Tuesday 6th May
We left the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club in Causeway Bay at 4.00pm on Tuesday 6th May after last minute visits to the Philippine Embassy to get our visas and to the delicatessen to get some roasted chicken.
At Waglan the wind had settled in at about 8kn from roughly south to south east, pretty much the direction we wanted to sail.
We could make about 40 degrees apparent on starboard tack sailing on a course of  about 120 degrees with boat speeds up to 6kn and were in no hurry.
Our radio schedule with Shatoosh at 6.05pm confirmed that they had the same wind about 35 miles ahead of us.

Wednesday 7th May
Next morning we were headed and the wind had dropped, now we were making 3 to 4kn at about 90 degrees.  We sailed slowly towards Taiwan all afternoon and evening, passing the oil rigs and numbers of tiny fishing boats.

Thursday 8th May
 About midnight the wind disappeared completely so we motored for 10 hours towards Pratas.  We sailed slowly for a few hours  then motored past Pratas.
By late afternoon a new North Easterly had come in at about 8 kn and by midnight had built to about 20kn from the north and with the full main, staysail and yankee we were storming along at up to 10kn.

Friday 9th May
By dawn we shortened sail to a reef in the main, no staysail and the yankee rolled in to a no. 2. The wind was still increasing and reached nearly 30 kn by lunchtime.  Seas were now pretty rough so we put a second reef in.  Still making good speed but had an uncomfortable night with the rough seas.  Dinner was pot noodles for Steve, nothing for Lyn.  At about 10 pm Steve noticed the Windvane selfsteering gear looked a bit low in the water - one of the mounting bolts had come loose and it had slipped resulting in the whole unit trailing in the water.  In 30 kn of wind and 3 to 4 m seas it was too dangerous to try to fix it so he tied it on as best he could, then at the change of watch at midnight Lyn helped to take the vane and wind paddle off.  Still the main part of the unit was hanging off the back of the boat but it looked safe and did not seem to be damaged, even though it was crashing about and making a bit of noise.

Saturday 10th May
At dawn we heaved to for an hour to sort out the Windpilot.  No permanent damage but we carried on using the Autohelm until we could give it a thorough check.
By early morning the wind had dropped and then reduced rapidly to less than 10kn, still from the N.  We wanted to get to Hermana Mayor before the moon went down at about midnight so motored through the day picking up the shore breeze in the afternoon.
Arrived at Hermana Mayor at 10pm and picked our way through the reefs with the Chart Plotter and the FLS (forward-looking-echo-sounder).  Had a meal and a good night’s sleep.

Sunday May 11th/Monday May 12th
The island was the same tropical paradise as before.  Spent these two days tidying and cleaning the boat, checking and repairing the Windpilot and swimming.

Tuesday 13th May
We left Hermana Mayor at 11 am and sailed in the shore breeze to Palauig Bay.  Not a good anchorage, exposed to the NW with a bit of a swell.  The water was not very clean, maybe due to the pig farm we could smell in the evening.

Wednesday 14th May
After a poor night’s sleep in the swell we left the next day at 0730 in a 10kn southeasterly.  Again our course was southeasterly so the wind was right on the nose.  Tacked out to sea for a bit then the shore breeze came in and we were lifted right up to Capones, our next waypoint.  With a knot of following current we made good speed and anchored in Nazasa Bay by 4pm.  Swam ashore to have a chat with the villagers who were very friendly but could not speak much English.  Very good anchorage with lovely clear water.  Watched the fishermen fishing ineffectively in the evening but later they were using dynamite so I suppose they got their dinner.

Thursday 15th May
This morning we left for Subic.  Not much wind so we motored all the way, arriving early afternoon.  Moored at the Subic Bay Yacht Club and did CIQ.  Quarantine involved motoring back out to the quarantine anchorage where the doctor came on board and asked a few questions about SARS, then motoring back in again.  We plan to stay here for a few days enjoying the facilities of the yacht club.

Friday 16th & Saturday 17th May
Subic Bay - gave the boat a good clean through and cleared up a few jobs

Sunday 18th May
Today we hired a car to go to see the volcanic canyons around Mount Pinatubo caused by water runoff after Pinatubo erupted in 1991. We had a tour of the old Clark Airbase by accident since finding the exit to Sapang Bata that we needed proved to be a bit of a problem. There are no signposts and no-one seemed to know where it was. The road ended at Sapang Bata so we hired a tuktuk (motorised tricycle) to take us to Target (so called because that was what the Americans used it for when they occupied Clark base) where the walk starts. We hired one of the local people to guide us for 300 pesos. The canyons were quite impressive. After Pinatubo erupted it deposited enormous amounts of volcanic ash and a combination of the rivers cutting new channels and presumably wind erosion has created deep canyons of rock and volcanic dust.

Monday 19th May
Spent the day updating the Internet, shopping and lying by the pool at Subic Bay Yacht Club

Tuesday 20th May
Left Subic this morning. First call was Watercraft Ventures to fill up the fuel tank. A beautiful piece of boathandling in a confined space by Steve brought us neatly alongside the dock. We left the fuel dock just before 0900 on our way to Corrigedor. It was a patchy sail to Corrigedor Island with the wind coming and going from all directions. We  arrived about 1800 hours.

Wednesday 21st May
Spent the morning touring the island. This was the site of the Filipino/American last stand against the Japanese in 1941. They retreated to the island then came under heavy bombardment from the Japanese and eventually surrendered. The Malinta Tunnel where they sheltered is still standing and the bombed out remains of the barracks can still be seen. Memorials have been set up to the Filipinos, Americans and Japanese who died there.
In the afternoon we headed for Manila to get a minor sail repair done. We motored for the first hour in zero wind then a whisper came in from behind building to about 20 knots. We were doing 7 knots under main only. We arrived at about 1900 hours and went alongside the pontoon for the night.

Thursday 22nd May
At 0700 George Hacket of Banks Sails arrived to take the mainsail for a repair to the leech line.This would take 2 - 3 days to fix. We spent the rest of the day sorting laundry, emails and buying the Philippine charts for the Southern Philippines. The chart agents were very helpful and supplied us with most of the charts we needed at a fraction of the cost of Admiralty charts.

Friday 23rd & Saturday 24th May
Mooched around Manila doing some shopping and checking out the local markets.

Sunday 25th May
George Hackett called to say he could get the sail back to us today so hopefully we can leave tomorrow although the weather is pretty grotty at the moment - wet and windy. We go back to Robinson Plaza to pick up fresh meat and veg. Found an excellent DIY shop.

Monday 26th May
Left Manila Yacht Club at about 1000 hours but hit squalls with winds up to 36 knots and torrential rain from the SW so decided to return to Manila to wait for the weather to improve. We knew there was a tropical storm about 200 miles North but hadn't realized it was affecting the weather around Manila so badly.

 Tuesday 27th & Wednesday 28th May
Squalls and heavy rain. Carillon is on a mooring at the yacht club and although the breakwater stops the waves we're still getting blown around in 30 - 40 knot winds. Wednesday night we’d had enough so went into a hotel for the night.

Thursday 29th May
Decided the weather had improved a little. The typhoon was now well on it's way to Japan but the winds were still fairly strong in the SW monsoon. Decided to go back onto the boat tonight and leave first thing in the morning.

Friday 30th May
Left first thing this morning - Manila Yacht Club after having told us the first week was free when we left last Wednesday had changed their minds today and charged us for the whole time. We were glad to get away. The wind was blowing from the SW so we had to tack out of Manila Bay. It started at about 20 knots and increased. By the time we got close to the entrance it was gusting 40 knots in the squalls and 30 or so the rest of the time. The waves and swell had built to about 5 metres and everything was very uncomfortable. We decided that rather than try to get down the coast overnight we'd run into Mariveles at the entrance to Manila Bay on the North side. We arrived there at about 1800 hours having left Manila at about 0900 hours with Steve hand steering most of the way. Mariveles was sheltered but with a bit of a swell.

Saturday 31st May
The weather was still very squally and wet so we stayed in Mariveles. There used to be a small boatyard but it's no longer in business. We left the dinghy in there to go ashore because it was a sheltered place to land but the water was seriously disgusting. There were still 2 or 3 boats there but not enough space to get Carillon inside.

Sunday 1st June
Left Mariveles at 0700 hours but after punching into heavy squalls (35 knot winds, torrential rain) and big seas (4 - 5 metres) for a couple of hours we decided to go back and wait a bit longer. We found a more sheltered anchorage this time right under the NW side of the bay where the swell is less noticeable. We found an Internet café yesterday so we'll probably stay here tomorrow and go ashore to check out the weather reports. There's another tropical depression in the middle of the S China Sea so we need to see what it's doing. 

Monday 2nd June
Today there were squalls with 20 knot winds inside the harbour and torrential rain so stuck in the boat all day.

Tuesday 3rd June
Still raining this morning but much less wind. Decided to go shopping, check the emails and update the web site.

Wednesday 4th June
Finally left Mariveles at 0600 for Puerto Galera. Had lots of sunshine, small swell and no wind. As far as wind goes it seems to be either all or nothing. We motored all the way and arrived around 1530. We anchored in a bay a short way from the main mooring area then went ashore to the Puerto Galera Yacht Club for a drink and dinner. As usual they were very welcoming.

Thursday 5th June
Now we have sunshine, blue waters, yellow sandy beaches and lots of palm trees. That's what we were looking for. Had to do the usual chores of laundry, shopping for fresh meat and veg and filling up with water. We decided to leave tomorrow for an overnight sail to Busuanga. We'd like to get south as quickly as possible now.

Friday 6th June
Left about midday after chatting to the guys in the Yacht Club. They recommended several good anchorages in the area we were going to. We motored for a couple of hours waiting for the sea breeze to come in which it did at around 1400 right on the nose of course but we'd had enough of motoring so sailed anyway. It built to about 23 knots apparent and by about 1600 hours had set up a steep little chop. We'd decided to tuck into a bay on the south side of Cape Calavite on the north west tip of Mindoro rather than sail overnight. Just as it was getting dark a pod of dolphins came leaping through the water, some were really showing off doing 2 or 3 full twists in the air before splashing back into the water. The wind died to about 7 - 8 knots from in front at around 1800 hours. We had current against us so decided we would have to motor again. About 2000 hours the land breeze came in quite strongly but still from in front. Arrived at Paluan Bay around 2330 hours in a flat calm.

Saturday 7th June
Happy Birthday Steve!!  Left early this morning (0700 hours) to go to Pandan Island about 40 miles to the south (having abandoned the plan to go direct to Busuanga in favour of having a look at one or two other places on the way). Absolutely flat calm in the bay with just a few bancas fishing. Visibility was at least 10 miles. Had to motor until about noon because there was no wind then had about 6 knots so sailed the last couple of hours. We'd been told there were moorings we could pick up so motored in slowly looking for them when a guy on the beach started gesticulating and shouting "no more moorings, you must anchor" so we did. We later discovered this was Dominic, one of two frenchmen who run the resort, and what he was trying to tell us was that the moorings had been washed away by the same storm that had kept us weatherbound in Manila. Dominic and Dennis run a tiny resort on Pandan Island which is a little surreal but very friendly and must have one of the best stocked bars in the area (including of course a selection of french wines).

Sunday 8th June
The plan today is to go to Apo Reef and if it is calm enough pick up a mooring and stay overnight. Had a bit of a setback when Steve was checking the oil in the gearbox. The dipstick disintegrated leaving the cap and dipstick in Steve's hand and the thread from the cap still in the gearbox. Steve managed to get the thread out but the next problem was what to put in the hole. We had nothing with a similar thread and the dipstick looked wrecked. We eventually decided to put a softwood plug in the hole and see if it was possible to glue the dipstick back together. We left about 1000 hours in a flat calm again and motored all the way to the reef the softwood plug doing a reasonable job of keeping the oil in the gearbox. On the way we cleaned up the various bits of the dipstick, stuck the whole thing together with Araldite and carefully reshaped the thread with a nail file. It seemed to work. At least we could plug the hole properly again.
Apo Reef is about 20 miles from Pandan Island and Busuanga is about 35 miles further on. There is a tiny island with a very large light and the rest of the reef is mostly under water. There are a couple of moorings at the west end of the island and this day it was reasonably sheltered from the slight swell. The moorings are tied to the edge of the drop off and even though the depth sounder was reading 35metres we could still see the bottom. Visibility was incredible. We snorkelled over the shallow part of the reef and found innumerable fish and corals, even a turtle went swimming by. The weather was still very settled so we decided it would be OK to stay overnight.

Monday 9th June
Had a visit from the Park Rangers this morning to collect their mooring fee. It seems to be variable but they charged us 200 pesos. Their paddled banca and casual wear didn't have quite the same impact as the smart uniforms and hi-speed launches used by the Park Rangers at Double Haven in Hong Kong. Once again no wind so left about 0800 hours to motor to Busuanga. It was pretty uneventful. We saw dolphins again but it was so hot they couldn't be bothered to do any jumping and just lifted their backs out of the water every now and then. At Busuanga we went into Maricaban Resort in Port Caltom and if you want tropical paradise this it. There are about a dozen or so nipa huts with a stone path running between them, a small sandy beach, a small but well designed pool looking over the bay, floating bar in the bay reached by a floating walkway and an excellent restaurant. The staff are friendly and we were immediately made welcome. There is a small mooring fee of 150 pesos and we were welcome to use any of the facilities.
We had dinner in the restaurant both thought our respective meals were excellent.

Tuesday 10th June
Decided to spend another day here. Steve went diving but since I'd recently had laser surgery on my eyes I decided not to dive just yet so finished a few jobs on the boat. Steve said the diving was OK but not spectacular. We decide to leave tomorrow morning to go to Coron and try to pick up some diesel.

Wednesday 11th June
Once again no wind so motored around the island towards Coron. On the way round we found the entrance to Port Borac (just before the entrance to Coron Harbour) full of fishing nets and buoys. If you wanted to anchor in there finding the way through the nets could be quite challenging. We were able to sail the last couple of hours or so into Coron Harbour and planned to moor close to the town to pick up some diesel. As we got close a rainstorm was brewing over the town so decided to head for a tiny lagoon we’d been told about opposite the town. It took some finding but was extremely sheltered once inside. Decided to go for the diesel tomorrow.

Thursday 12th June
In the morning we motored across to Coron picking our way carefully through the reefs to try to get some diesel. We anchored off the commercial pier and took the dinghy and 2 5 gallon containers ashore. The Shell station was right by the pier - this was good, but they'd run out of diesel - not so good. A passing tricycle driver said he knew a shop in town that had some so we went to look. They had a small stock in what seemed to be cooking oil containers. We dubiously almost filled the 2 containers then they wanted to top it up with some from an uncovered drum so we drew the line at that and just took what we had. We decided that even though we needed another 4 containers to fill the tank that the hassle was not worth it and we'd try again at our next stop at a town. On the way back to the bay a thunderstorm with torrential rain and strong winds caught us up and it took us 2 or 3 goes to get the anchor to set. By this time we were cold and drenched so gave away the idea of getting fresh food stocks and decided to do it the next morning instead.

Friday 13th June
Today we decided to go across to Coron, update the web page, buy fresh fruit, vegetables and meat/fish, buy airline tickets to the UK then leave by lunchtime. The best laid plans.....
Updating the website was no problem, trying to buy airline tickets was a bit more challenging. We went into the travel agent at about 1100 hours and were told the people in Manila were at lunch so could we go back at about 1400 hours. We abandoned our plans to leave at lunchtime and went back at about 1400 hours. The price the agent gave us was double the price for the same trip on the same airline from London to Manila and back. We thought that was a bit expensive so changed the plan to go to Manila a few days before we need to leave and see if we can get a better deal.
The next task was to go to the market but the selection was limited and poor quality and I didn't like the look of any of the fish or meat so we just picked up what looked reasonable and hoped the next port would be better. Apparently there had been a ferry disaster with the Coron ferry recently and in their wisdom the government had cancelled all the supply vessels so nothing was getting through.

Saturday 14th June
Left first thing in the morning for Sangat or Tangat Island (depending on which map you look at). We'd been told there was a friendly resort there with a mooring that we could use overnight. It was only about 10 miles away so didn't take long to get there. As we approached we called in on VHF ch 16 and got an immediate response saying no problem, pick up the mooring. As we arrived we were directed to a sheltered corner of the bay where there was a strong mooring. The owner, Andy, and his family run it in the most ecologically friendly way they can and it is quite charming. They have a dive instructor in the high season and a divemaster all the time. The huts are well kept and the food was good. Website is www.sangat.com.ph

Sunday 15th June
We wanted to get down to Palawan now so the next stop was Halsey Harbour on the west side of Culion Island. We'd decided to only day sail whenever possible and Halsey Harbour was about the right distance. We had to motor for the first few hours as the wind was on the nose and we were winding our way between islands and reefs. As we came out into the open sea we were able to sail at last. There were a few squally thunderstorms around so we decided to put in a couple of reefs to be on the safe side. Not far from Halsey Harbour a thunderstorm decided to sit over us and drop gallons of rain. The winds went up and down between 5 and 30 knots and swung around from every direction. It cleared a little as we approached the harbour but came in again just after we entered the bay. Just before the entrance to the main bay there's a small channel going south which looked very sheltered on the chart. We found reefs coming out from the headland at the entrance but with the help of our invaluable forward looking echo-sounder we found our way round them. The channel winds for about ¾ of a mile then shallows to about 8 metres and is totally enclosed by hills so very sheltered.

Monday 16th June
The weather still looks pretty unpleasant and we know there's a typhoon NE of the Philippines which tends to pull in rain and wind from the SW so we'll stay here today and let the worst go through. There are a few huts here but no town. We explored upriver a bit in the dinghy and found it gets quite shallow and disappears into mangroves further up.

Tuesday 17th June
Things look a bit better today so we decide to head for Palawan. As we get out into the open sea another squall seems to be heading east of us and it's quite windy again so we hum and ha for a bit but decide that since it looks fairly clear ahead we'll press on. An hour later we had some blue sky and sunshine and about 12 knots of wind - from ahead of course but you can't have everything. Unfortunately about this time the autohelm malfunctioned and refused to steer the boat. The windvane isn't good in light fluky winds so it looks like we'll have to hand steer until we can work out what's wrong with it and bring the spare part back from the UK. We sailed to within about 5 or 6 miles of Palawan then the wind died altogether so we headed for Darcotan Island in Darcotan Bay on the west side of the northern tip of Palawan. Our pilot book said there was an anchorage sheltered from the SW monsoon. It looked fairly exposed as we went in but once tucked behind the island and well inshore it was perfect.

Wednesday 18th June
Today we go to El Nido. There's a shore breeze so we can sail, the sun is shining and it's a beautiful day. Apart from some fluky wind around the northern tip we can sail all the way. As we approach El Nido the sheer cliffs that surround it come into view. This one of the places where the birds nests for birds nest soup come from. Our chart and pilot book tell us that there are rocks and reefs in El Nido harbour but that there is a way in and you can anchor in 3 - 4 metres of sand just N of the ferry pier. We creep in very carefully down the west side and see what appears to be 2 buoys marking an entrance. We have about 2 metres under the keel as we go through the entrance but then it gets a little deeper so I guess we must be inside. We find a good spot in about 3 1/2 metres of water just outside where the town bancas are anchored so it's probably OK.
El Nido is very quiet at this time of year. There are maybe 2 or 3 other tourists here and most of the restaurants are closed. We found somewhere to have dinner but it was pretty average.

Thursday 19th June
Usual chore of topping up the diesel tank today. The petrol station is right by the pier and this one does have diesel so we can fill the tank right up. One of the most useful pieces of equipment we have is the watermaker. We can run it just off the batteries and it makes about 6 gallons an hour. We run it once every couple of days for a couple of hours and that seems to be enough. It solves any problems of trying to get water in remote places which even if you can get it may not be 100% safe to drink.
We went looking for a market but there isn't one here. You have to search the streets for shops that have fresh vegetables. We found someone who sells frozen chickens so we can get one to last us for a couple of days on our way back to Busuanga.

Friday 20th June
Took a banca island hopping today. We went to Miniloc Island to a place called small lagoon which was a tiny lagoon that you got to by swimming through a small gap in the rocks from a larger lagoon. The water was crystal clear. We then went to big lagoon which wasn't good for snorkelling but had some impressive rock formations. Next stop was a small beach where the boat boy barbecued fish while we snorkelled off the rocks. The fish we had with rice and salad for lunch. Went to another beach for snorkelling with some driftwood artistically arranged presumably by one of the local resorts then to a long beach not far from El Nido used by turtles in their egg-laying season.
We found a bar on the beach open called the Blue Karrot which was useful for a cold beer when we got ashore and somewhere to tie the dinghy up to while we had dinner. We'd managed to find another restaurant that was open where the food was OK. This one was called Bistro El Nido.

Saturday 21st June
We're moving on today and heading for the Marina Del Nido Resort on Malpacao Island about 5 miles south of El Nido so we spent the morning picking up what we could in the way of fresh food. There's enough wind to sail so while Steve's steering I make a fresh loaf of bread to have with lunch. We sail gently around the S of the island then stow the sails ready to anchor only to find that the resort is no longer there and the site is derelict. There is a fishing village in the bay but no resort. We'd read there was another resort on the N coast of the island but didn't know if they welcomed visiting yachts. As we approached we tried calling on the radio but no answer and were just deciding what to do when we noticed someone swimming out to us. This turned out to be the owner Leeann and she invited us to use her mooring which we greatly appreciated. The resort was the Malpacao Island Retreat. Check out the web site which explains Lee Ann's philosophy better than I can.

Sunday 22nd June
Climbed the rocks by the resort (this was described as a walk but it was definitely a rock climb) then did some swimming and sunbathing. In the evening we sat with Leeann in her jacuzzi having a quiet dinner.

Monday 23rd June
Rain today so a day spent catching up on the diary while Steve washes the topsides in the rain. We decided to catch up on a few small repair jobs one of which was checking out the on/off light on the windlass which didn't seem to be working. "Oh b****r, pass the fire extinguisher quick" was all I heard before being enveloped in clouds of acrid smoke. Having turned all the batteries off we'd forgotten the windlass was directly wired in and Steve had accidentally dropped a live wire somewhere it most definitely shouldn't have been and burned the wires back to the junction box. Luckily at that point the fire went out and we still have a boat. Lesson learned disconnect everything in sight before fiddling with the electrics.

Tuesday 24th June
Leeann had told us there was a cave in Inabuyatan Island so decided to go and have a look in the dinghy. We found a low entrance about 7 or 8 feet wide which we could paddle the dinghy into. It became a high tunnel terminating at a small beach so we tied the dinghy to a rock and went onto the beach. Leeann had told us you could swim across a small lagoon and find another cave further in. We walked to the edge of the small lagoon and shone the torches on the water to have a look. One of the first things we noticed was a sea snake about a metre long just at the edge of the water. We decided on reflection to admire the lagoon and cave from where we were and leave the inner cave to others.

Wednesday 25th June
Today we went to explore some of the other places in Bacuit Bay. From the chart it seemed that there was an anchorage in Cudmudgeon Bay which we went to investigate. It seemed to have a large number of reefs with not much space between them and the shoreline was all mangroves. We thought we'd check out Dibuluan Island and then decide where to anchor for the night. The first anchorage was steep coral and didn't look like a good anchorage so we moved on around the island. On the south side we found a sandy bay with a long sandspit on the east side, a small reef on the west side and about 11 metres depth in sandy mud for the rest of it. It was perfect. The beach was deserted and just had sand and coconut palms, the anchorage was sheltered from most winds and all you could hear were birds, insects and fish jumping.

Thursday 26th June
We decided this was such a perfect place we'd spend another day here just pottering about.

Friday 27th June
We had planned to work our way back to Maricaban on Busuanga to leave the boat for a while to return to the UK so today we returned to El Nido in order to pick up fuel, get some laundry done and stock up on food. When we got back to El Nido we found the peace shattered by kids from a local wealthy family screaming round the bay on water scooters. When they started using our boat as a roundabout Steve lost his cool and requested that they go play elsewhere.

Saturday 28th June
Spent the day topping up the fuel and searching out food. We finally located the fish market and also a store with some frozen chicken. Shopping was a bit piecemeal. There are quite a lot of shops but they don't seem to specialise in any one type of product so you are quite likely to find the same shop selling eggs and engine oil. It was just a question of wandering around and buying what you could see.

Sunday 29th June
Left El Nido about 0700 aiming to anchor somewhere in the Linapacan Islands for the night. No wind unfortunately so we motored all the way. The first anchorage we tried which was mentioned in the pilot book was between two islands on the west side of the Linapacan group. It was a very pretty place but open to both east and west and the holding was useless. The bottom was just rocks and there was no way to get the anchor to hold safely. We decided to try the Northwest Bay on the main Linapacan Island which was only about 6 or 7 miles away. This was much better. You could tuck well in and anchor in about 6 metres in mud. The local people kept paddling by very close to us to have a good look.

Monday 30th June
Today we had wind - about 10 - 15 knots from the east would you believe (this is supposed to be the SW monsoon). We were able to sail all the way to southern Culion and found a protected anchorage about a mile and a half up a river on the southern tip of the island. As with most of this part of the Philippines there are a few people scattered along the coasts and rivers but very few towns or villages. Each beach or clearing seems to have a hut and a banca or two but you rarely see more than a few huts together. There are always some tiny bancas just off the shore with someone in them line fishing, completely covered apart from the eyes. The nearest town is a long way from these places so they must live mainly on fish and any vegetables they can grow.

Tuesday 1st July
Wind again today so we can sail again. We had about 15 knots from the east again. We only went about 15 miles up the coast from the southern tip of Culion to the northeast corner. We found what looked like a good anchorage on the chart. Another river inlet with about 8 or 9 metres depth in mud. When we got to the bay it was full of cultured pearl farms. These take the form of long lines of buoys strung across the bay with a cage underneath to hold the oysters. It looked impossible to get through but we persevered going very slowly and searching out the channels with binoculars until we finally got through to the river where we found our sheltered anchorage.

Wednesday 2nd July
The plan today was to sail back to Sangat Island since it was such a pleasant place. Uncharacteristically again the wind was from the east at 12 - 15 knots which gave us fine sunny weather and a comfortable easy sail. Unfortunately the wind from the east funnels round the headland at Sangat at about 20 knots and sets up a swell straight into the anchorage so we gave that one away and headed for Coron. Coron Harbour is full of reefs so the safest way to get to the anchorage that we'd chosen on the west side was to come in behind Uson Island on the west side of Coron. You have to have the charts from the Philippine Hydrographic Office for these waters. The British Admiralty charts on our chart plotter would have had us on innumerable reefs by now if we'd relied on them but the Philippine charts, combined with a very careful lookout and the forward looking echo sounder, ensured that we didn't hit anything. We anchored in about 4 metres just west of Canitauan Island close to Discovery Divers. We plan to spend a couple of days here sorting airline tickets, hire cars and all the tedious stuff you need when your not 'just cruisin'.