Night Watch
04 May 2013 | 10 39.1'N:124 36.'E, West of Leyte Island, South of Comotes Islands
David C
Continuing South through multiple volcanic islands covered in palm trees and rimmed with white sand beaches - absolutely gorgeous! Had a school of dolphins frolicking in our bow wave at dusk with frisky babies doing flips out of the water. We have decided on the Hinatuan Strait to get into the Pacific, rather than the San Bernadino passage. In light of this decision, we can mosey since we are aiming for the slack water associated with the morning high tide on May 6th. We are now cruising at a leisurely 1450 rpms going 5.6 kts and we are burning 1.3 gph. For reference, my 22' Grady White outboard burns 12 gph although it is a bit faster by a factor of 6 or so. Kind of a tortoise and the hare situation. Wanted to describe taking watch at night. It is really the most private time on this little boat as everyone else is snoozing. Last night, the moon rose late so the night sky was magnificent. The helm chair is comfortable and has a cup holder for a mug of tea or coffee. Your world is the electronics panel which allows you to navigate in the dark using Radar and GPS chart plotter. It feels as though one is suspended in space with lights above and on the water. One must watch carefully for navigation lights which inform you of the size, direction and speed of oncoming craft which you correlate with what you see on your electronics monitors which have a night mode in dim light or red to preserve night vision. Big ships are easily identifiable with a bright radar return and standardized lights. Little fishing outrigger bancas are harder to spot on radar and their lighting scheme does not follow international standards. Most of them now have LED lights but Dave remembers 6 years ago, they often only had cigarette lighters to warn you of their presence. Sometimes they are unlit and have a weak radar return and the sleeping fisherman gives you a start by flashing a light in your eyes at the last moment as he is startled by an unexpected boat bearing down on him. Hard to Starboard! The pilothouse door is open and you can stick your head out to get a better view of oncoming lights with a pair of binoculars and soak in the nighttime beauty. Last night was a bit breezy and bouncy but entirely comfortable. I brought along a pair of noise cancelling headphones so I can listen to music as we roll along, pausing every once in a while to listen to the engine and the whistling wind.
By the way, everything is working well and gaskets are doing their job. If all goes well, we will be in the Pacific and covering the less than 600 nautical miles to Palau.