5 May 0700 (local PI), 4 May 2300 UTC N 10deg 38.7' E 124deg 36.0'

Shearwater is running easy at 5 kts, south along the west coast of Leyte I., south of the Camotes Is., approximately one-half day run from the entrance to the Hinatuan Passage, which (if we've got the numbers right) we'll traverse,
riding the out-going tidal stream, starting 24 hours from now. Getting the numbers right is important as the Hinatuan Psg will take the full ebbing tide cycle to cover -- a 20 mile dogleg through the toughest part first, containing
whirlpools and standing waves and rapids (Oh My!), then a 12 mile non-rapid section and last a 7 mile section which is described as "straight-forward" without the drama of the first. For SW to enter this gauntlet
at the wrong time, would result in an upgrade from a "C" ticket cruise to an "E" ticket adventure.

An historical note about the Hinatuan Passage: this is where Magellan entered the Philippine Islands, after discovering/negotiating the Straits of Magellan (strange coincidence that) at the tip of South America. Somehow Ferdinand
managed to make his way from the tip of SA all the way to Leyte I. without bumping into a single other Pacific island. Things hadn't gone really well up to the point either. A near mutiny on the east coast of SA, in the area south of
today's Rio de Janiro, resulted in his leaving some of the mutineers ashore in SA (hoping to run into the "girl from Ipanina" I'm sure); and then in the previously mentioned Straits of M. one of the vessels in his little fleet, supposed to be
searching out passage, chose to run back to Portugal instead. Things didn't get any better for M after reaching the PI, as just a short ways in from the Hinatuan, at Cebu, he was reportedly done-in by the locals (little guy with a gun who
hopped onto the back of a motorcycle and roared off after).