October 31, 2006

Those of you who know Yu-ching are well aware that sailing around the world on a boat would not be high on her list of things to do.  She is afraid of the water, can’t swim and gets seasick.  She does not even like going to a beach resort.  For her an ideal vacation is visiting some place like London or Paris, staying in a 5 star hotel and shopping.  I would be the first to admit that I have done my best to spoil her.  My work overseas has allowed us to take vacations to many of the “must visit” places around the world and we have always traveled first class; staying in 5 star hotels, eating in the best restaurants and she was able to shop to her hearts content.

When we are staying in a ports like Hong Kong or Subic Bay things are much different than they are when you are at anchor.  The boat is tied up to a dock, you have shore power, running water and getting on and off the boat is simple – you just step off on to the dock.  When you are at anchor, as we are here and will be at most of the places we visit, you have to run the generator for electricity,  water must be toted to the boat from the land and getting on and off the boat means you have to take the dingy.  While true lovers of sailing adventures prefer being anchored in a quiet peaceful cove somewhere, for others being at anchor is more than just inconvenient

Over the last two days the weather in Puerto Galera has been less than ideal.  A typhoon passed over just north of here and we have had rain and winds that kept the boat rocking.  Going ashore to get supplies, water and to check our email has meant taking a long ride across choppy waters in a small boat while the rain soaked you.  All the makings of a divorce between a sailor and his land loving mate.

We talked about the possible hardships we would have as we traveled and agreed that if they became too much, Yu-ching would return to the states or go to Taiwan and come for a visit when the boat was in a port where she could be tie up to a dock.  As I watched the weather change from warn sunny days to wet ones I was afraid that the time was coming to book a ticket for her.  Much to my delight and surprise it turns out that she is much more of a trooper that I had thought possible.

She has learned to live with, or at least tolerate, being at anchor.  My biggest surprise is how well she has adapted to trips ashore.  Yesterday the rain was coming down and the dingy was being rocked by the waves and wind.  This didn’t phase her one bit.  She timed the rocking of the dingy, jumped into it and sat down on the cold wet seat just like an old sailing hand.  I don’t think I have ever loved her as much as I did at that moment.  I know she is did this with a smile, because she wants to be with me while I fulfill this crazy dream.

Tomorrow morning at first light we will leave PG and continue our trip to Borneo.  Our fist stop will be Paluan Bay (13º 23’, 446N - 120º 25’, 429E).  From there we will sail southwest to Apo Reef (12º 40’, 611N - 120º 28’, 443E) assuming the winds are in our favor.  If they are not, we will sail further south to either Sablayan Point or Dongon Bay where we will spend the night before sailing west to the Reef.

Apo Reef reportedly has some of the best scuba and snorkeling sights in Asia.  Because it is a reef and not an island with a bay it will mean that we will have to be very careful as we approach its shallow waters and the anchorage will be unprotected from the wind.  Despite this, everyone tells us that this is a “must visit” place so we will see if what they say is true.

From the Reef we will sail to Dibovovan Island (12º 16', 191N - 120º 05', 416E).  We will use the island as a base anchorage to make a side trip to Calauit Island (12º 18', 198N - 119º 53', 629E)  Calauit Island is located just off the NW corner of Busuanga Island.  On the charts it looks like it is part of Busuanga but it is not.  It is the home of a game preserve started by Marcos.  We are told that it is not what it once was but you can still see many of the animals they imported from Africa.  From Dibovovan we will begin our passage down the north west side of Palawan.

This will probably be our last posting for a while as we doubt that we will be able to get access to the internet for some time.

October 29, 2006

In our resent log entries we have mentioned a couple from Denmark and the owners of the French restaurant we have visited, but have not posted any pictures of them or given their names.  We usually take pictures and get contact information from the people we meet shortly after we make their acquaintance, but for some reason we were slow to do it this time – blame it on the good food and wine.  You will now find pictures of both couples in Blog Photos 9.

Last evening we had dinner again at Michel’s restaurant.  As you can see from the pictures he prepared Paella.  It was excellent.

Yesterday I helped Clement install a wind indicator on Kuro-Shio.  Blog Photos 9 has a picture of him at the top of her mast.  No, I did not venture up – tall masts that need to be climbed occasionally are just another reason we are now sailing on a trawler.

Another typhoon is on its way, but this one is predicted to pass well north of us.  However, we are beginning to feel the effects of the edge of the storm.  The skies are cloudy, the wind has picked up and there are occasional rain squalls.  This is not all bad because the cooler temperatures feel refreshing after days and days of hot humid weather.

More later.

October 28, 2006

We have decided to extend our stay in Puerto Galera for a few more days.  The PG yacht club is hosting a major sailing regatta this weekend.  Boats from all over Southeast Asia will be competing.  The big boats met last evening in Manila and are having an overnight race from there to PG.  They are expected to arrive here about noon today.

There will be other races held each day.  These will include dingy races for the kids and competition similar to the Americas Cup for the larger boats.  Consideration was given to entering Kuro-Shio, but after we thought about the amount work it would require to make her completive we abandoned the idea.  She is a steel boat and is very heavy.  All of the stores and other gear would have to be off loaded.  Several local boat captains have asked Clement and I if we would like to crew on there boats and we are thinking about it, but have not committed to anything yet.

In addition to the races during day, there will be a series of parties each evening.  They began last night with a BBQ at the club for those not participating in the first race.  Events like this are a great chance to meet other cruiser and learn more about interesting places to visit.

Tonight’s party is being held on the water front.  Each of the restaurants is preparing a special dish.  We can’t wait to see what our friend from the French restaurant makes.

As we were plotting our passage to Borneo on the chart plotter, we discovered that the chip that contains the maps of Palawan had a flaw.  Every time we tried to zoom in on the southern half of the island the plotter froze up.  We contacted the manufacture and he is sending us a replacement by FedEx.  It should arrive today or Monday at the latest.

Clement ordered a wind indicator for Kuro-Shio and we are going to install it today.  It is not a major task but it does require climbing to the top of the mast to drill a hole so that it can be installed.  As I look over at his boat the wind and waves from passing boats are causing the mast to swing about 5 feet in each direction.  We may have to wait until the wind drops a little before one of us climbs to the top.

On Thursday we sailed Kuro-Shio to a small beach just outside of the PG harbor to do some diving on a coral reef.  The sea life was amazing, every color you can think of including bright blue starfish.  As we were getting ready to sail back to the harbor a local fisherman came by with a freshly caught Spanish mackerel.  We purchased it from him and that evening Yu-ching prepared sashimi and we grilled the rest.  I have never cared much for mackerel, but then I had never had any that was this fresh.  It was delicious.

I spent most of yesterday trying to figure out how the water maker works.  The instructions tell you about the settings for the valves, but do not indicate the direction they should be turned and none of them are marked.  After several hours of trial and error I think I finally figured out the proper settings.  The water we produced tasted good to me, but Yu-ching thinks is still had a little salt in it.  I will install new filters and make another batch later today.  Our water tanks hold 300 gallons so making water is not critical, but it would be nice to have it as a back-up just in case.

More later.

October 25, 2006

Did you ever have a meal that was so memorable that you knew you would never forget the evening?  Good food, in a beautiful location and stimulating conversation with your dinner companions are what make such a meal memorable.  Last evening we had such a meal.

A few days ago we met a Frenchman who lives in Puerto Galera.  He opened a restaurant because he loves to cook and share his creations with friends.  When he travels out of the country he closes the restaurant – it is more of a hobby for him than a business.

He goes to the market in the morning to see if he can find fresh ingredients for one of his creations and when he does, he invites his friends to join him for dinner.  Yesterday morning he found fresh Green Lib Mussels for sale.  By noon he was inviting friends and we were fortunate enough to be included in his guest list.  Besides Yu-ching and I the list included Clement and Sarah, a couple from Denmark, two couples from the Yacht Club, the owner/chef and his wife.

He steamed the mussels using a mixture of white wine, butter, cream, onions and garlic.  The meal was accompanied with an icy cold rosé he imported from France.  I wish I could find words to describe how it all tasted.

As I said above, in addition to the food, the location and conversation are of equal importance in the making of such a meal.  His restaurant is located on the waterfront overlooking be yacht club moorage.  We gathered for dinner just as the sun was setting.  Enough said about location.  With dinner companions from 6 different countries and who are fellow world travelers; I don’t need to tell you that the conversation was varied and stimulating as we shared stories about our travels.

This morning we are having breakfast with a Canadian who has sailed in this area for several years.  He has promised to share his favorite anchorages between here and Borneo with us.

If we sailed straight through from PG to Kota Kinabalu it would take about two days.  The other day I was talking to a fellow at the yacht club who told me the last time he made the trip it took him 55 days.  Talk about taking time to smell the roses along the way.  He has also promised to share his favorite spots with us.

We have begun plotting our course to Borneo but have not included a time table.  We don’t want to make any overnight passages so each of the stops along the way is only about 50 miles apart.  How long we stay at each anchorage will depend upon how attractive we find it.  We have to be careful though, as we find ourselves thinking that each place we visit is paradise only to find that the next stop is even more beautiful.

October 22, 2006

As I write this Blog entry the sun is just coming up over Puerto Galera bay; the home of the Puerto Galera Yacht Club (13, 30.323N – 120, 57.230E) on the island of Mindoro Oriental, Philippines.  Alchemy is swinging happily on a mooring in the harbor.

The bay is surrounded by the greenest mountains I have ever seen.  The shoreline has sandy beaches with coconut palms and mango groves.  A gentle breeze is blowing now but as soon as the sun gets over the mountains the temperature will begin to rise into the 90’s.  Warm, but not too hot or humid.

We broke up the 2 day trip from Subic Bay with an overnight stop in Hamilo Cove just south of Manila Bay.  The cove provided a perfect place for an over night stay.  There were no other boats in the cove and only a few fishermen’s homes on the shore.

The seas were very calm which made for a very comfortable passage.  The color of the water looked like it came from a Hollywood movie.  So far we have not seen any sea turtles, whales or dolphins, but we have been told that the whale sharks should be migrating into this area at any time.

Kuro-Shio with Clement and Sarah made the passage from Subic Bay with us.  Shortly after we arrived in PG, Marc (who was tied up next to us in SB) arrived aboard his new Selene 59 foot trawler.

Last night we ate supper in a waterfront café with people from other boats moored near us and members of the yacht club.  The conversation centered on everyone’s favorite place to visit.  We now have at least a dozen “must see” places to visit on our way to Borneo.  Most of them are on Palawan, a large island between here and Borneo.

I’m not sure how long we will stay in Puerto Galera.  The town is small and the facilities are limited.  There is no dock to tie up to so you have to fill your tanks by ferrying water out to the boat in jerry cans.  Fortunately we have a water maker, but it is untested.  While the water at the yacht clubs in Hong Kong and Subic Bay was clean, it was not clean enough to run through the water maker.  I guess I will have to get the manual out and give it a try.

We were able to purchase some Cinnarizine (Stugeron) seasickness pills for Yu-ching in Subic and they seem to be working.  They make her sleepy and she has to be careful with what she eats, but so far so good.

We will be going up to the club for breakfast in a little while and I will try to post this message on our site.  If the dates on the posting do not match up it means that I was not able to get online.

More later.

October 19, 2006

At first light tomorrow morning (around 5:30 AM, October 20^th) we will pull in our dock lines and depart Subic Bay on the next leg of our adventure.  We will be sailing in convoy with Clement and Sarah aboard their sailboat Kuro-Shio.

Because the progress of Kuro-Shio is dependent on the wind we have changed our next stop to Batangas Bay (14, 20.698N – 120, 36.393E).  We expect that it will take about 8 hours to reach the bay so we should be there well before darkness overtakes us.  We will spend the night there and in the morning sail to Puerto Galera (13, 31.229N – 120, 57.562E).  There is going to be a major sailboat race in PG this weekend so we have decided to skip Maya Maya for the time being (it is only 16 miles North of PG so we can always visit it during our stay in PG).

Today we will spend our time checking all of the boats systems one more time, go to the store to purchase additional provisions, stow all of our gear and make sure the vessel is ship shape and ready to go.

We will be taking lots of pictures and making log entries that I will post as soon as we can get internet access again.

More later.