Our route: Subic Bay to Hamilo Cove (anchored), Hamilo Cove to Puerto Galera (tied to a mooring), Puerto Galera to Marinduque (anchored), Marinduque to Puerto Galera (tied to mooring), Puerto Galera to Hamilo Cove (anchored), Hamilo Cove to Subic Bay (tied up to slip.) Left November 8th; returned on the 17th.
Subic Bay, Hamilo Cove, Puerto Galera, Muelle Pier, Portofino, Small La Laguna, Big, La Laguna, Sabang, Marinduque, all places I now know and can rattle off any time I’m asked, “where did you go?” Before we left I couldn’t have named any of those places past Subic Bay. Now, not only do I know they exist, I can plot a very rudimentary course to each. I still can’t factor in wind, waves, tides, currents or coral reefs, but I know that I would need to. I don’t know how to set the anchor, but I can open the chain locker, stuff in the anchor chain as it is pulled up, and close it again; something I couldn’t do with confidence before. I can’t tell you why a winch works, but I know which side to wind the mainsail sheet to pull up the sail. I can get off Doramac’s swim platform and into the bright yellow service boat with more confidence, and with a hand from the driver, I can walk the short plank onto the banca for the quick trip to Portofino. And I learned that I like to snorkel! Mostly I learned how little I still know about cruising, but at least now, when I read some of Chapman’s or any of the other cruising books Randal has, I will have some experience to relate the information to so begin to take it all in. I don’t know if I should be amazed at how much I have learned or panic stricken at how little I still know. Blessedly, I don’t seem to get seasick. One Sturgeron in the morning, whether I need it or not, seems to do the trick. I admit to having no interest in why, when I plug an appliance into a receptacle, it works. But I sort of understand why the 220 outlets need the inverter to work. Mechanical and electrical apparatus have always left me cold and perhaps that’s why I am still more attracted to hardcover books and sketch pads and pencils. But to cruise you have to know how things work even if you don’t know why. So I know a winch turns clockwise and which side to put the line, but I can’t tell you why it works. Knowing why something works makes knowledge transferable from one winch to the next, so I will have to learn the why’s also. It’s just slow going when I would rather draw or read.
Before we left Subic, Zaida and I had gone to the big Public Market in Olongapo for fruit and vegetables. Puerto Galera had less available so we stocked up and hoped it would survive for the week or 10 days we would be gone. Zaida is great with veggies, selecting, chopping, and cooking them. I picked out the apples since I was so finicky about wanting them crisp and hard. Our first meal, cooked onboard in Hamilo Cove was salmon patties and sauteed veggies! In Puerto Galera we ate at the PGYC one night and on the pier the next. Zaida and I did walk to the small market in PG for some produce, but the pickings were slim. There were no fresh prawns to be had so we missed out on a prawn dinner Randal was to cook. PG is very small, but lively and colorful. In the morning Zaida and I stopped in at a little clothes shop. I was so hot from my heavy denim capri length shorts, I was determined to leave in something else. The something else was a sleeveless shift that looked a bit odd, but was cool; so who cared. Zaida bought a tiny white crocheted bathing suit and looked adorable in it. During an evening shopping excursion Zaida found crochet string and we each bought wallets. I bought a small, too loud clock, and some handkerchiefs. All cost less than they would have in Subic. Main street PG doesn’t have much, but the little shops were fun to browse. Our second stop in PG, Zaida and I went “bra” shopping. Some were too small and some were too big and none was just right so that was that. It was an experience though.
On our first sidetrip to Portofino, Nick and Zaida did some cleaning and arranging in Nick’s condo and Randal and I roamed the short beach front. Lots of great seaglass and rocks and shells. I scavenged and Randal text folks. Then we walked back to Portofino and Nick, Zaida, Randal and I ate lunch. After that it was time to board a banca and head back to PG and DoraMac. It was still quite warm so Zaida and I went for a swim and life ring float. (This was pre snorkel time in PG.)
We spent all of the time in Marinduque on the boat, resting and hoping for weather that would allow a continued cruise to Romblon. But the wind kept up so we returned to PG. In Marinduque, Zaida and I swam and we all read and relaxed. I baked an apple bread. Nick and Zaida cooked steak one night and I made tuna casserole one night. Just like home!! We even had wine, red with the meat and white with the fish.
The cruise back to PG from Marinduque was quite rolling. Nick drove, eagle eyed Zaida was lookout and I tried to keep them supplied with drinks and food. Randal was trying to deal with feeling awful.
During our second visit in Puerto Galera, Nick took Randal to the “Gentlemen’s Lunch” in Portofino sponsored by the PGYC and Zaida and I went mask and snorkel snooping. We browsed the little shops and I bought a green tee-dye wrap like Zaida’s and she bought cute top and wrap skirt. Then it was back to PG. My impression of PG is that it resemble Olongapo or Baijiao. My impression of Portofino and the LaLagunas and Sabang is of a Philipino Key West with lots of characters, mostly western looking. Just kind of end of the line. Maybe because there were very few women, definitely no library or bookstores, and lots of little bars. I liked it. It was such a quick impression that I probably shouldn’t say anything at all. According to my Rough Guide, ” The beach at Sabang is nothing special, and not particularly good for swimming, but this is a great place to stay if you want to be close to the bars, restaurants, and dive shops.” Lots of diving here and maybe we will learn if we spend Christmas here. The water is very clear so I can’t wait to get back to snorkel. It’s pretty much the same for Small Lalaguna and Big Lalaguna. These areas have their own names because they were once separated by water with no way to get to each except by boat or hiking through the woods behind them. No you can walk along the beach from the entire way.
The service boat taxi. It collects us at Doramac and takes us to the pier, PGYC, and once even collected us off of the banca from Portofino. At night they have no lights and move through the dark I don’t know how.
Muelle pier, PG
DoraMac moored at PG
One of the characters I saw.
Marinduque had a giant statue of the Virgin Mary.