Report from 11 November to 16 November 2023
From: the Philippines
Sailing
City of Puerto Princessa
11 November
We have planned a long stage today, so we get up at 6am as usual and set off. It's a long, uneventful day. Like every day, the wind comes from the front and we have to motor. I'm tired of being on this little boat with the engine roaring all the time. For me it feels like being locked up, but luckily it's not far away. Tomorrow we will finally arrive in Puerto Princessa, the capital of Palawan. We arrive at our destination, a small bay, just before sunset. We actually wanted to drive into the bay, but it's already too late and the sun is already setting. We don't want to risk putting the boat on the rocks or driving back into Fischernezte. We fall into bed early.
12 November
Kevin and Karli didn't sleep so well because the boat rocked like crazy all night.
But it's not far to Puerto Princessa, the capital of Palawan. That leaves plenty of time for snorkelling in the morning. Karli and I grab the dinghy and set off. We set off for the bay where we actually wanted to anchor for the night. The name of the bay, "Turtle bay", is very promising. The first surprise when we arrive in the bay is that the water is brown and murky and not at all inviting for swimming. The second surprise is that there are two sailing boats anchored in the bay. It's crazy that we didn't see them from outside. We drive up to the first one, there is a man on the deck and we speak to him. The sailing community is really incredibly friendly. After a nice chat, we head back to our sailing boat and jump into the water. Here, out in front of the bay, the water is crystal clear. Unfortunately there are few fish, but we snorkel around and go in search of the turtles. Suddenly Karli gets all excited; there's a grey tail flipper moving up and down. It moves away quickly, I can only see silhouettes, but it's a tail flipper like a dolphin. As I realise a few minutes later when I see another such animal: no, that wasn't a dolphin but a manatee! In fact, manatees are really really special, as they are an endangered species! And on top of that, I even see a turtle. Hamer hammer hammer. wuhuhu . I am so happy. We go back to the boat and have a quick shower.
Shortly afterwards, Karli and I get a big fright. Karli had his mobile phone in the water with him while snorkelling to take photos. The waterproof case is not waterproof! Shit! Karli rinsed his phone with fresh water (because salt water is a thousand times worse than fresh water) and then put it in rice. Since my mobile phone is already broken, we now have a lot of water damage. Another Schrödinger mobile phone.
Meanwhile, Kevin and I are already travelling on - heading for Puerto Princessa. We don't have far to go today. We quickly reach the large bay in which the town lies. There is a large harbour in the town. But contrary to our expectations, the bay is very quiet. We only see a few fishing boats and a cargo ship on our journey. The bay is very beautiful. The wind blows through my hair and I marvel at how the town looks from the water. As we get closer to the yacht club, we see all the yachts. We look for a place to anchor and then get ready to go ashore.
We haven't checked into the Philippines yet, so we haven't officially entered the country yet, so we're not actually allowed to go ashore... But after consulting with the yacht club, we are at least allowed to stay there. And that means cold beer and good food.
Here we meet a few other skippers. Kevin already knows a few of them. Over time, more and more people join us. Some have just arrived with their own boat, others have been here for weeks or months and everyone who comes along is invited to join them. The cohesion in the sailing community is just great. In the end, the pond was quite full, but it's always impressive how small the world is. Kevin struck up a conversation with another skipper and they realised that the other skipper was not only from Scotland, but had also had a beer with him in Kevin's bar in Hong Kong 20 years ago.
That's how we got talking to Jan and Laura. She's from Texas and he's from Denmark. The two of them bought a half-sunken boat and completely rebuilt it. Later they invited us to come on board their boat and have a look at it. It is impressive that they have built it up. Not only the washing machine and the water maker were impressive. We were completely amazed when they proudly showed us the spare freezer and explained that everything is solar powered. They are currently bringing things to Bali for a friend, but they have invited us to come on their boat next year.
13 November
This morning we have to check in to the Philippines. When you travel to a country by plane or cruise ship, a lot of things happen "automatically" that you don't even realise. With a sailing boat, you have to do this on your own. You have to pass through the following three institutions: First, the "quarantine" came on the boat. They make sure that everyone on the boat is healthy and that no diseases are brought into the country. They ask you funny questions about how many people have died on the way. Absurd nowadays, but nothing unusual a few centuries ago. Then comes customs. They make sure that you are not bringing any illegal goods into the country. You also have to pass through immigration if you are travelling by plane: they issue the visa for you.
This also marks the end of Karli's and my journey on Kevin's sailing boat. Unfortunately, we leave the boat here in Puerto Princessa.
I have experienced many highs and lows on this trip. I'm taking many great memories with me. Working with Kevin on deck. The sightings of dolphins, manatees and turtles. The wonderful sea, the breathtaking beaches and views of the coast. The experience of steering a ship. For Karli, the highlight was being allowed to work on this sailing boat and gaining a lot of knowledge about the technology on a sailing boat.
This brings me to our conclusion about sailing in general:
Sailing is a particularly great, breathtaking and privileged way of travelling - you wake up in your bed every morning, you always have your house with you, you always have your safe place to go. You always have everything you need with you. You know how to get from a to b and can travel away from all the other tourists; discover remote places and unspoilt nature. Discover how people in the countries "really" live: the difference between the tourist locations and the rest of the country is often enormous.
On the other hand, our experiences with technical problems on the boat are not the exception, but the rule. Every skipper we've talked to tells us that he spends a lot of time fixing problems, looking for spare parts and repairing his boat. The first rule with a sailing boat is: firstly, things turn out differently and secondly, things turn out differently than you think. This can also be applied to the weather. You are at the mercy of the wind, the waves and the current. And in the event of a problem, you are completely on your own, sometimes even without the internet.
Now back on land, we are faced with a new challenge: my AND Karlis mobile phone in the arse (actually, my mobile phone is in the arse and Karlis mobile phone is still in the rice sack. Ergo still in the "Schrödinger's mobile phone phase"). That means the usual conveniences that our digital mobile phone brings with it are gone: no GPS to know where you are, no maps to show you where you want to go. No possibility to simply look up good restaurants on GoogleMaps. No way to find out exchange rates, translate or simply do research. We even take notes on our mobile phones these days. It's really crazy to be travelling like this. Although it was possible a few years ago, before the smartphone era. And I have to say, we're doing better than I expected. I buy myself a watch in the city so that I know the time even without a smartphone. And Karli gets himself a notepad and pen so that he can write things down without a mobile phone.
Karli and I book a room in the hotel. Somehow I'm in a really bad mood. I hide away in our hotel room. After 3 days, my mood improves again and we head back to the marina in the evening. After 2 more days, we head off to explore the northern part of the island of Palawan - but we'll talk about that in the next blog post.
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