Leaving Brookes Point, Palawan
Philippines
1st April 2008

Franck the Frenchman gets us up at 6am every morning to get to our next destination! We were both flying spinnakers by 6.30 am. After making coffee and getting dressed I did my back exercises - yes they work and I like doing them because they feel good and I can do them lying down!
The wind has just stopped and Peerliane is motoring to catch up. There must be absolutely no wind as Franck is a purist and rarely uses the motor but we do have to get to a little island in the middle of nowhere today!
I am listening to Maria Callas soprano with the fan on my back as I type this!
Here the weather is really hot during the day and we have very little shade for a couple of hours but at night it is nice and cool with a breeze blowing usually.
Bill is till getting sunburnt regardless of what sunscreen he puts on. He sweats so much I think it just disappears. He's tried the clear zinc but says it doesn't work either. he wears a hat. What to do? The doxyclyclene we take for malaria prevention has a side effect that makes skin sensitive to the sun....

The island we are going to is tiny and was recommended to Franck by another yachtie. It doesn't have a name perhaps Ursula island but we'll keep in sight of each other to find it. We haven't been off the boat since Puerto Princesa. I would have liked to get off at Brookes Point but everyone wanted to keep moving. I guess out goal is Malaysia and it is nice to hop along and have a good night's sleep every night instead of going flat out for days on 3 hour shifts. I don't think My back could cope with an ocean passage right now.

Yesterday we arrived 1.5 hours earlier than the other 2 yachts. (We are a longer boat and have bigger sails). We tried to slow down but Valiam just wanted to GO! We have used the big purple and green spinnaker every day. I have named her Priscilla as she looks like she's showing off lifting her skirts in those colours against a clear blue sky. We practiced talking on the VHF radio yesterday to Adventura and Peerliane. Channel 16 has lots of Philippino fisherman talking on it so Chris and Franck suggests other channels which we have been switching over to. 3 way conversations are tricky so usually it is 2 of us with the 3rd listening in. Adventura didn't think they would make Broookes Point by dark so asked us to have a look at Filanthropia point. We did but it wasn't any good - shallow, exposed and reefs everywhere. We were first at Brookes point so had the responsibility of finding a suitable anchorage. As we rounded the headland we could see a wharf with a barge and some big fishing boats. We went in behind that an anchored in less than 4metres of water. This is good for Franck as he pulls his anchor up by hand. The others arrived just on sunset. Franck swam over to liase with each of us about today's destination. Basile splashed about next to him with his body board.

If you want to see on google earth where we were last night : 8.46.302N 117.49.413E

The motor is going now. The scenery is magical - high peaked mountains clear blue skies, palm fringed shore with scattered huts and fishing boats.

31st March
South Palawan on the way to Brookes Point

We are enjoying sailing with 2 other yachts - calm seas, blue skies, reading trashy novels. We left at 6am though to get to next anchorage - Brooks Point. Some bloke went there in the 1800s called Sir James Brookes calling himself the first 'white raja'.
We had the others over for drinks last night. Franck and Everlyne swam over with nibbles in a waterproof bag. Bill taxied Merry christmas (Mary and Chris). Franck and Everlynes boys Martin and Basile are 14 and 10 and have known no other life other than cruising and living on the boat. They jump off the boat whenever they are anchored into the water with their body boards. They are just so comfortable with life on the sea. Martin is one of the best spear fishermen, loves bodyboarding and is very mature for his age relating very well to all adults of all nationalities. They have to do correspondence school in the mornings. The boys don't like going back to France because it is too cold, too crowded and there's no spearfishing etc.
The Philippines is an amazing place - much better for holidays than Bali - it's a wonder it's not advertised in Oz.
South Palawan - en route to Malaysia

12 noon
30 March 2008

enroute southern Palawan
passing Rasa island
Phlippines

Not one to make comments on the egos of sailors but the competitive streak is out. Peerliane (the French) were leading the fleet followed by Adventura (the Scots) with Valiam pacing quietly at the rear. Well.... Peerliane put their spinaker up and shot ahead. The captain of Valiam would have none of this and prepared her spinaker. Accompanied by bellydance music and a cold beer the beautiful purple and green and purple spinaker went up. And now there was nothing stopping Valiam as she raced to the start of the fleet within seconds. Linda took photos, movies and did back exercises to bellydance music while the captains grin got wider. However Valiam is now heading out to sea and will have to pull her reins in to get back on course to achieve our goal of a quiet anchorage before sundown.
What a lovely afternoon of Sunday afternoon yacht racing in the Philippines!

Sunday 30th March 2008
Malanao Island
9.25.89N 118.36.42E

Sailing along yesterday in convoy with Peerliane and Adventura was a different experience for us as so far we have been on our own. Peerliane with gaff rig looked beautiful sailing in the gentle breeze. (a bit like a pirate ship) 14 year old Martin was up the mast standing on the gaff as I took a photo of them. As we slowed down to 1.5 knots the captain decided to motor the rest of the way.

We left Puerto Princesa at 10am (after taking back 4 of the 5 empty plastic beer crates and having a slap up brekky at the yacht club). John an Englishman and Cissy a local Philippino lady were very welcoming, extremely helpful and the nicest hosts one could imagine. It was more like visiting someone's home than a yacht club. As the building is on stilts hanging over the water it is the coolest bar in Puerto Princesa. A few local expats drop in for a drink and lunch on a regular basis. It was great to swap notes with other yachties there. We met Aussies Roslyn and Peter from Adamant 11 who have just been through Indonesia and Malaysia. Roslyn kept saying to me - "you'll love Malaysia". She said it is so well organized and the marina at Kota Kinabalu is like a resort with pools and efficient staff etc. (Linda can't wait) Meanwhile the three skippers Franck, Chris and Bill consulted with each other over a chart hanging in the yacht club and Chris in good economical Scottish style wrote the preferred anchorages on a torn serviette. (looks like toilet paper!)

We three yachts anchored within minutes of each other at 4pm yesterday. As it was so hot the two boys from Peerliane jumped in the water. Valiam's crew thought this was a great idea and followed suit. So did Franck and Everlyne. 'Merry Christmas' didn't. (Mary & Chris of Adventura). After cooling off we had a cold beverage and read trashy novels before dinner. As the sun went down we heard wonderful piano accordion music over the water from Peerliane. Franck played a huge repertoire from traditional French music to The Entertainer to Brandenberg Concerto. This was enjoyed by all the crew for at least an hour (although I suspect Martin and Basile had earplugs and MP3 players going so as not to endure Dad's music)

We went to bed early (BY 8pm) and slept until we heard the motors of the local fishing boats go past at dawn. Linda's back is still on the mend but with the exercises given by Angela the physio in PP things are slowly improving. The exercises are to be done in the morning and at night which isn't difficult because they are all 'lying down' ones!

We are not sure where the next anchorage will be today. Brooks Point is a possibility and is described by Lonely Planet as 'the last major inhabitation on the southeast coast of Palawan'. It's interesting that only half a page is dedicated to the whole of the south of Palawan while a thick chapter describes the north. Maybe it's something to do with PIRATES and SMUGGLERS down this end. I just put that in to keep your interest and make you think we are doing something very exciting and dangerous.

All well on board.
Just so you know the list on the port side has been corrected by the 5 crates of beer purchased just before we left Puerto Princesa.