboard tack as we have now gotten far enough south.

Saturday morning and the wind goes zip. By noon I am able to get sailing again but must do a lot of dancing with the sails as the wind shifts in direction and speed. Later in the evening I see more fishing boats and what looks like land far off on the horizon although it might only be clouds. Hard to say for sure as the sun sets.

On Sunday morning the wind finally gives up. Under power we are in the straights by noon and keep powering along to the next WP where the course then goes almost due south. Throughout that afternoon it is very hot and humid. What little breeze there is, is from the north so the appearant across the boat is nothing. Finally in the early afternoon the next WP is at 254* so we now get a nice cross wind and can sail and as important...cool off.

Early Monday morning we clear the last tight spot. This is a pass only a bit over a mile wide and the tidal current is against us a bit so it takes a while to travel the 10 miles to the next to last WP. Finally at 04:00 SunShine and I make the last turn. Port Carmen is dead ahead, 40 miles distant at 293*. As the sun rises it is another hot and humid day. The light breeze is from the east, that is behind us, so once again no appearant wind. Sure am glad to have my small refer and an ice cold drink from time to time in these conditions.

By noon we have made it. Port Carmen is actually two bays. One goes north, the other to the south. According to the chart there is 40' of water into either bay. The only trouble is the is no clear bouyage. The only thing marking the channels are bamboo posts with no clear indication of right or left markers. I go slowly ahead into the north bay but notice the depth rapidly reducing. CRUNCH!! Opps. I hit the reef. Into reverse and back up, then turn around and head out again.

Since the sun is directly overhead it should be easy to see down into the water. And it is. But I can't stand up in the bows and look down and steer the boat at the same time. By now I am also a little punchy from having only a little sleep for the last two nights. Hmmm, what to do. As I putt around I check the water depth. It's deep 60'~75'. I decide to anchor and then dingy in to look for my friends.

This takes a bit of time to get organized. Finally all is set. I fire up the trusty outboard and head in. I can see a couple of masts from outside the bay so know there must be a way to get inside. As I enter further into the bay and look to the east I see a number of masts sticking up through the trees and brush. Sure enough there are two...no four big aluminum catamarns up on the beach. This has to be where my friends Tim and Jess are finishing off their boat.

I land the dingy on the beach and drag it up through the ankle deep mud. There are numerous young Filipino men working about and an older guy from OZ by the accent. I ask him if Tim is about. Yes he says, should be up on that boat over there. I walk over to one of the other boats. I notice off to my right a small gazebo type building made from bamboo. It is elevated up to about the height of a one story roof.

A very pretty dark haired women looks down the stairway at me. A look of mild surprise is on her face, I recognize her at once. She is Jess, Tim's wife. She quickly comes down the stairs and gives me a big hug, "You finally made it" she says. After 5,000 miles I say "Yep, I finally made it". A few minute later Tim comes down off on of the catamarans. He has been doing a small bit of welding. He has a big smile and greets me as well.

I asked about getting into the bay. We finally arrange for Jess to accompany me out to SunShine with their laptop. It has the course into the harbor in memory. Out we go. Hauling up 150' of chain is a bit of a task. On again with the motor following the course line in very carefully. I see now my mistake, of course I went on the wrong side of one of the bamboo poles. Now is is easy to get inside. Inside the harbor There are a couple of floats to mark the channel. I direct SunShine behind, to the north, of a 40' canary yellow trimaran and drop the hook in 15' of good holding mud bottom. We will be here for a while.

Take care,
Fred

[fenixrises]

Hi all,

I was in Subic Bay many years ago attending US Navy dive school.

Cebu is of course a different island and Cebu city is the second largest city in the Philippines after Manila.

From reports many more cruisers are coming to the Philippines because Autralia has made going there prohibatively expensive and an all around pain in the wallet. Latest reports state that the quaratine fee at check in is now 500 Australian dollars and with the strong aussie dollar that's over $500 US. That in addition to many restrictions have driven cruisers to other countries.

Except for some problems in the SW part of the country the Philippines are a great cruising area. Many islands, protected seas, friendly people many of whom speak english make it a haven. And of course it is still inexpensive.

I go numerous times a week up to a nice little restaraunt and have a meal with cold drink and two scoops of really good icecream for $4 US, hard to beat that.

The Philippines could easily become a new #1 cruisers destination.

Take care,
Fred

[fenixrises]

Hi all,

My friend Tim is an aussie boat builder/designer.

Tim started out 25+ years ago with a steelie. He cruised about SE Asia and OZ and thought about his ideal boat. He also spent much time here in Port Carmen on Cebu island.

Finally he decided the time was right and he headed back to Oz and his house there to design and build his ideal boat. Tim likes performance. So he decided on a "Performance Catamaran" built in aluminum. He wasn't a designer nor a welder of aluminum. But he learned both skills.

The resluts. There are over 20 boats now built to his design and out there sailing. Here in Carmen there are six in various stages of constrution, including "Trim" his latest personal boat.

Our last two years have had parallels. When we last met in Brazil we were both soon to return to our prospective homes. Tim sold his last Trim within two days of returning to Oz and I sold FeNIX as soon as I returned to the US.

We then both started on our next boat boats. Mine of course was SunShine. His is a slightly enlarged version of his previous boat. At 48' and setting a cloud of sail on a displacement of 15,000lbs(same as SunShine) his cats really fly. He is disapointed if he doesn't average 200 miles/day. His boats regularly hit 16knots and cruise easily at 10~12 knots.

Tim's personal boat "Trim"


A bad picture of a beautiful main saloon table with an inlaid design of a "Carre Fore"? I think that's what it's called. The table belongs to Mek and Mikey a couple from NZ just about finished with their own cat.


Take care,
Fred

[fenixrises]

Hi all,

Cebu Island is long and thin and runs north and south. It is pretty much centered in the Philippine group. On the east side of the island about half way along the coast is Cebu city. Cebu(see-boo) and its surrounding metropolitan area are the second largest population base in the Philippines. Mandaue(man-dhow-wee) is an adjacent city to the north of Cebu and is near the same amount of area. The Philippines is the third world! Make no mistake about it. ATMs and internet access abound as do motorcycles and cars and buses and tricycles. It is still the third world.

If you've never been in a third world country you are in for a ________(fill in the blank)! You'll either love it or hate it. Abject poverty lives side by side with urban sprawl and wealth. It is filthy and hustling, bustling, cramed with humanity. You can buy a multi-million dollar home or a stick from a sidewalk vendor for a piso. Now there is a funny word. Most are familiar with the Spanish/Mexican peso. In the Philippines it is the piso but pronounced the same as the Spanish peso. Must be some confusion between the Greco/Latin root pronunciation of the letter "i". Because in latin "i" is pronounced as a long "e" in English. Thus Pi(the whole circle radius circumfrence thingy of 3.1416) is not actually pronounced like the English word pie but like the urinary word pee. And "e" is pronounced as "eh", or the long "a" sound in English.

Anyway the piso currently exchanges at the rate of 42 piso = $1US. Since I've been here the rate has fallen by about P1.34 from 43.34 pisos = $1US. Thank you US government for spending us into bankruptcy. The stick I mentioned above is one cigarette. The local brands sell for as little as P10/pack or P1 for a single smoke. And an 8 oz. coke in the familiar feminine shaped glass bottle is between P6~P9 for a bottle depending on the vendor. No bottle deposit required. One of my measurements of how a country will treat me financially is the price of a 12oz can of coke. A street vendor or small store sells a can for P25. In the larger grocery stores the same is P20. Therefore the Philippines is easy on my wallet. When I first came to the Philippines, last century, the exchange rate was P8=$1US. The Filipinos have done an even better job at destroying their currency that the US.

So how do I get around here on Cebu. Shank's mare is OK for short distances but not practicle when going to Danoa, the next city to the south of Carmen. Danoa(dan-ohw) is six miles or so down the main highway. It is a couple of times larger than Carmen. Carmen is almost just a village or perhaps a small town. To get anywhere I hop in the dingy first. Then either over to Tim's boat yard on the beach to the east or go over to the pier a bit west of where I am anchored. After tying up the dingy to the sea wall/pier I walk about a kilometer up the side street to the main highway. The main highway runs north and south from one end of Cebu to the other.

Transportation is readily available here in the Philippines. For short hops in town there is the pedi-cab. This is a 20" bicycle fitted with a side car. It can carry two adults and a couple of children for distances of about 1/4 mile. Official rate in Danoa is P3 per passenger. And don't think this only a job for youngsters. I've seen many a pedi-cab powered by guys that look to be my age. The pedi-cabs often have a sun cover and clear plastic tarps that can be arranged to keep most of the rain out.

In Danoa the main downtown area centers around the Gaisano shopping center. This is sort of like a mini-mall. Gaisano must be rich as there is a Gaisano Center in most towns. The street routing around the Gaisanos mall is set up to keep traffic flowing smoothly. I am often reminded of the duck pond at a carnival. You know those things where there is an oval race track water pond that is filled with little floating plastic ducks that are propelled by water current around and around the track. You try to hook one with your "fishing rod" to win a prize.

The Gaisano and the surrounding streets are like that with the pedi-cabs representing the little floating ducks. Around and around they go, occasionally picking up a passenger or two or three or maybe a 50 kilo bag of rice or four 5 gal bottles of water or what ever they can move from here to there for their P3. Some of the pedicabs do not have sun/rain covers. They are strickly the "freighters", sort of inner city 18 wheelers. Some carry very fancy paint jobs. They can't be too big or heavy because that is all "dead weight" and by the end of the day even an extra pound must seem like a ton.

Next up the ladder comes the tricycle. This is a motorcycle powered three wheeler cab. The most popular power these days is a 155cc Honda motorcycle. Bolted to the right side is a side car. These in themselves are interesting. The side cars look to use a design based on a 50's~60's automobile rear end complete with tail fins. The are smaller than a full size auto of course. These too are personalised by the owners with everything from mild to wild paint sceems. You would think that a 155c motorcycle could only legally carry one additional passenger ala the US. But bolt on a side car with a small bench seat and two fold down mini-seats and you can carry four adults in the side hack. But wait a minute, most all have a front and rear cargo rack as well and in a pinch there is the roof. And don't forget that long bench seat of the motorcycle itself. On that you can carry three paying passengers. But where do you put the driver you might ask. Well there's no one using the gas tank, right?

All day long the tricycles line up at the bus terminal. Some going noth and some south. I take the north bound one back to Carmen. Along with the other 5~6 passengers who start out the trip with the driver straddling the gas tank. Fotunenatly I've not seen one involved in a crash. I'm not sure you could seperate the body pieces. For the real extreme Tim told me he once saw a tricycle carrying a cow. Somehow the owner got the cow to back up to the cab and sit in it. Now that's something that I would've taken a picture of. From Carmen to Danoa I sometimes start the trip by myself in a tricycle with the driver aggresively hawking the pedestrians along the road for more passengers. All this for the princely sum of P12. Though on the return trip if I have the driver take me all the way out to the end of the pier I'll give him another P5~P7 for the side trip. This is very commom by the way.

Now I could get a "Special" to or from Danoa for P100. That is I would be the sole occupant of the tricycle on the trip. There is an intermediate form of transport as well. With the advent of bank financing just about anyone can afford a motorcycle. I've seen signs in front of the bike dealers advertizing only P700 down and drive off on your new 125cc motorcycle. Honda is very big here. But Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki and some off brand Chinese knock offs are sold as well. You can get a pretty nice 125 for about $1,500, quite a bit cheaper than the US or a Chinese knock off for under a $1,000. That of course is about the eqivalent of a medium priced sedan in the US considering the daily official minimum wage in Cebu city is P280 or about $4US. Yes that's per day not per hour.

Many entrepenurial young men have purchased their very own flashy bikes. How exactly they qualify for they loan I do not know. The banks probably use the same rules the US bankers did in the 90's. Need a mortgage? Do you qualify? Are you breathing? You qualify. Anyway now that you have your fancy new scooter roll up to the gas station and pop in P40 worth of gas, that's not quite a liter, gas being around P53~7/liter. Then cruise on down to the local mall. Either a Gaisanos or a FoodLand or what ever is there and park along the street/sidewalk along with all your buddies. There you wait for someone who needs a ride and is willing to pay for door to door service, usually P20~P40. Certainly cheaper than but not as convienient as a tricycle or regular car type cab. Not too many cabs out here in the hinter lands anyways. Lots of them in Cebu and Mandaue.

Next up is the mini-bus. They are derivations of "Jeepneys". Jeepneys are converted WW2 jeeps. Build a covered cab over the back of a jeep, install a couple of bench seats and viola you have a jeepney. A highly original and brightly done paint job are also required. While there are still many surviving jeepneys about, often with much of the original sheet metal replaced with stainless steel the new wave is small cargo type vans converted to use as passenger carriers. Simply cut out some of the sides of the cargo box then install two bench seats facing the centerline add the paint job of your choice and you're in business. There are also larger buses based on the same principle. All the way up to actual passenger buses complete with air conditioning. AC is great. Remember Cebu is about 10* north of the equator, that means it is like southern Florida year round, hot and humid, although there is sometimes a nice breeze.

A bus trip to Cebu city, 20 miles or so to the south takes up to 1 &1/2 hours depending on the traffic. Much of the road is only two lanes. By the time you get down towards Mandaue it opens up to four lanes but of course the traffic increases exponentially. At first, as I was still learning my way around, I would take a bus to NBT or the North Bus Terminal. NBT is located in Mandaue some distance NE of downtown Cebu. From there I could taxi it to downtown about P100~P130 or take another short range minibus to one of the other areas in or around Cebu. Now that I am a more seasoned traveller I take a bus from Carmen that has SM on a small sign in its windshield. SM is the mother of malls. And yes the are numerous SMs about and new ones being built. SM is centainly richer the Gaisanos as the SM malls are huge.

A ride in a regular bus from the NBT or SM back to Carmen or to there from Carmen is P40. A 20 mile bus ride for less than a buck, now that's a good deal, but is does take time. For slightly more you can ride on one of the big fancy Ceres buses. No packing them in like cordwood on Ceres buses but it will cost you. The price is P50 for the same ride and if you get one that is A/Ced its P70 but lets not break the bank here. Although noisyier and less comfortable I like the regular buses.

One thing of note here. Beware pickpockets!! When riding about like this and jammed in with countless other folks your stuff is not safe. Especially in the old parts of downtown Cebu, i.e. Carbon and Colon. Even the sidewalks can be a treasure trove for a sticky fingered thief. So general rules of thumb when travelling these areas. No jewelry fancy or otherwise. No wristwatches. Seperate your big money from your little money. That is I keep coins and notes P100 or less in a handy front pocket and usually only about P500 or so, remember that is more than a day's wage to many folks. Wallet with plastic and big money that is P500 and P1,000 bills go in a buttoned front pocket. I find cargo type shorts very handy for this function. Be very careful when you have to dig into you big money stash. Unfortunately the ATMs alway disperse cash in P500 & P1,000 denominations. This is a real pain as many people can't make change for these big notes. Remember at current rates a P1,000 note is about equal to $25US. Many of the small things you can buy or do cost less than P200 often less than P100. So break down big money to small money whenever possible in the bigger stores and eateries.

Then there are the rules of the road. With big vehicle moving a high speeds the US highway and street system is well engineered. Out here in the third world thigs are a bit different. To give you and idea. One day I was riding in a tricycle down to Danoa, a little grocery store run. As we were puttering along the two lane concrete road(this is the main north-south highway) an impatient auto driver wanted to pass us. I do not think the speed limit anywhere on this road is more than about 50kilos/hour. Anyway we were tooling along at 30 or so when the auto drived toots his horn to let us know he's going to pass. Behind him there was a really impatient minibus driver. So to satisfy everyone while the car passed us in the tricycle, the minibus further to the left passed us both. That's three across on a two lane road with opposing traffic coming the other way of course. Neither a feather ruffled nor a fender scratched everybody squeezed a little this way and that and all fit in. BTW this happens all the time out here in never never land.

The fact that a 125cc motorcycle is the equivilant of a family sedan is born out by seeing the whole family riding down the road on one. Dad drives with the youngest and smallest in front of him. Mom is behind him holding the second smallest child while the biggest is behind mom. Must be a pleasure outing for the whole family. Off to the home after an exciting day at work/school or the park or shopping or whatever.

Take care,
Fred

[fenixrises]

Hi all,

I admit it! I have been very lazy and not done much writing nor updated SunShine's website in about one year. So here it comes, probably in a number of installments.

Having arrived here in Cebu last year it seems that the Philippines have adopted me. Or maybe I have adopted the Philippines as my new home. I have enjoyed my stay and will use Pt Carmen as my base of operations for some time. I last left you with a brief description of transportation here in Cebu and some of my impressions of life here. To continue...

Last summer after getting orientated to my new surroundings and spending time with friends I decided to do some local cruising. But first some maintenence was required. After about 15 months it was time for new bottom paint. Just before I left Samoa I had quite an ordeal cleaning the bottom. The worst part was the bottom six inches or so of the keel.

When I went to Aitutaki in the Cooks in 2010 I had to enter the narrow and shallow pass to the inner part of the lagoon. I arrived at the pass in what I thought was good time but I was wrong. The tide was ebbing and the depth decreasing. At best the pass into Aitutaki is six feet deep at the inner end.

I was powering about waiting for the current to slack a bit when the Italian skipper of a big fancy cruising boat came zooming up in his ribby. This thing was fully equipted, including a depth sounder. He asked what I was doing and he said wait a minute and I'll go check it out with my boat. He entered the pass and cruised around checking the depth then returned. There is 1.5 meter clear he announced. I'll risk it I said as SunShine draws 1.4.

Off we went with me following close behind the rib. SunShine slowed a bit as we hit a sand bar. I upped the power from the motor and we pushed our way through for about 30~40 feet of sand. Then one more little bump at the entrance to the small bay, then get SunShine set and drop the hook. Great, we just made it. By the time the anchor was down it would have been too late then to enter the pass with the falling tide.

The only problem was the scouring of the bottom of the keel took off much antifouling. I was to pay for that later in Samoa as the sea life used that area to grow profusly. And now in Carmen the bottom of the keel was an underwater habitation for all manner of shellfish and weed.

After my expenditures in Samoa my budget was pretty tight but I did get a deal on 10 liters of good Kiwi antifoul from another money starved cruiser while there. Now it was time to use it. There is no handy haulout facility in the neighborhood so I considered running SunShine up on the beach by Tim's place. Never having done this before I was a bit apprehensive about the while exersize.

I hired a couple of local boys to help with the scrubbing, scraping and painting. Things went pretty well for a first time effort but I must say I am not too keen to try that experiment again. The main problem was that the keel dug it's own hole in the sandy mud bottom and water from the rain saturated land kept running down into that hole at low tide. This made it impossible to apply new paint to the lower three inches or so of the keel.

With that chore and numerous others complete it was time to be off and sailing again. On Wednesday morning November 16th, 2011 SunShine and I were off to visit Subic Bay. I was in Subic in the spring of 1968 to attend the US Navy's dive school. So long ago...

We had a good start but not much wind that morning so I powersailed north along the coast of Cebu. I did not plan to go straight to Subic but to make the passage in numerous day trips of around 40~50 miles, there being many small islands and points of interest along the way. As the sun rose higher in the sky a nice breeze filled in from the east.

Our first stop was Malapascua Island, 45 miles away at 11N20' X 124E06'. This is a small resort island where many local people and foreigners vacation. The easterly breeze helped us to make the island in good time and I had the hook down by 15:30. Plenty of time to relax and prepare my evening meal. I like to eat just about 30~45 minutes before sundown so I can sit in the cockpit and enjoy the sunset as I eat. This is my favorite time of the day.

I did not plan to go ashore at every island where I stopped. My goal was Subic. But single handing amongst numerous islands, fishing boats and ships means day trips are the easiest way. Its impossible to stay up all day and all night for days on end. I did want to visit Boracay Island and go ashore there. But setting up and breaking down the dingy for a one night stopover is too much work and too time consuming for me.

Next stop was South Gigante Island about 45 miles at 11N35' X 123E21'. The course around 285. We reached the island and were anchor down by 15:45. Another good days run under pleasant conditions. The Gigante Islands are not giant islands nor islands filled with giants. Mostly they are used by fisherman, I suspect to hide for a day or two from thier wives.

Panay Island was on tommorow's schedule. Panay lies WNW of Cebu and we were heading for Capiz Bay on the north coast. SunShine reached the bay and anchored by 14:00, an easy day for us. There is a port at Capiz and much shipping to and from the port. Fishing boats and fishtraps were numerous but easy to see in the daylight hours.

Saturday was for Boracay Island, 50 miles away at 11N58 X 121E55. Boracay is a well known tourist spot. There are many hotels and all manner of water activities, as well as plenty of night time clubs and bars. Here I planned to go ashore and have a look around. I had a good sail from Capiz starting with a NNE wind that shifted a bit through the day to ENE. I rounded the north end of Boracay in a building wind and slowly cruised along the SW side of the island looking for good place to anchor.

The water is pretty shallow for some distance offshore and I did not want to get too close and interfere with the moorings used by the party boats and jetskis. Because of this I was 300 yards from shore when I dropped the hook. I thought about preparing the dingy for a shoreside excursion the next day. But as the sun neared the horizon the wind continued to build, so I put off the dingy prep until the next morning.

Sunday morning the wind was still quite fresh and in my somewaht exposed and distant anchorage I decided not to launch the dingy. There were three foot high wind waves only 300 yards from shore so that meant a good solid 25 knots of wind. I was in the lee of the island and the wind was a bit shifty and gusty. I spent a pleasant day aboard and waited for the wind to drop thinking tommorow, Monday, I could get to visit.

Monday morning and conditions remained the same. If I had another seawise person aboard I could have gotten closer to the beach and reanchored but in the current conditions I would not risk doing so. Instead I decided to head off toward Subic again. I cranked up the anchor and set sail to the west. Originally I wanted to go north and stop at Puerta Galera on the north side of Mindoro Island.

But the wind was NNE and blowing 35 knots once I got out of the lee of Boracay so no way I was going to sail a course of 350 true for the next 120 miles. I took the easy way and bore off to just about due west and later NW and came into the lee of small Ilin Island south of Mindoro at 12N12' X 121E04'. This island is sparsly populated and I was able to snuggle up close to the shore and be well protected from the still strong NNE winds.

The next morning, Tuesday, it was still blowing and I discovered to my dismay that a spring in the racheting mechanism in my windlass had broken. Therefore I would have to retrieve the chain and anchor by hand. Since the wind was still strong I decided to stay another day, hoping the the gusty conditions would lessen and make manual anchor retrieval manageable.

By Wednesday morning I was ready to go direct to Subic which lies near 200 miles roughly NNW of my current position. First I would need to go about 125 miles at near 325* then the remaining 75 miles at NNE which of course was about dead to windward. After retieving the ground tackle and getting the sails set I headed out. The first couple of miles required passing through a pass between Ilin and the very small Ambulong Island to the SW.

Once clear it was fine sailing up the coast of Mindoro. My course led me slowly away from the coastline and by late afternoon we were well offshore. Then the wind died out until sometime after sundown. And then bang, back it came and strong. This wind is the NE monsoon and may well be a continuation of the NE trades found farther to the east. During the late spring and summer the monsoon blows from the SW and brings with it the numerous typhoons that plague the South China Sea.

My friend Tim has a weather print out that shows three distinct typhoons ranging through the South China Sea from the SW up to the NE. That's a lot of activity for a 1,000 mile stretch of water. Fortunately no typoons today. Through the night we kept sailing in the strong breeze under 2r main and Yankee. There are many fishing boats in the area and a lot of shipping as well so a good lookout must be kept.

Thursday morning finds SunShine and I romping along with the Yankee and 1r main and the wind at 20+K from the NE. As the wind funnels through the channel between Luzon and Mindoro it becomes more easterly. I think it is still NNE and as we get further north I have to hold off the the west to clear the Lubang Island group at 13N45' X 122E12'. Once north of the islands the wind comes more NNE again and there is no way to head directly to Subic as the course there is about 30*.

Throughout the day and night we continue our northerly course and I begin to wonder if we can even make the coast of Luzon at all. Finally at sunrise I am able to draw in close to the shore line. We are about 20 miles north of Subic and it takes the rest of the morning to get back to the SE and Subic Bay. This close to the coast line the wind is very gusty and shifts about in direction a little. This makes it hard to keep the boat on course under the windvane.

By noon we are at the outer reaches of the bay. And the wind is blowing strong right out of the bay and of course right on the nose. By 14:30 we enter the bay proper or so I call it at 14N46' X 120E13'. It is a bit narrow here and the wind is still on the nose so it is slow going powering straight ahead into the wind. As we get inside the bay the wind eases a little and we make a course change to the NE and now the wind is still on the nose. A bit further and change again to the east with the wind still on the nose.

The reason the wind seems to shift is because of the topography. The land surrounding Subic Bay is made up of three major valleys and the wind funnels down each and meets just about at the entrance. So it seems that any northerly course means the wind is on the nose. ARghhh! Finally by 17:00 we make it into the marina and get tied up in a slip. Things are winding down this late in the afternoon and all I really want is to eat and sleep.

After I get situated my friend Peter Powell from La Rosa, a Canadian I met in Samoa, shows up. We spend a few minutes talking and he recommends a Mexican diner across the street. Pete is not going with me, he has a hot date! I wonder across the street and fine the eatery. The food is OK and a bit pricey. It is only OK because of the difficulty in obtaining some of the ingredients.

While there I meet Bill and his Filipina wife. Bill Is an American who works on oil rigs and his wife works for a branch of the government that is like the EPA. Bill started the restaurant so he could get some of his favorite food and to see if he could make a go of it with a small local business. His place had been open for around six months and he explained to me that they had a very good month in November and actually made a bit of money.

I returned the next day, Saturday, and spent time talking with many people there. Most were not sailors but people who had some type of business interest in the Philippines. I asked Bill about someplace to moor or anchor SunShine as the marina was very expensive for non-yacht club memebers. He told me to stop by in the morning and he would take me by car over to meet a friend of his in Barrio Baretto. I returned to SunShine still needing to catch up on sleep.

Sunday morning I headed over to meet Bill. We traveled a few miles along the coast road to reach Barreto. Bill pulled into the parking lot of the Arizona Resort. Unusual name for a resort in the Philippines. We walked into the bar/restaurant and I was introduced to Tommo. Tommo is an Aussie who is my age. He has been in the Phils for 18 years, managing various hotel/restaurant businesses. Toomo is very good at his career and has always been very sucessful.

He is now part owner of the Arizona and runs the place with an iron hand. The workers all seemed happy and the place was certainly hustling and bustling even on this Sunday morning. After being introduced I asked Tommo about using one of his moorings and how much he would charge to use it. He said no charge, love to have you sitting out there. Adds atmosphere to have a real cruising boat sitting in front of the hotel's beach.

WOW! Was that great or what? Monday morning as soon as I could clear out of the marina and it's fees and paperwork I headed over to Tommo's place. It only took a bit over an hour to putt-putt over there and pick up a mooring. I assembled the dingy and launched it and rowed over to the beach about 150 yards away.

The Arizona is a combination hotel/restaurant/bar/girlie bar and floating bar. This all turned out to be very convienent for me. Since the moorings were a short distance from the floating bar and the Arizona's strip of nice sandy beach. I didn't need to use the outboard to commute. There was an old anchor line set in the beach which I could use to tie up the dingy above the high tide line.

After I tied up the dingy I walked inside and met Tommo again and he introduced me to Gavin. Gavin is a 40ish Aussie and is the manager. Tommo is the big boss. Gavin is a big guy and soft spoken and both he and Tommo extended a warm welcome. "Anything you need, just ask" they told me. Terrific hospitality. I sat down at one of the tables and perused the menu finally choosing a grilled chicken breast meal.

I just sat there and eyeballed the enviroment until my meal arrived. A huge boneless double chicken breast sat there sizzling on my plate. Grilled in a teriyaki type sauce it was teriffic and almost more that I could eat by myself. Thus started a delightful two month stay in Subic Bay.

The Arizona was great. Besides the retaurant with it's own bar there are 30 airconditioned rooms for guests. They guests are a real mix. Many are Aussies and Kiwis up for a bit of a vaction. And families stay here too, usually a foriegn man and his Filipina wife often with a child or two. Additionally there is the floating bar. This is a good sized rectangular barge with an upper deck for shading the lower level and the deck for sun lovers, though not used much during the day as the tropical sun will scorch you pretty quick.

To get there you ride the 100 yards from the beach on a small float powered by a couple of guys pulling lines fed through the float's hand rails. The guys get the usual small salary and really appreciate the tips they get from all the guys crossing to the bar. The floating bar is open from noon until 9PM. During the night there is a guard stationed there to protect the booze stored aboard. One more nice bit from Tommo is that he told the guard to keep an eye on SunShine whenever I was absent.

In the front of the Arizona and seperated from the main dining area and bar is another "sports bar" with a number of big screen TVs and a pool table. The floating bar and the Score Bar have "hostesses" who will be happy to spend time talking with you as long as you keep them well supplied with "Ladies Drinks".

As time passed and I settled in to my luxuriant life my routine became establised. I got up in the morning and had breakfast aboard, then attended to any small chores that required my attention. Computer in hand I would then row ashore and grab a table in the restaurant. Another plus was the free wi-fi internet access. After checking online for anything new I fired up the programming software and started studying. Although I have no formal training I like to keep my mind active by learning new things. Now it is programming in the C language.

About 2 o'clock or so I would order my lunner or lupper or is that sunch. Whatever... After eating and perhaps having a conversation or two with one of the hotel guests I would mosey out to the floating bar for a sundowner. Then it was back to SunShine and perhaps a short nap. A short row later would find me back at the floating bar and more conversation. And later I would head to the Score Bar for a bit of idiot tube and maybe a game of pool. Or sometimes I would wonder out of the Arizona and head down the road to visit one of the other establishments that line the road.

After a Christmas party and New Year's eve party two months passed before I knew it. I wanted to go to Hong Kong with SunShine. This would be my first time there so I got ready. A provisioning run to the big grocery stores in Olongapo was made much easier by being able to tag along in the van that makes runs to numerous places to buy stores for the Arizona.

I bid all a farewell and spent the last night on my comfortable mooring. In the morning the last chore was hoisting the dingy ashore and breaking it down, then stowing it for an offshore passage. It was Saturday morning, January 12, 2012 at around 8AM that I dropped the lines and headed out of Subic Bay on my way north to San Fernando. San Fenando is the last big city up north along the west coast of Luzon Island and the recommended starting point for a passage to Hong Kong. The trip would be about 150 miles.

Take Care,
Fred

SunShine to San Fenando

Hi all,

It was a pretty easy two day trip up to San Fernando. The winds were generally light and the sailing gentle. San Fenando lies at 16N38' X 120E18' on the mainland side of a large bay that is open to the NW. SunShine and I arrived and had the anchor down by 8:30 in the morning. It was a beautiful day as I sat in the cockpit looking around at the bay and the what I could see of the city along the shoreline.

A short while later a man came out to visit. He was a fisherman and had his own boat. The small fishing boats of the Philippines are generally always made to the same configuration. The hull is long, narrow and without much freeboard. There are two outriggers to stabilize the boat. Those of around 20 feet or longer are powered by a single cylinder gas motor driving a two bladed prop. They are steered with a simple rudder on a post through the bottom of the boat, not hung off the stern. The tiller is often quite long so the helmsman can sit amidships to keep his weight centered.

My new found friend later told me that his motor was 12 hp and he would, in the right season, travel well offshore to the fishing border of Taiwan to catch tuna. That's a 250 mile trip folks. One way in a 20' open boat with little freeboard. His navigation was done with a cell phone that had GPS. He told me the trip was very worth while even though it cost 3,000(about $75) pisos for gas. Fresh caught tuna demanded a good price in the market where his wife would sell the catch.

Later as he proudly showed me his concrete block twin house that he shared with his brother-in-law also a fisherman. I could easily see the rewards for his rather daring efforts. While there I met the two families and 12 children and mom and dad.

The first morning that he came I arrainged for a fuel run. As the day progressed the wind increased. By night it was blowing a good 25k from just a bit west of north. That was far enough west so that the wind waves were coming directly into the bay where I was anchored. SunShine was pitching a great deal and nearly stuck her nose into the oncoming waves.

By morning the wind and seas had eased and comfort returned to SunShine and crew. Later on my fuel arrived. I readied the dingy and headed ashore for a look see. I went up the road for a meal at one of the local resorts along the beach. After returning I told Luis that I would like to come ashore that evening to have a go at the local night life.


It was dark when I set out in the dingy to head into the small beach where Luis stored his boat. There was a good surf up on the beach and at night I was unsure of exactly where to land. I cruised along the shoreline numerous times just outside the line of breakers and finally decided not to try landing.

The next day I took Luis and a friend along for a tricycle ride to try to find a more suitable place to anchor. I had heard that there were some resorts along the beach to the south of San Fenando Bay. We found the resorts with no trouble. They were in the town of Poro just south of San Fenando. I asked the resort manager if it would be OK to anchor my boat off his beach and to land the dingy there as well. He told me it was OK.

After treating myself and Luis to a pizza lunch I then returned to SunShine and prepared to move. Thursday morning we got underway and had a short motor trip out of the bay and around the penisula that forms it's western part. There is just enough of a dip to the east in the coast at Poro to provide a lee even if the north wind has a bit of west in it. I anchored about 300 yards from shore as the water was shallow and the beach was also used by swimmers and small boats and wind surfers.

I spent the next week there coming ashore in the evening for a meal at the resort's restaurant and chatting up the waitresses and bartenders. There was not much business during the week days but a fair number more clients over the weekend. After the weekend I started the checkout procedure. I also had a visit from one of the Coast Guard types asking about a ships document. I told them I would be happy to supply them with a copy the next time I came ashore.

I went to immigrartion and told them I was leaving. They told me I needed a picture for a form they had. ??? I never had to do this before. Anyway off I went to get the required 2"X 2" picture. When I returned all was done for a 700 piso fee. Later I discovered not everything was done properly. As I was comimg ashore that morning I had flipped the dingy landing in the surf. Fortunately I had my long trousers and paperwork in a waterproof bag. The cashier wondered why my money was wet. I explained to her that I fell in the water. She seemed to accept this OK.


SunShine goes to Hong Kong

Hi all,

By the next Thursday, January 26, 2012 I was ready to leave. SunShine and I got underway at 8:20 AM under power and sail in a light westerly breeze. We were headed generally NW up to the latitude of the north end of Luzon, about 19* north, Then would alter course to WNW.This was the recommended route to Hong Kong. Hong Kong Island lies at 22*N15' X 114*E10' making for a passage of about 500 miles.

After two days of listeneing to the droning of the engine and burning costly diesel the wind filled in from the NNE. Thereafter the crossing was easy and uneventful. SunShine lazied along at around five knots in warm sunshine and little cloud cover until we neared the coast of China. By Sunday the cloud cover filled in to nearly 100% abd the temperature was dropping.

Even though HK is in the tropics it is subject to the mainland weather. My arrival at the begining of February meant the it would be the middle of winter. But I thought this is the tropics, how cold can it be? HA HA on me as I was later to find out.

The cloud cover continued as I neared the coast of HK. I decided to enter the eastern passage at 22*N15' X 114*E16'. HK is a busy place with all manner of shiping coming and going around the clock. Fishing boats also abound so a careful watch much be kept when nearing the coast and entering the passes. I spent a very lumpy night anchored in an open roadstead waiting for sunrise. I was not at all keen to enter this busy port at night and for the first time.

Of course having done it one time now I would have no problem going in at night. The channel is well lit and the water deep. Tuesday morning saw us underway again under bright sunshine, the last I would see for the next two weeks, as we powersailed into the channel. Once the the wind was blocked by the land we went ahead under power alone. By 12:45 PM we were at the entrance to the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club.

The entrance was a bit unclear to me as the pass through the breakwater did not lead anywhere. So I went into the other entrance, to a "Typhoon Shelter". There I found a floating dock adjacent to the club. As it turns out there is a lot of consruction going on all along the northern shoreline of HK. Much of the construction is in the water. The government is building a limited access highway to bypass the main surface street along the coast. Since there is no land to build on much of the new roadway will be elevated on pylons above the water.

Once I tied up I went in search of the club manager. He was a Brit and seemed to me to be a bit gruff and snobbish. Quite upset that I did not e-mail ahead to request a space for my stay. He told me I could use a guest mooring in thier mooring field but only for two weeks. I originally thought to stay for a month or so. At least the rate was resonable, about $9 per day with the first three days free.

The problem now in HK is that there are no free anchorages any more nor any anchoring at all except for the first 12 hours of your stay. If caught the fine is substantial. Also HK is a busy place and lots of money is being made here. Therefore all the marinas are filled with boats bought with the new found wealth of Hk's inhabitants.

I later met the yard manager of the club. An Aussie he was very friendly and quite helpful. He allowed me to stay at the floating dock until I was finished with the check-in procedure. I started the next day and that was a whole can of worms. Formalities were easy and the customs charge was only $8 with nothing for immigration. The main problem was that my USCG document was out of date. As you know it is renewed yearly. I had not yet recieved my new document and the Chinese official was quite upset about that.

He didn't seem to care that I had no customs clearance from the Philippines, the Fils being known for corruption and bribery this was not a problem. Nor did it seem that the failure of the Fil immigration to stamp my passport for exit, although I had the paperwork that showed the fee I had paid, bothered him. That too seemed to pass muster. It was the out of date document that drew his focus and ire. I patiently explained that I could have the USCG e-mail a certified copy to him. He hemmed and hawed and went to a superior. The super said that it would be alright to have the copy sent. He hand wrote a note on the check-in procedure handout that I had to that effect...fortunately.

I then returned to the club to find out more information about HK. I had asked earlier about an information booklet but the club manager denied knowing about that. So I asked the yard manager and he took me to the office and announced to the club manager that he was going to make me a copy of the visiting yachties guide to HK. Hmmmm...seems there was information readily available and right on the computer.

With my guide in hand and some HK dollars I set out to explore a bit. HK has a great underground automated rail system. There are attendands all around and they can assist you in ticket purcahse and destination choice. There are also surface buses and electric trollies. Some of the buses are of the double deck type often seen in England.

Hong Kong is a busy place. There are huge blocks of flats and skyscrapers everywhere. Real estate is expensive. The city is clean with trash recepticles everywhere. The club is located near the main downtown area. Therefore it is easy to find many stores, shops and malls close by. To get there I had to ride a sampan from the club to the sea wall. The intervening area being blocked by construction. After walking up the steps from the water I went down another set of steps that led to an underground tunnel that crossed the main shore line highway.

Once across and up the stairs on the other side it was a short walk to pandimonium...that is the main secondary road that is lined with shops and stores and goes on for miles. I found the grocery store easily as well as few few other shops of interest. For b'osn stores I needed to ride the rail to Koowlon which is mainland China and adjacent to HK proper. The entire area is dedicated to all manner of hardware stores and supplies of everything from used tools to new metal dealers. If you need a 6" piece of SS pipe you can get it there as well as fasteners of all types. Definitely an interesting place to spend a day wondering about.

In between all this I had contacted the USCG about sending the document. I wanted one sent to me as well. Why is the main Coastie office located in landlocked West Virginia? Senator Byrd, the decrepit old carreer politition from West Virgina is the reason. If you can believe it this took nine days to complete. A simple procedure. No? Evedentally not. But the new copy finally arrived just before I was set to leave.

I only stayed in HK for two weeks for a couple of reasons. #1. It was cold and cloudy for my entire stay. The first week rarely saw the temps above 50. I was so cold at night that I had to go buy a blanket to keep from freezing my butt off. Plus with no sun I had to run the engine daily to keep up the batteries. This I usually did in the late afternoon so the residual engine heat would help keep the cabin warm. #2. There was no place to keep the boat. Therefore I decided that two weeks was just fine.

Checkout was as easy as checkin except for my friend at customs. He was still on about the out of date document. I showed him the note written by his boss and told him to check his e-mail. He very reluctantely did so and viola there it was. A message from the USCG with the document attached. Wheeuuu! I breathed a sigh of relief. I decided to head out the way I came in as I needed to get more diesel. The only convient place was the marina located on the Kowloon side all the way out of the channel and around a point to the east.

I had actually run out of fuel in the marina and gotten 40 liters hand delivered by one of the sampan ladies. But this was very expensive, something like $2/liter. So I went to the very modern marina out around the point to get an additional 200 liters, planning to continue my return passage to the Philippines from there. The marina is located at 22*N16' X 114*E18' and the fuel was still something like $1.40/liter.

Next the return to Subic

Take care,
Fred

[fenixrises]

Hi all,

The day before leaving I checked the weather on PassageWeather.com. Tuesday February 14, 2012 at noon we left the mooring field and headed for the fuel station. In a way I really had to leave what with no place to stay and being already checked out. Fortunately the weather looked promising. There was big nasty brewing up in the Sea of Japan and the forcast showed that it would come down SSW right through the South China Sea.

By the time I left HK the system was to be already on it's way south and I thought that if I went slow the first couple of days I would maybe just catch the tail end of the storm. My desired destination was Puerta Galera on the northern coast of Mindoro. But I did not want to go too far south too soon as that would keep me in the storm for a number of days. Therefore I headed generally back to San Fenando about ESE from HK.

My departure was under cloudy skys and cool weather. I hoped both would clear as I left the Asian coast. By 20:00 the first evening the wind fills in from the NE and I can comfotably make 130* under 2r main and Yankee. Wednesday passed much the same and in the early hours the wind picks up a bit and goes more ENE.

Just after sunrise on Thursday morning I drop the main and continue under Yankee alone in an attempt to keep the boat speed down. By noon the wind is 25~30k out of the NNE and SunShine makes 5 knots. As day passes into night the wind eases a bit and I add the staysail. Then the wind increases again.

Friday morning comes and I am hoping to see the sun again. The temps have increased so that the air is warmer but still no sun. By around noon the sun starts to peak out between the clouds. Yeaaahh. My days run is 126 miles smack on a 5k average speed so not too fast...but then again maybe a bit too fast as I am to find out.

At 18:00 the wind is up again and I drop the Yankee. And off we go charging through the night under just the staysai, which is really my storm jib. The sky remains overcast but thankfully it is warmer. I am thinking that by now that storm system should be south of my current position but the wind says not quite yet.

By noon the seas are building to 5+ meters and the wind is around 50k. A bit of a wild ride for SunShine and crew. We are sailing under Yankee alone. Conditions seem to ease around sunset but through the day I have a hard time keeping SunShine on course. The reason is that the dingy stowed in it's brackets back aft is giving me a fair amount of extra weather helm with the wind on the beam. I try to get the windvane to hold on to a good course but when the wind eases the boat bears off too far.

With big waves breaking over the port side I discover that my bedding job on the big window aft on the port side is not working very well. Salt water drips into the galley at an alarming rate making a mess below. But I can do nothing about this in the middle of flying water and screaming wind, so I lie down in s'trb settee and just take it easy.

Sunrise Sunday finds things getting a little more tolerable. And sure enough by 8:30 I am powering along with no wind at all! So I am through the storm or it has passed me to the SSW, either way not too bad a drubbing from what was a small cyclone. Just after noon the sky is finally clearing and I start to see many ships about. 13:00 and I have changed to genny alone and stopped the motor.

That night I finally see some stars but in the wee hours the wind drops off again and the engine sees more use. Good thing I got all that high priced diesel. Monday morning and the wind is now ENE therfore blowing a good clip through the channel between Luzon and Mindoro islands. I decide to wimp out and return to Subic Bay. What the heck I had a good time there before and I need to do something about that leaking window.

13:00 Monday afternoon I pick up the same mooring I left one month ago. I break out and set up the dingy then head ashore. After all it is tradition that the captain buy the cook a nice meal when returning to port after a long passage. A request I have no trouble complying with this day.

Take care,
Fred

[fenixrises]

Hi all,

It was pretty easy to settle into the old routine again. Potter about the boat in the mornings with some computer time in the afternoon. Then a trip out to the floating bar. I have found, now don't stone me for this, that my general disinterest in beer has turned to a total dislike. Just do not like the bitter taste. So my sundowner is usually a Tanduay Ice. That is a bit like lemonade with a small dose of Tanduay rum. It is sold in bottles just like beer and variations are found in the States, some made with vodka.

San Miguel beer is the king of beers in the Philippines and is sold in light and regular pilsner, here called pilsen. The also sell a version of stronger beer called Red Horse. This had a higher alchohol content. I have been told that the kick has been reduced because you need not buy as much for the same punch. Manufacturers aren't totally stupid.

The big mall I went to in Cebu and now also in Consolacion is called simply SM. In other words San Miguel breweries own the big SM malls. Who ever is the principal stockholder in SM has to be one of the richest people in the Philippines. I am pretty sure it is the catholic church, after all it is SAN Miguel beer.

Sin taxes in the Philippines are low. The politicos want to increase them to add to the revenue stream, as if they weren't already robbing the country blind, but there is resistance. Its kind of like the old Roman "Bread and Circuses".They keep the booze and tobacco cheap to keep the populace content while screwing them every chance they get. The are also local variations of the normal vodkas, gins and wiskey. A 750ML bottle of Tanduay rum, 65 proof is about P50 = $1.25USD. So many cruisers stock up while here.

Don't forget that the average wage in the Philippines is around P250 a day. With a college education the locals may be able to nearly double that. Here you need a college degree to get a job as a sales clerk in one of the big mall stores. This of course helps to support the education system which at best provides a pretty poor education.

After three weeks it is time to get a move on again. I still want to get to Puerta Galera. On Sunday morning March 11, 2012 SunShine and I set out again. By 22:00 the wind is up and from the ENE. I am down to genny alone and making good speed. But the wind is funneling through the pass between Luzon and Mindoro. So I decide to give Galera a pass again and head off to the SE and the lower end of Negros Island. Negros is also a long island that lies just west of Cebu. Unlike Cebu Negros has a big bulb at it's southern end.

The trip down is uneventful but tiring as I must keep watch all day and night. There is little shipping in the area but lots of fishing boats. By sunrise Friday I near the entrance to Bonbonon bay just to west of Bobonon Point. Since this is the southern end of the island the wind crosses over the land and funnels out of the bay and you guessed it, right on the nose. And at about 25 k.

So it takes a while to get to the entrance. Entering is a bit tricky as there is a reef across the mouth of the bay. So to enter one must go to the east and come at the bay parallel to the land and then make a right turn to the north as you enter.

Bonbonon Bay is at 9N03' X 123E07'. This is also a very popular cruisers hole. Many cruiseres have swallowed the anchor here and transients often stop buy for a few days. For me the main problem with Bonbonon is it's seclusion. It is quite a hike to get to the main highway and then a fairly long ride to get to Dumaguete the main city of the island.

While in the bay I met Kenji a Japanese man and his Filapina wife. They live aboard a 35' cat. Kenji suffered an amputation of his lower leg due to being hit by a car. He gets around quite well on the boat but doesn't do much sailing these days. One day he was going to Dumaguete and offered me a ride in his small 4wheel drive jeep. 4wheelers are quite popular in the Fils because there are many dirt roads and it rains. Some of the roads are quite steep.

Along with us was a French couple who bought a boat that was in the harbor for a long time. They got quite a deal on the boat but it required a lot of work and some much needed engine repairs, not simple in an out of the way place like Bonbonon.

Dumagueta is a large town, not as big as Cebu city but bigger than Danao. For a reason I do not know there is a large scandinavian community here. When we arrived I offered to buy Kenji breakfast. So we all piled into the McD's for egg mcmuffins and such. The place was well populated by many OWMs like me, all drinking coffee and reading newspapers and chatting together in small groups at many of the tables.

After eats we went in search of parts and did a grocery run. That takes a bit of time so we treated ourselves to lunch before heading back to the bay. On the trip out we stopped at a small machine shop to have some work done on the heat exchanger of the other boat. We stopped by again on the way back to see if there were any problems and what if any progress was made. Yes to problems and not much progress. The hispanic heritage mixed into the Philipino community for hundreds of years has had an impact in that there is often a manana philosophy about getting things done in a timely fashion.

After a dicussion about what and how to do things we headed back to the bay and all piled into our respective dingys and home. I was asked if I wanted to eat that evening at the big once a week dinner party. I said yes as reservations were required to insure an adequate amount of food was prepared. There is no regular restaurant in Bonbonon but the are a couple of different establishments that offer a one night per week mass eating.

I went to the appointed place at the appointed time and was met by many of the people staying in the bay. Some were transients like me and some long termers like Kenji. The locale was a large house built up on the hillside above the water. A very nice place. It was owned by a retired American cruiser and his Filapina wife. They put on quite aa spread, buffet style and no one had any reason to go hungry.

Since the wind was still NNE I had to wait for a couple of days hoping for a calm period. Across the middle of the Philippines lie a number islands situated more of less north and south. With a northerly breeze the wind funnels down between these islands, which are close together and makes it difficult to go north. But a calm window showed up in the weather forcast and on Wednesday morning March 21, the first day of spring SunShine and I headed out under power.

We cleared the bay's entrance by 08:00 and set course to the east for a bit to clear the southern end of the island. Then is was off to generally the NNE up the lower coast of Negros and then the eastern shore of Cebu and the channel between it and Bohol. By sunrise the next day we cleared the northern end of the channel between Cebu and it's smaller neighbor Bohol. A bit before noon we entered Carmen bay again to drop the hook after a six month absence. Altogether a 28 hour trip done under power in the calm conditions.

Take care,
Fred